AstonRep to Stage THE BLACK SLOT at The Raven Theatre This Fall

AstonRep Theatre Company will open its 2016-17 season with the world premiere of THE BLACK SLOT, Warren Hoffman's hilarious and biting satire about racial politics in the American regional theater, directed by Associate Artistic Director Derek Bertelsen*. THE BLACK SLOT will play September 1 - October 2, 2016 at The Raven Theatre (West Stage), 6157 N. Clark St. in Chicago. Tickets go on sale Friday, July 1, 2016 at www.astonrep.com or by calling (773) 828-9129. The press opening is Sunday, September 4 at 3:30 pm.

THE BLACK SLOT will feature Dana Anderson, Ian Voltaire Deanes, Linsey Falls, Amy Kasper*, Brittany Stock and Justin Wade Wilson.

Beth, a dramaturg at a regional theatre company, spends her waking hours reading new scripts in the hopes of finding "the one" that will please her boss Pam. Enter Tim, a young African American playwright, whose work is miles beyond anything else she has read so far. But when Tim's hot new play is rejected in favor of producing legendary playwright August Wilson in the theater's "black slot," Tim and Beth hatch a plan to reveal the racism and hypocrisy of the American theater. Things quickly get out of hand in this behind-the-scenes satire that skewers and challenges the politics of the business we call show.

THE BLACK SLOT, developed at InterAct Theatre Company in Philadelphia, is the first new work to be selected from AstonRep's annual Writers' Series to receive a full production. It marks the company's first full world premiere.

"During a time when diversity in theatre is such a hot button issue on local and national stages, we're very excited to be producing a play that highlights the issue in a relevant yet comedic way," comments Director Derek Bertelsen. "We're also thrilled to have one of the plays from our annual Writers Series be selected for a full production. This is an important and funny play and we look forward to sharing this world premiere with our audiences."

The production team for THE BLACK SLOT includes: Jeremiah Barr* (set design), Uriel Gomez (costume design), Samantha Barr* (lighting design), Kallie Noelle Rolison (sound design), Reginald Edmund (dramaturg), Kendra Kingsbury (vocal coach), Lucy Carr (asst. director) and Lara Caprini (stage manager).

*Denotes AstonRep Company Members.

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