PROSPECT HIGH: BROOKLYN, Co-Written by Teens, Concludes Rolling World Premiere in NYC This Weekend

As Roundabout Theatre Company and Education at Roundabout previously announced, Repertory High School for Theatre Arts in New York City will present the New York premiere of PROSPECT HIGH: BROOKLYN.

Written by Daniel Robert Sullivan and a team of New York City teenagers, Prospect High: Brooklyn was developed in partnership with Education at Roundabout and the Fox Foundation Resident Actor Fellowships. The play is completing its rolling world premiere with this production, having had 23 high school presentations across the country September 2015 - May 2016.

Repertory High School will present PROSPECT HIGH: BROOKLYN tonight, September 9, at 7:00 PM, and tomorrow, September 10, at 2:00 PM and 7:00 PM in Roundabout's Black Box Theatre in the Harold and Miriam Steinberg Center for Theatre (111 West 46th Street). Tickets will be available at the door on a first-come, first-served basis.

The Repertory High School production will be helmed by teacher and director, Robert McIntosh.

Says McIntosh, "We began working on Prospect High: Brooklyn last February in our 9th grade Essentials of Acting class. Our entire Freshman class had the opportunity to dig in and work on every scene in the play, and then selected two scenes to develop for in-class performances. In working on this material, I was immediately struck by how well the writers had captured the rhythms and idioms of today's youth. I have never found a text that I could give to a class and have literally every student immediately be able to give such a fully committed cold reading. The students could tell that this was the rare piece of writing that was actively working to explore their issues and express them in a voice they recognized as their own. The issues the play explores are all deeply complex and the play makes no attempt to solve them. What it does very well, I think, is hold a mirror up to our institutions, community and culture, and ask hard questions about who is responsible when young people are driven to make choices that hurt themselves and each other. How do we help each other in times of crisis, and how do we ask for and accept help when we need it? It has been an honor and a pleasure to work with this remarkably talented and dedicated cast and crew. I am floored by the commitment and collaborative spirit of these young artists. Every student involved gave up over a week of summer vacation in order to come to work here at the Roundabout and prepare to tell this story. They believe it is an important story to tell."

Conceived by Daniel Robert Sullivan (Tommy DeVito in Jersey Boys, Author of Places Please!) and co-written by a team of New York City teenagers, the play focuses on four intelligent, highly charged students and one seriously apathetic teacher. Prospect High: Brooklyn was created with the intent of offering a new collection of serious, true-to-life material for teenage actors. The play addresses themes of apathy, revenge, deep friendship, trans identity, casual racism, self-harm, and the power of both good and bad advice from teachers, all against the backdrop of an enormous Brooklyn high school. Prospect High: Brooklyn can be performed by 5 - 18 actors.

"The National New Play Network introduced the concept of a rolling world premiere in 1998, and I've always thought it would be great to offer that kind of arrangement to high schools. There is so much energy and power in teenage theatre-makers, but that positive force is often felt only locally. By introducing this fierce new play to the nation's high schools in a coordinated way, Roundabout is not only promoting the play with positive publicity, but the schools themselves. After much research, we chose 23 of the boldest high school theatre departments from across the country and can use this first-ever high school rolling world premier to recognize them and expose their power at a national level," notes creator Daniel Robert Sullivan.

Prospect High: Brooklyn was recently awarded semi-finalist status for the 2015 National Playwrights Conference at the Eugene O'Neill Center and has been published by Smith & Kraus.

Sullivan adds, "I wanted to create an issue-driven, age-appropriate, culturally-diverse, flexible-cast play that represents the extremes inherent in an urban high school environment. Through nine months of collaboration, these teenagers have introduced me to the issues and debates most important to them. We've structured these conversations into the play."

The following productions took place during the 2015-16 academic year:

Indianapolis: Broad Ripple Magnet High School for the Arts and Humanities (September 2015)
Memphis: Ridgeway High School (November 2015)
Syracuse: Corcoran High School (November 2015)
Philadelphia: Academy at Palumbo (December 2015)
Providence: Trinity Academy for the Performing Arts (December 2015)
Boston: Boston Arts Academy (December 2015)
Bridgeport: Central High School (December 2015)
Harrisburg: Capital Area School for the Arts (December 2015)
Milwaukee: Milwaukee High School of the Arts (December 2015)
Ann Arbor: Pioneer High School (January 2016)
Louisville: Youth Performing Arts High School (January 2016)
Oklahoma City: Harding Fine Arts Academy (January 2016)
San Jose: Lincoln High School (January 2016)
Minneapolis: Southwest High School (February 2016)
Chicago: Niles West High School (February 2016)
Tallahassee: Leon High School (February 2016)
Dallas: Grand Prairie Fine Arts Academy (February 2016)
Philadelphia: Philadelphia School for Creative and Performing Arts (February 2016)
Long Island: Nassau BOCES Long Island High School for the Arts (April 2016)
Austin: McCallum Fine Arts Academy (April 2016)
Baltimore: Baltimore School for the Arts (May 2016)
London: Showdown Theatre Arts (May 2016)
San Diego: San Diego School of Creative and Performing Arts (May 2016)

Co-writers of the play are Daniel Robert Sullivan, Paul Stoll, Aaliyah Stewart, Isaiah Latimer, Chanique Peart, Deshaye Tingling, Amanda Rodriguez, Jaylin Acosta, BRandy Brown, Azaria Guthrie, Rebecca Powell, Rachel Friedman, and Shannon Deep.

Prospect High: Brooklyn received a workshop presentation at Roundabout Theatre Company in April 2014 under the direction of Shelley Butler and was originally developed with dramaturg Shannon Deep. It is currently being further developed at the Nevada Conservatory Theatre, in association with the University of Nevada-Las Vegas, under the direction of Christopher V. Edwards. Visit ProspectHighBrooklyn.com for reviews, images, or to request a perusal copy.

To learn more about the development of Prospect High: Brooklyn, visit TCG Circle. Daniel Robert Sullivan and Roundabout Theatre Company are participants in the Fox Foundation Resident Actor Fellowships, funded by the William & Eva Fox Foundation and administered by Theatre Communications Group.