IN THE RED AND BROWN WATER Kicks Off Theatre School at DePaul's 2012-2013 New Directors Series, Today

The Theatre School at DePaul University presents IN THE RED AND BROWN WATER, by alumnus and award-winning playwright Tarell Alvin McCraney, and directed by Marc David Pinate, as the first production of the 2012-2013 New Directors Series. IN THE RED AND BROWN WATER opens Friday, November 2, and runs through Sunday, November 11, 2012, at the Greenhouse Theater Center. Performances are Wednesdays through Saturdays at 7:30 PM and Sundays at 2 PM. Previews are on October 31 and November 1 at 7:30 PM.

Present Day San Pere, Louisiana. IN THE RED AND BROWN WATER is the story of Oya, an African-American teenager named for the Yoruba warrior-spirit of the wind. Oya is an up-and-coming star athlete, but postpones a university track scholarship in order to take care for her ailing mother. Written by award-winning playwright and Theatre School alumnus Tarell Alvin McCraney, Oya's story of womanhood and life unfolds in a dreamscape of street talk and poetry.

Admission is FREE but reservations are recommended. Call the Box Office at (312) 922-1999.

New Directors Series productions are directed in partial fulfillment of the Master of Fine Arts degree in Directing at The Theatre School. IN THE RED AND BROWN WATER serves as Director Marc David Pinate’s MFA thesis project, after three years of production practice and training in order to fulfill his degree requirements. To learn more about Pinate’s past projects, The New Directors Series, or the MFA Directing curriculum, please visit http://theatre.depaul.edu.

The Greenhouse Theater Center is located at 2257 N. Lincoln Ave., in Chicago. The theatre is accessible via public transportation, and street parking is available. For more information contact the Box Office at (312) 922-1999.

MARC DAVID PINATE (Director): is from the San Francisco Bay Area, where he worked as an actor and director with groundbreaking companies such as Campo Santo, The Magic Theatre, Teatro Vision and Shadowlight Productions. As the recipient of a three-year directing residency by the Doris Duke Foundation at La Peña Cultural Center in Berkeley, Marc ran the Hybrid Performance Experiment, which performed experimental guerilla theatre in subway trains and shopping malls. Theatre School directing credits include DEATH AND THE MAIDEN, PUTO, MOBY DICK, and THE MISANTHROPE.

Tarell Alvin McCraney (Playwright): was born and raised in Liberty City, the inner city area of Miami, Florida. He graduated from the New World School of the Arts High School, with the Exemplary Artist Award and the Dean’s Award in Theater in 1999, matriculated into the Theatre School at DePaul University in Chicago graduating with the Sarah Siddons Award and a BFA in Acting 2003. He attended the British American Drama Academy (BADA) Mid-Summer at Oxford, studying Shakespeare with master actors and teachers from the Royal Shakespeare Company and around the UK. His Master’s Degree in Fine Art is from the Yale School of Drama in playwriting 2007; he received the Cole Porter Award upon graduating. He is a member of New Dramatists and Teo Castellanos/D-Projects in Miami, and an ensemble member at Steppenwolf Theatre Company in Chicago. His Theatre School credits include POLARIOD STORIES, THE SELFISH GIANT, A LESSON BEFORE DYING, BURNING CHROME, and ASSASSINS.

The cast features Matthew Browning (O Li Room/Man from State), Adrienne Jones (Nia), Kiandra Layne (Oya), James Lewis (Elegba), Gregory Marlow (Ogun), Tiffany Oglesby (Aunt Elegua), Kelly Erin Sloan (Mama Moja/The Woman Who Reminds You), Tiffany T. Smith (Shun), Nathan Streifel (Egungun), and Justin Wilson (Shango).?????

The production staff includes Marc David Pinate (Director), Laura Routh (Dramaturgy), Ingrid Larson (Scenic Designer), Chloe Patten (Costume Designer), Peyton B. Smith (Lighting Designer), Rachel Regan (Sound Designer), and Abbie Betts (Stage Manager).

An Opening Night Party will be held on Friday, November 2, 2012, following the performance. A post-show discussion with dramaturg Laura Routh will be held on Sunday, November 4 (2 PM) and Thursday, November 8, 2012 (7:30 PM). Call the Box Office at (312) 922-1999 for more information about these special events.

The Theatre School at DePaul University educates, trains, and inspires students of theatre in a conservatory setting that is rigorous, disciplined, and culturally diverse. The school and its students strive for the highest level of professional skill and artistry. A commitment to diversity and equality in education is central to its mission. As an integral part of the training, The Theatre School produces public programs and performances from a wide repertoire of classic, contemporary, and original plays that challenge, entertain, and stimulate the imagination. The school seeks to enhance the intellectual and cultural life of the university community, the city, and the profession.

Photo Credit: Anna Ables

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