Raven Theatre's cast and creative team for Direct from Death Row The Scottsboro Boys (An Evening of Vaudeville and Sorrow) has been announced by Michael Menendian, Co Founding Artistic Director. Playwright Mark Stein's play with music and dance, a satirical retelling of the true story of nine African-American teenagers falsely accused in 1931 of raping two white women on a train in Alabama, will be performed by an all-African-American cast of nine actors. Menendian will direct, with Frederick Harris providing musical direction for the score by Harley White Jr. Kathleen Dennis will be choreographer. Previews will be Wednesday, September 16 - Monday, September 21, 2015 with the press opening Tuesday, September 22. The regular run will be September 25 - November 14, 2015. Tickets are on sale now at www.raventheatre.com or by calling 773-338-2177.
The cast of six men and three women boasts extensive credits from companies throughout the Chicago theatre community and all but one of the performers will play multiple roles. Eric Walker, last seen at Raven in 2013's A Soldier's Play will be the defendant Haywood Patterson.
Robert Howard, recently seen in Four by Jackalope Theatre Company, will play the defendant Charlie Weems as well as the attorney Sam Liebowitz.
Breon Arzell, who's in The Hypocrites' All Our Tragic this summer, will play the accused Willie Roberson and also attorney Joe Brodsky. Semaj Miller, producing director of Dream Fierce Productions, will be both the "Scottsboro Boy" Olen Montgomery and General Knight.
Brandon Greenhouse, an actor with credits at American
Players Theatre who also appeared in Eclipse Theatre Company's Intimate Apparel, will be Andy Wright and NAACP leader
Walter White. Tamarus Harvell, who performed in 2014's The Trials of Moses Fleetwod Walker at Black Ensemble Theatre and was also seen in Raven's A Soldier's Play, will play the accused Clarence Norris as well as Judge Horton and the Prosecutor.
The women in the cast will play the youngest three "boys," the women they were accused of attacking and some of the boys' mothers. They include Katrina D. Richard, who appeared in Black Ensemble Theater's Chicago's Golden Soul and productions with MPAACT and Eclipse Theatre Company, will play
Eugene Williams, Victoria, Old Victoria and a mother.
Kona Burks, who was in Prologue Theater Company's Garage Rep production of Saturday Night/Sunday Morning, has been cast as Ozie Powell, Ruby Bates and a mother. Anna Dauzvardis, a 2014 graduate of Loyola University's theatre program, will be Leroy Wright and a mother.
Longtime Raven designer
Ray Toler, who on June 8th won a Jeff Award for his scenic design of Raven's Vieux Carré, is designing the set for Direct from Death Row The Scottsboro Boys, with properties design and set dressing by Mary O'Dowd. Sarah Jo White is creating the costumes and masks will be designed by David Knezz. Diane D. Fairchild is Lighting Designer and
Joe Court is
Sound Designer.
Not to be confused with the musical The Scottsboro Boys, which ran on Broadway in late 2010, Direct from Death Row The Scottsboro Boys is a play by
Mark Stein with songs by Harley White Jr. that premiered at River Stage in Sacramento, California and enjoyed a subsequent production at the Fountain Theatre in Los Angeles in fall of 2002.
Raven Theatre is located at 6157 N. Clark St., Chicago. There are a limited number of free parking spaces available in the parking lot adjacent to the theatre, and free on-street parking is available nearby.
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