Resident Ensemble Players To Present The Delaware Premiere Of PASS OVER

The Resident Ensemble Players will present the Delaware premiere of Pass Over, by award-winning American playwright Antoinette Nwandu.

This production runs Feb. 8th through Feb. 18th, at the Roselle Center for the Arts in Newark, DE. Tickets are only $20 and can be purchased online at www.rep.udel.edu or by contacting the REP box office at (302) 831-2204.

Pass Over is a mashup of the theatre classic Waiting for Godot and the Biblical Exodus story, told in a modern urban setting. This play centers around two young black men, Moses and Kitch. They stand on the street corner, as they do every day - talking trash, killing time, and dreaming of the promised land.

"It's a spiritual and existential story," says Hassan El-Amin, REP company member and director of Pass Over. "It's a story of love, joy, hope, despair, longing, friendship, family, social conditioning. Pass Over is multilayered."

Playwright Antoinette Nwandu began writing Pass Over after the 2012 killing of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin and the outcome of Zimmerman's murder trial. Nwandu channeled her feelings of anger, sadness, and frustration into this compelling new play.

"To be able to put this play on stage in 2024 when it was born in 2012, shows you the power of the story," says director Hassan El-Amin. "But it also shows you how far we have to go to overcome whatever this sickness is, this disease, we have when it comes to the value of life for African Americans in the United States."

The Resident Ensemble Players' production of Pass Over is not to be missed. Pass Over is an emotionally charged and powerfully impactful drama that the playwright brilliantly blends with poetic and humorous riffs. It will absolutely leave audiences asking themselves "what is the value of a young black man's life?"​

The cast includes guest actors Justin William Davis* (Moses), Jeffrey Rashad* (Kitch), and REP company member Mic Matarrese* (Mister/Ossifer). *Member of Actors' Equity Association

The creative team includes REP company members Hassan El-Amin (Director); Stefanie Hansen (Scenic Designer); Jo Fulmer (Costume Designer); Eileen Smitheimer (Lighting Designer); and Ryan P. McGinty (Sound Designer).

TICKET INFORMATION AND PERFORMANCE SCHEDULE

The Resident Ensemble Players production of Pass Over will run from Feb. 8th through Feb. 18th, at the Roselle Center for the Arts on the University of Delaware's Newark campus. Opening night is Friday, Feb. 9th. Informal talkbacks with the cast take place following the evening performances on Saturday, Feb. 10th and Thursday, Feb. 15th.

Tickets for this production are only $20, with discounts available for students. Tickets can be purchased online at www.rep.udel.edu, by phone at 302-831-2204, or in person at the REP box office located at 110 Orchard Rd. Newark, DE., Tuesday - Friday, noon to 5:00 PM.

The Thompson Theatre in the Roselle Center for the Arts is ADA-compliant and is equipped with a hearing loop system, which works with hearing aid t-coils, cochlear implants, and in-house hearing devices. Wheelchair and other seating requests can be made prior to the performance by calling (302) 831-2204 or emailing cfa-boxoffice@udel.edu.

REP productions are made possible, in part, by a grant from the Delaware Division of the Arts, a state agency dedicated to nurturing and supporting the arts in Delaware, in partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts.

ABOUT THE REP

The Resident Ensemble Players (REP) is a professional theatre company in residence on the campus of the University of Delaware. The REP's mission is to engage audiences throughout the tri-state region and beyond with frequent productions of outstanding classic, modern, and contemporary plays performed in a wide variety of styles that celebrate and demonstrate the range and breadth of an ensemble of nationally respected stage actors.

The REP is committed to creating and expanding audiences for live theatre by offering a diversity of productions at low prices that enable and encourage the attendance of everyone in the region, regardless of background or income.

The REP performs in the Roselle Center for the Arts, 110 Orchard Road, Newark, Delaware on the main campus of the University of Delaware.

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