A.R.T.'s OBERON to Present THE BITTER GAME

OBERON, the American Repertory Theater's (A.R.T.) Second Stage and club theater venue, presents The Bitter Game, a gripping story about what it means to survive while Black in America.

The Bitter Game is created, written, and performed by Keith A. Wallace and directed and co-created by Deborah Stein. Performances will be held September 14 - September 16 at OBERON, 2 Arrow St, Cambridge.

Presented in five acts structured as the four quarters and overtime of a basketball game, The Bitter Game blends poetry and prose to examine the impact of police brutality, the resulting trauma reflected on communities of color, and the value of Black lives. Artist-activist Keith A. Wallace draws on his own experiences growing up in Philadelphia as he portrays multiple characters in an exploration of the experience of being Black in America.

"The work I'm interested in creating and consuming focuses on issues of racial inequity and injustice," says Wallace. "With this play, I'm trying to create an opportunity for empathy-exposing humanity and emotion in a way that we can all see ourselves reflected in a particular story, that makes us responsible in a whole new way."

"The impact of Keith's art is amplified by virtue of his holding his role as artist and activist with equal weight," says A.R.T. line producer Mark Lunsford. "We are excited to bring his incredibly insightful and important voice to Boston."

The solo performance was praised by The New York Times as "high-impact...a sharp reminder of the persuasive powers of live theater." The Bitter Game comes to OBERON following its acclaimed run at the Under the Radar Festival at New York's Public Theater.

Shows run: Thursday, September 14 - Saturday, September 16 at 7:30PM; Saturday, September 16 at 4PM, with the press opening set for Thursday, September 14 at 7:30PM. Tickets start at $25. Now on sale by phone at 617.547.8300, in person at the American Repertory Theater Ticket Services (64 Brattle St), or online at americanrepertorytheater.org/TheBitterGame.

After a limited engagement at OBERON, The Bitter Game will play two free, site-specific performances at the following venues: Mattapan Teen Center (10 Hazleton St., Mattapan, MA) on Wednesday, September 20 at 7PM; and Harambee Basketball Court at the Perkins Community Center (155 Talbot Ave., Dorchester Center, MA) on Thursday, September 21 at 6PM.

Visit americanrepertorytheatre.org/TheBitterGame for additional information about the production and site-specific performances.

Keith A. Wallace (Creator, Writer & Performer) is an actor, playwright, director, and self-proclaimed "actorvist." He has appeared in Junk, Blueprints to Freedom, Movers + Shakers, Death of a Driver, Venus, In the Crowding Darkness, and more. Directing credits include The Last Days of Judas Iscariot and The Brothers Size (Theatre Bay Area Award for Outstanding Production). He holds an MFA in Acting from UC San Diego and is the recipient of the 2016 Princess Grace Theater Award.

Deborah Stein (Director & Co-creator) is the Co-Artistic Director of Stein | Holum Projects. Her play Chimera was seen at the Under The Radar Festival in 2012. Other plays include Marginal Loss, The Wholehearted, and God Save Gertrude. Stein is an alumna of New Dramatists, and teaches at UC San Diego, where her collaboration with Wallace began.

OBERON is the American Repertory Theater's Second Stage, a destination for theater and nightlife on the fringe of Harvard Square. In addition to offering work from the A.R.T.'s main season, OBERON is also a thriving incubator for local, emerging, and celebrated artists to imagine new projects that could only exist in this exciting club-theater environment. Thousands of artists and performance groups bring work to the space each year. OBERON regularly features local performers including aerialists, beat poets, food artists, tap dancers, gender-bending sketch troupes, musicians, spoken-word performers, comedians, hula-hooping burlesquers, pop-and-lock human statues, and more. OBERON is located at 2 Arrow Street at the corner of Mass Ave. in Harvard Square, Cambridge. For tickets, call 617.547.8300, or visit cluboberon.com.

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