Juvenile Justice Initiative and ACLU Officials to Speak After 'DIRECT FROM DEATH ROW', 11/7

Raven Theatre will welcome Elizabeth Clarke, founder and President of the Juvenile Justice Initiative and one of its board members, Khadine Bennett, staff attorney and Legislative Counsel with the ACLU of Illinois, when they visit the theater to lead a discussion of its critically acclaimed DIRECT FROM DEATH ROW THE SCOTTSBORO BOYS following the November 7th performance of the play. The two will join cast members and director Michael Menendian in a talk about the legal cases depicted in Mark Stein's historical play and those cases' significance to the continuing struggle for racial justice and reform of our country's juvenile justice system.

The Juvenile Justice Initiative, based in Evanston, is a statewide non-profit advocacy organization with a mission to transform the juvenile justice system by reducing reliance on confinement, enhancing fairness for all youth, and developing a comprehensive continuum of community-based resources throughout the state. The American Civil Liberties Union is a nonpartisan, non-profit organization whose stated mission is "to defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties guaranteed to every person in this country . Playwright Mark Stein's play with music and dance, a satirical retelling of the true story of nine African-American teenagers falsely convicted in 1931 of raping two white women on a train in Alabama, will be performed by an all-African-American cast of nine actors. It is directed by Raven Theatre Company co-founder and co-Artistic Director Michael Menendian, with Frederick Harris providing musical direction for the score by Harley White Jr. Kathleen Dennis is choreographer.

The production began performances Wednesday, September 16 and November 14, 2015. Tickets are on sale now at www.raventheatre.com or by calling 773-338-2177.

Following its official opening on September 22, 2015, DIRECT FROM DEATH ROW THE SCOTTSBORO BOYS received rave reviews from Chicago's critical community. The Chicago Tribune, awarding the play four stars, lauded the production's "supremely gifted and compelling young ensemble." Writing for the Chicago Sun-Times, Hedy Weiss said "It's a stunner." Eight other outlets rated the show "Highly Recommended" as well.

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 play multiple roles. Kevin Patterson plays Haywood Patterson and Andrew Malone plays the defendant Charlie Weems as well as the attorney Sam Liebowitz. Breon Arzell, who was in The Hypocrites' All Our Tragic this summer, plays the accused Willie Roberson and also attorney Joe Brodsky. Semaj Miller, producing director of Dream Fierce Productions, is 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, is 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, plays the accused Clarence Norris as well as Judge Horton and the Prosecutor.

The women in the cast 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 who plays Eugene Williams, Victoria, Old Victoria and a mother. Charli Williams, whose Chicago stage credits include El Stories and whose film credits include Grindhouse and Stop-Loss is Leroy Wright and a mother. Anna Dauzvardis, a 2014 graduate of Loyola University's theatre program, is Ozie Powell, Ruby Bates 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, has designed the set for DIRECT FROM DEATH ROW THE SCOTTSBORO BOYS, with properties design and set dressing by Mary O'Dowd. Sarah Jo White created the costumes and masks have been 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.

BIOS:

ELIZABETH CLARKE, J.D. - Ms. Clarke is currently the founder and President of the Juvenile Justice Initiative, a statewide non-profit advocacy organization with a mission to transform the juvenile justice system by reducing reliance on confinement, enhancing fairness for all youth, and developing a comprehensive continuum of community-based resources throughout the state. The JJI has successfully "right-sized" jurisdiction and confinement by raising the age of juvenile court from seventeen to eighteen, eliminating automatic drug transfers to adult court, eliminating automatic transfer for fifteen year olds, expanding access to counsel at the pre-detention stage, and reducing incarceration by half through commitment to use of the least restrictive alternative and realignment of fiscal priorities to expand community based alternatives. The reforms have kept thousands of children out of adult court, and resulted in the closing of two juvenile prisons based on reductions in confinement. Prior to founding the Juvenile Justice Initiative, Ms. Clarke served as Juvenile Justice Counsel for the Office of the Cook County Public Defender, and represented indigent clients in the Office of the State Appellate Defender. Ms. Clarke has authored numerous articles, including the chapter on Appellate Review in the IICLE Juvenile Law Handbook, and a detailed study of the Illinois juvenile transfer provisions published in the National Journal of the Juvenile and Family Court Judge's Association. Ms. Clarke has been honored by numerous local and national organizations, and was named a "Champion for Change" in 2009 by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, and a national Youth Advocate by the National Juvenile Justice Network in 2013.

KHADINE BENNETT - Khadine Bennett is a Staff Attorney and Legislative Counsel with the ACLU of Illinois. She drafts, testifies and lobbies on a wide variety of legislative issues. Khadine began her ACLU of Illinois career as a Legal Fellow with the Reproductive Rights Project where she was involved in the Project's litigation and advocacy efforts.Khadine began her social justice career in the California Bay Area where she worked as an organizer, program director, consultant and director of various human rights, juvenile justice, youth development and reproductive justice organizations including WILD for Human Rights, Youth Force Coalition and the California Abortion and Reproductive Rights Action League. Khadine has served on the boards of the Third Wave Foundation, WILD for Human Rights, Exhale, the Chicago Abortion Fund and the juvenile justice initiative.Prior to joining the ACLU of Illinois in 2008, Khadine attended American University, Washington College of Law in Washington, D.C. and was a part of the International Human Rights Clinic. Khadine received her undergraduate degree in American Studies and African-American Studies from Wesleyan University in Middletown, CT in 1999. Khadine is a member of the Illinois Bar.

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