Flat Rock Playhouse Presents FLY, Now thru 9/27

The Flat Rock Playhouse 2015 season will continue with the critically acclaimed Fly, which will run tonight, September 10th, through September 27th on the Clyde & Nina Allen Mainstage in the village of Flat Rock.

Fly is an important and stirring story about the experiences and challenges of the Tuskegee Airmen, the first African American flyers in the U.S. military during World War II. Hailing from Chicago, Harlem, rural Iowa, and the West Indies, each arrive at boot camp with a dream to serve their country as combat fighter pilots, overcoming many obstacles including prejudice along the way. This raw tale of courage and triumph is brought to life through a powerful combination of speech, multi-media, and tap dance as the "Red Tails" achieve great heights of distinguished service and forged brotherhood.

"The Tuskegee Airmen were highly successful as military aviators in World War II. Nearly 1000 young men flew over 1500 combat missions against a determined enemy, receiving praise and respect for their significant accomplishments," says retired Brigadier General Frank Blazey of Hendersonville. "Despite our country's attitude toward integration they should be remembered now for their distinguished service to our nation and to those believing that freedom is not free."

Fly is presented by Mainstage Series Sponsor The Cliffs with BMW of Asheville serving as Opening Night Sponsor. The Executive Producer of Fly is Asheville Regional Airport. The Playhouse has also teamed up with HonorAir as Community Sponsor, the organization responsible for flying over 100,000 WWII veterans to the nation's capitol to experience their memorial.

"What better place can a World War II story be told than in Henderson County NC, home to the HonorAir organization," says Dave Adams of HonorAir. "HonorAir spawned a nationwide consciousness to help WWII veterans get to visit their national memorial in Washington DC. The Tuskegee Airmen were part of the 'Greatest Generation' that HonorAir was dedicated to serve. And we know that Flat Rock Playhouse can tell the story!"

"We are so honored to have been one of the first regional theaters granted the rights to produce this exhilarating piece. We are further honored and very proud to have the support and partnership of Jeff Miller and Dave Adams of HonorAir, General Frank Blazey, Tyrone Brandyburg with his wealth of knowledge and experience at Tuskegee and of course our Executive Producers Asheville Regional Airport," says Flat Rock Playhouse Artistic Director Lisa K. Bryant. "Fly soars to the heart of the pursuit of happiness and equality. Far more than a play about the conflicts of race in the 1940s American military, it is, more importantly, a true story about overcoming one's greatest obstacles and challenges with determination, grit, grace, diligence, and team effort. Something to which we, the Playhouse, can certainly relate."

Flat Rock Playhouse has also enlisted H. Tyrone Brandyburg, Superintendent for the Carl Sandburg Home National Historic Site, as a consultant for this production of Fly. With more than twenty-five years of experience in the National Park Service, Brandyburg's past assignments include two stints at the Tuskegee Institute National Historic Site in Alabama. "This is an excellent opportunity to honor and education the public on the Tuskegee Airmen," says Brandyburg. "Through these partnerships, this production of Fly at Flat Rock Playhouse will help tell the illustrious story of the men and women who help to make this country special."

"Asheville Regional Airport is proud to be an executive producer of Fly," says Lew Bleiweis, Executive Director of Asheville Regional Airport. "As a longtime partner of both Flat Rock Playhouse and HonorAir, we are pleased to present the history of the Tuskegee Airmen to the theatre-going patrons of Western North Carolina."

Fly was co-written by American playwrights, Trey Ellis and Ricardo Khan and premiered at the Crossroads Theatre in New Brunswick, NJ in 2009. It starred Charlie Hudson III, Turron Kofi Alleyne, Royce Johnson, and Yaegel Welch, featuring Omar Edwards as the Tap Griot, a theatrical device drawing upon West African storyteller traditions. The production was directed by Khan himself. Inspired by a photograph of the Tuskegee Airmen, the play was originally commissioned by Ford's Theatre as a 60-minute educational production geared towards children. After facing much success, Ellis and Khan decided to expand the play into a full 90-minute production featuring projections, tap dancing and more. Fly has received critical acclaim for its powerful message, earnest portrayal of the Tuskegee Airmen and inventive use of multiple artistic platforms.

Starring as the four Tuskegee Airmen are Donte Bonner, Donald Paul, Carter Redwood and Robert Karma Robinson. Omar Edwards will perform the role of the Tap Griot, a "storyteller" who uses tap dance to set the mood and tone throughout the play.

Sharing the stage as the domineering commanding officers are Christian Carmean, Michael MacCauley and Scott Treadway.

Fly will be directed and choreographed by Amy E. Jones with improvography by Omar Edwards. Joining Jones on the production team are Dennis C. Maulden, Stephen Terry, Ashli Arnold, Kurt Conway and Shawn Duan as the Scenic, Lighting, Costume, Sound and Projection designers respectively. Bill Muñoz will serve as Stage Manager with Lindsey A. Moss as Assistant Stage Manager. Paul Feraldi will be designing the properties.

Fly will run September 10th through September 27th at Flat Rock Playhouse's Clyde & Nina Allen Mainstage. Performances Wednesday through Saturday evening at 8 PM, matinees Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday at 2 PM. Tickets are $15 - 40 and can be purchased by calling the Playhouse box office at 828-693-0731, toll-free at 866-732-8008 or online at www.flatrockplayhouse.org.

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