MRT to Premiere New Idris Goodwin Break Beat Play

Merrimack Repertory Theatre continues its 2015-16 Season with the world premiere of "The Realness: a break beat play," the latest work from renowned playwright and hip-hop artist Idris Goodwin. The love story at the center of "The Realness" lets us view the seismic events of the mid-90's hip-hop scene insightfully, through a compassionate human lens. Audiences will see this world through the eyes of T.O., who immerses himself in the hip-hop culture he's only observed from the safety of the suburbs, and falls hard for a captivating MC. Wendy Goldberg, head of the National Playwrights Conference at The Eugene O'Neill Theatre Center, will direct. The production is supported, in part, by an award from the National Endowment for the Arts' Art Works program.

The play runs approximately 90 minutes with performances March 16 - April 10. Press performances are at 8:00 on Saturday, March 19 (Opening Night), as well as at 2:00 pm and 7:00 pm on Sunday, March 20. All performances will be held at the Nancy L. Donahue Theatre, located at 50 East Merrimack Street in historic downtown Lowell. Tickets range from $60 - $23 and are on sale now at www.mrt.org or by calling 978-654-4678.

Idris Goodwin's first break beat play, "How We Got On," played at Boston's Company One in 2013 to overwhelming audience enthusiasm and exceptionally positive reception by local critics, who lauded the work's ability to make hip-hop accessible to the uninitiated, while maintaining the integrity of the genre's rich culture. "The Realness" is the second work in the break beat series. Developed extensively with workshops (including those at the Kennedy Center and the Playwrights' Center), it promises a similar impact.

Goodwin is the recipient of numerous honors and commissions, including Oregon Shakespeare Festival's American Revolutions: The United States History Cycle Commission and InterAct Theater's 20/20 New Play Commission Award. An acclaimed performance poet and rapper in his own right, Goodwin's albums include "Break Beat Poems" and "Rhyming While Black." MRT Artistic Director Sean Daniels notes, "There are few artists having the type of impact that Idris has, and it's very important for us to be premiering his new play here, which we will all be watching other theatres do for years and years afterwards."

"The Realness: a break beat play" gives us the story of T.O., a college student raised in the suburbs with an all-consuming obsession with hip-hop. But while he adores the music, he's only observed the culture from afar. When he lands in the city hoping to immerse himself in the hip-hop lifestyle, he suddenly faces questions about what it truly means to live authentically. And when he falls hard for the brilliant and beautiful artist Prima, things only get more complicated. It's not long before he finds himself caught in the web of lies he's spun in order to stay in her life and define his own role in this captivating new world.

Through it all, we witness some of the most influential moments and movements in hip-hop, which have defined America's contemporary cultural landscape: the death of Tupac Shakur; the emergence of a mainstream out of hip-hop's underground roots; sweeping rap battles and intimate open mics.

The production will be directed by Wendy Goldberg, who is the Artistic Director of the National Playwrights Conference at The Eugene O'Neill Theater Center and who also directed the world premiere of Goodwin's "How We Got On" at the Actors Theatre of Louisville, Humana Festival of New Plays in 2012. Goldberg is joined by designers Lee Savage (sets), Anne Kennedy (costumes), Brian J. Lilienthal (lights), and Josh Horvath (sound). The set will be largely built from audio speakers, bringing a newly resonant dimension to MRT's stage.

The five-person cast features Terrell Sledge (T.O.), Diomargy Nuñez (Prima), Joy Hooper (Professor Brown), Jessie Prez (Roy), and Segun Akande (Lord Style).

Tickets range from $60 - $23 and are available at www.mrt.org or by calling 978-654-4678. A senior discount is offered for 10% off adult ticket prices. Student tickets are $15. Group discounts are available for groups of six or more by calling 978-654-7561. $5 Night: Wednesday, March 16, at 7:30 pm. Patrons may purchase tickets for $5, cash only, at the Box Office between 4:30 pm - 7:30 pm. Limit 2 tickets per person.?Lowell Night: Wednesday, march 23 at 7:30 pm. Lowell residents may purchase tickets for $10 at the box office from 4:30 pm-7:30 pm. Proper ID required, limit 2 per person. A Military Discount of $10 off per ticket (up to four tickets per production) applies to any performance for active duty, retired, veteran, and reservist members of the military.

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