Victory Gardens Presents WE ARE PROUD TO PRESENT A PRESENTATION ABOUT THE HERERO OF NAMIBIA, 3/30-4/29

Victory Gardens continues its 2011-12 season with We Are Proud to Present a Presentation About the Herero of Namibia, Formerly Known as South-West Africa, From the German Sudwestafrika, Between the Years 1884-1915, from Victory Gardens' 2010 IGNITION festival, written by Jackie Sibblies Drury and directed by Eric Ting. The production runs March 30 – April 29, 2012 at the Victory Gardens Biograph Theater.

What could possibly go wrong when a group of eager young amateur actors attempt to dramatize the first genocide of the 20th century? Well, they might find themselves in just a bit over their heads as they come face to face with the demons of our collective past.

Direct from IGNITION, the festival that brought you Pulitzer finalist The Elaborate Entrance of Chad Deity, about a group of actors who lose control of their play and discover some startling hidden truths.

IGNITION, Victory Gardens new play development initiative, was conceived to support the theater's mission of new play development and diversity. In the spring of 2010, 120 writers of color under 40 years of age from around the United States submitted new scripts for the first phase of IGNITION. The top six plays were then selected, workshopped and presented as staged readings in a weeklong festival later that same summer. From the top six, Jackie Sibblies Drury's We Are Proud to Present... was selected to be part of Victory Gardens mainstage season.

Artistic Director Chay Yew comments, "Victory Gardens has been Chicago's home for new American plays since its inception. In the last few years, one of the avenues in which we nurture and develop new theatrical voices has been through IGNITION, from which Kris Diaz's award-winning play The Elaborate Entrance of Chad Diety was workshopped and, ultimately, produced at Victory Gardens. IGNITION has proved to be invaluable platform for these emerging playwrights. We continue this tradition with Jackie Sibblies-Drury's We Are Proud to Present…, a play that captured the hearts of audiences at the last IGNITION Festival."

The cast includes Bernard Balbot (White Man); Kamal Angelo Bolden (Black Man); Tracey N. Bonner (Black Woman); Jake Cohen (Another White Man); Leah Karpel (Sarah); Travis Turner (Another Black Man).

The designers are Brian Bembridge (set); Jesse Klug (lighting); Mike Tutaj (projections); Sarah Picket (sound); Christine Pascual (costumes).

Visit www.victorygardens.org for more information.

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