Merrimack Repertory Theatre Presents New England Premiere Of UNTIL THE FLOOD

Merrimack Repertory Theatre will present the New England premiere of Until the Flood by Pulitzer Prize finalist Dael Orlandersmith from April 17 to May 2 - via video on demand only, according to Nancy L. Donahue Artistic Director Courtney Sale and Executive Director Bonnie J. Butkas. The documentary-style play is based on a series of interviews conducted by the playwright after the killing of Michael Brown by a white police officer in Ferguson, MO.

Maiesha McQueen, whose recent credits include that national tour of Broadway's Waitress, stars, and Boston-based Timothy Douglas directs. The creative team also includes Lindsay Jones, currently nominated for two Tony Awards: Best Original Score and Best Sound Design for Slave Play.

For tickets, contact the Enterprise Bank Box Office at 978-654-4678 or visit www.mrt.org/flood. Tickets start at $19 per household. Current MRT subscribers do not need to reserve for this show; a link will be emailed prior to the viewing period. Until the Flood is sponsored by Enterprise Bank.

Sale said, "Until the Flood, set in 2014, remains painfully relevant in 2021. Inspired by interviews, Dael animates an entire community with heart, intelligence, nuance, and poetry. Her work is the ultimate act of witnessing and we are honored to share that experience with our audiences."

In 2014 the shooting death of teenager Michael Brown by a white police officer sparked weeks of protests and riots. In the aftermath, Orlandersmith, a Pulitzer Prize finalist for Yellowman and the writer/performer of the critically acclaimed plays Beauty's Daughter and The Gimmick, interviewed a wide cross section of residents to create eight composite characters for Until the Flood. The docu-drama eschews politics and the specifics of the shooting to explore the hopes, fears, and struggles of the community.

According to the Chicago Tribune, Until the Flood "achieves a great beauty by bringing us together rather than driving us apart." Variety called the work "eye-opening and quietly moving," and Time Out London said, "It is a salve to see that beauty can arise from such tragedy."

Orlandersmith said, "I want to go beyond what's right, who's right, who's wrong. How does this shooting affect people? In terms of race, how far have we come? Those are the questions that have come to mind. What does it invoke, provoke in you? I know this situation goes beyond the political. It extends itself into personal stories and the emotional and how we live on a day-to-day basis."

McQueen's recent credits include His Eye Is on the Sparrow and Ain't Misbehavin' at Portland Center Stage (OR), Chasin' Dem Blues: The Untold Story of Paramount Records at Milwaukee Repertory Theatre, and Chris Rock's Down to Earth (Paramount Studios).

A theatre director, actor, and educator, Douglas is the recipient of the Lloyd Richards Director Award from the National Black Theatre Festival and currently serves as Distinguished Artist in Residence at Emerson College. Recent credits include Frankenstein for Off-Broadway's Classic Stage Company, the China tour of Ayad Akhtar's Disgraced, Ione Lloyd's Eve's Song for the Sundance Theatre Institute, and Jason Reynolds' Long Way Down for The Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.

The creative team also includes Bill Clarke, Scenic Designer (A Walk in the Woods and Abby's Song on Broadway); Yao Chen, Costume Designer (Radio Golf at Trinity Rep, Little Prince at Seattle Children's Theatre); Carolina Ortiz Herrera, Lighting Designer (Florencia en el Amazonas at The Shubert Theatre (CT), Navidad: A Mexican-American Christmas at The Apollo Theatre); and Lindsay Jones, Sound Designer (current two-time Tony Award nominee for Slave Play, Bronx Bombers, and A Time to Kill, all on Broadway).

Christa Brown, founder of Free Soil Arts Collective, MRT's Company in Residence, will serve as Assistant Director, and Maegan A. Conroy (MRT's Tiny Beautiful Things, Miss Bennet: Christmas at Pemberley, The Wickhams: Christmas at Pemberley, and more) will serve as Stage Manager.

Based on real events, Until the Flood includes references to racism, bigotry, prejudice, and off-stage violence. The play contains strong adult content/language, including numerous uses of the n-word. Recommended for ages 16 and older.

MRT will offer two pricing options: a regular Video on Demand package, which includes an introductory video and the play at an "early bird" rate of $19 per household (regular rate $29) and a Video on Demand Ultimate package, which includes the introductory video, the play, and interviews with the artists at the "early bird" rate of $29 per household (regular rate $39).

To reserve, visit www.mrt.org or for further information, contact the Enterprise Bank Box Office at 978-654-4678 or box_office@mrt.org. (The Box Office is not physically open during the pandemic.)

DUE TO THE PANDEMIC, MRT was forced to cease production in March 2020. Over the summer, MRT launched a virtual version of its acclaimed MRT Young Company; this past fall, a reading series of new plays by Vichet Chum, Trista Baldwin, and Steven Dietz; and a video production of Fannie Lou Hamer: Speak On It!, a tribute to the civil rights activist.

With the restart in April of 2021, productions will include all of the remarkable theatrical effects audiences expect from MRT - top-notch acting, sets, costumes, and lighting, all filmed with multiple cameras before an extensive editing process. The preparation for producing these two shows on film has involved months of innovative thinking, union negotiations, and a 37-page safety plan, which incorporates the latest guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

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