Soul Rep Theatre Presents Regional Premiere Of Katori Hall's HURT VILLAGE

Soul Rep Theatre Company's Curtains Rising! 12th season will close with the regional premiere production of playwright, Katori Hall's gritty award winning drama about gentrification, HURT VILLAGE. The production will run May 2 - 4 and May 9 - 11 at the South Dallas Cultural Center, located at 3400 S. Fitzhugh Avenue, adjacent to Fair Park. Katori Hall is an Olivier Award-winning playwright from Memphis, Tennessee. HURT VILLAGE, the fourth in her series of "Memphis Plays," is currently being developed into a feature film.

"It take a village to raise a family, but our villages are long gone and everyone is hurting," says Jemal McNeil, a Los Angeles based director and acting coach, who is co-directing this production with Soul Rep's Co-Artistic Director, Tonya Holloway. "Can we resurrect the fallen village or have we sold our drums for rented slums?"

HURT VILLAGE is a sprawling, energy-packed edgy drama inspired by a true story of gentrification - the demolition of one of Memphis' most notorious housing projects in 2002. This is a story of a family on the cusp of hope and homelessness. Filled with rap, rhyme, colorfully heart breaking characters, and the art of dissing, HURT VILLAGE is Katori Hall's ode and lament for a proud old neighborhood awaiting the bulldozer and the coming-of-age story of 13 year old, "Cookie", a girl finding and fighting her way out.

The dynamic cast includes Soul Rep company members Douglas Carter, Anyika McMillan-Herod, Monique Ridge-Williams, in addition to J.R. Bradford, Sharvetta Clay, Rickey Colbert, Harmoni Hampton, Christian Riley, and Jacobie Thornton.

Tickets range from $15 - $20 and can be purchased on Soul Rep's website - www.soulrep.org. Performances will take place on Thursdays and Fridays at 8 PM and Saturdays at 3 PM and 8 PM. A "Clap Back" panel discussion will take place Saturday, May 3 at 6:00 pm with directors, cast, and members of the housing and anti-poverty community.

This production is sponsored in part by generous support of the City of Dallas Office of Cultural Affairs, South Dallas Cultural Center, TACA, and The Moody Fund for the Arts.

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