Theater Resources Unlimited Announces Industry Talkback Panel Following Reading of GREENWOOD at The Actors' Temple

The previously announced staged reading of Greenwood by Coolidge Harris II, the inaugural presentation of the TRU Diversity/Amplifying BIPOC Voices program initiative, will be followed by a "dollars and sense" talkback discussion about the development of this new work. Industry experts will discuss the future potential of Greenwood with producer Janel C. Scarborough. Panelists will include Cherine Anderson, director of Marketing & Media Relations for RealEmN Productions (For Colored Girls..., Little Girl Blue, Hadestown, MJ, Paradise Square, Pass Over, Jagged Little Pill); Cheryl L Davis, general counsel for the Authors Guild and co-founder of TRU; R.K. Greene, producer (The Lightning Thief tour, Farinelli and the King, Terms of Endearment, Rocket to the Moon, A Time to Kill, Peter and the Starcatcher; and Gayle Waxenberg, founder/executive director NewYorkRep. The talkback will be moderated by TRU executive director Bob Ost. The reading will take place on Monday, July 25, 2022 at 7pm ET at The Actors' Temple, 339 W. 47th Street, New York NY. Reservations are required and may be made at https://truonline.org/events/greenwood/

Greenwood begins on the fateful day of May 30, 1921, in the hours leading up to the Black Wall Street massacre. "Twists through a century of historical trails land upon a thriving Black community, as all is threatened to be destroyed by a mysterious stranger; a compelling testament of love that orbits the most violent day in Black American history..." This relevant new play about a past that must not be forgotten is written by TRU Voices finalist Coolidge Harris II, produced by TRU board member Janel C. Scarborough and directed by Lawrence Floyd. It is having its live premiere in New York before it plays at the 2022 National Black Theatre Festival in North Carolina.

TRU Diversity/Amplifying BIPOC Voices will be an ongoing program dedicated to highlighting the works and exploring the concerns of BIPOC theater professionals. By presenting developmental readings of new works and a quarterly series of Town Hall conversations engaging an inclusive representation of the theater community, TRU affirms its commitment to fostering change in a slow-to-change industry. Also worth noting: the inaugural presentation of the TRU Diversity program initiative officially marks TRU's return to in-person programming after two and a half years of all-virtual events due to the shutdown.

"As our community of theatermakers continues to make strides to represent the most inclusive range of works on stage, it is vital to cultivate and maintain an inclusive space to develop and spotlight this abundant pipeline of creativity," explains TRU board member Janel C. Scarborough, who founded TRU Diversity with fellow board members Cheryl L. Davis and Scott C. Sickles.

PLEASE. NOTE: TRU practices COVID precautions to ensure the safety of audience and company members. Audience members will be required to provide proof of vaccination and masks must be worn inside theater. Tickets can be reserved at https://truonline.org/events/greenwood/.

Cast:

Althea Alexis* (Shawnese) is a graduate of Howard University, with credits including (stage) Flambeaux: A Caribbean Musical (Sybil), a role she won an AUDELCO Award for Best Actress in a Musical; Munched (8 very different characters); A Season in the Congo (Pauline Lamumba); No Child... (Ms. Sun). She has also worked on the big and small screens, including voice overs and national commercials.

Carle Atwater (Shriner) is a proud graduate of Howard University. He has been acting since 1975. He has performed Off-Broadway in Hot Sake with a Pinch of Salt and The Time of Your Life. In the last 12 months, he has performed in Driving Miss Daisy, Ain't Misbehavin', and The Wiz, and will be featured in a production of Jukebox Giants at the Strand Theatre in Marietta, Ga. in August 2022. He is a classically trained singer, sang backup for Aretha Franklin, and has sung the National Anthem at Madison Square Garden on multiple occasions. He was awarded the Outstanding Performance in a Musical Award for Williams and Walker.

Stanley Wayne Mathis* (Sir) starred in Coolidge Harris II's play Golden Wings in last year's TRU Voices Play Series. Broadway Credits include: Oh Kay!, Jelly's Last Jam, The Lion King, You're A Good Man Charlie Brown, Kiss Me Kate, Wonderful Town, Nice Work If You Can Get It, and The Book Of Mormon. He has performed on stages nationally and internationally in Regionals, The Bermuda Theater Festival, to The Royal Court Theater in London. Television audiences may remember his appearances on Law & Order: Criminal Intent, Gossip Girl, NY 22, NBC's RISE. Film: Magic Sticks, Dark Streets, Brother To Brother, and Steve Mc Queen's SHAME. (Equity/SAG-AFTRA)

Dexter McKinney* (Young Boy) made his Broadway debut in the Tony Award-winning Skeleton Crew (u/s Dez/Reggie) directed by Ruben Santiago-Hudson. Other highlights include TV: When They See Us, Mrs. America, and Doctor Death. His next appearance will be in City on a Hill. Theatre: Actors Theatre of Louisville, National Black Theatre (Harlem), and Syracuse Stage. Dexter was called by the New York Times "the cast's most charismatic actor" in the Off-Broadway hit 3Fifths.

Marcus Naylor* (Red-Manning) is an alumnus of The Negro Ensemble Company, New Federal Theatre, Karamu House, Lifetime Member of The Actors Studio, and Member of The New York Artists Collective. His acting work includes Off-Broadway, Penumbra Theatre, Crossroads Theatre The Meeting, New Federal Theatre Cool Blues, Fences as Troy Maxson, Redhouse Arts Center 2022. Regional Theatre include Denver Center, Kennedy Center, Shakespeare Theatre Company, Arena Stage, Shakespeare on The Sound and Carnegie Hall with The Black Stars of The Great White Way. TV and Film: For Life, Madam Secretary, Bull, Boardwalk Empire, Law and Order, Law and Order: Special Victims Unit, Only in America, The Meeting, The Color of Love, Slings and Arrows (Black Starz,) Malcolm X, A Jazz Fantasy Miles, and Bird and Trane. Marcus is a five-time AUDELCO Award nominee and an Ira Aldridge Award winner.

Susan Spain *(Lucile) is an award-winning actor, director, and writer who has appeared Off-Broadway and regionally, and has narrated over 100 audiobooks, receiving an Earphones Award for her work. Susan has taught/coached students of all ages in acting and singing as well as the business of acting. She can currently be seen as Rose Franklin in FOX's Our Kind of People streaming on Hulu and Disney+ and tours in the world-renowned Motown tribute group, Shadows of the 60s. Susan is a proud member of Actor's Equity Association and SAG-AFTRA.

Gil Tucker (Tucker) is an AUDELCO Award-winning actor who went to Performing Arts High School in New York City (FAME). He was one of only three students who received a Certificate of Merit for Excellence in Acting, his senior year. As a comedian he has performed in Las Vegas, Atlantic City, Madison Square Garden, The Apollo, and more. He was also on Def-Jam, Showtime, and BET. As an actor he was in two Best Revival AUDELCO Award-winning plays: Reunion in Bartersville, produced by The Black Spectrum Theatre, which was invited to the 2019 NBTF and A Soldier's Play produced by The Negro Ensemble Company, for which he won the Best Featured Actor AUDELCO Award in 2018 for his portrayal of Sgt. Waters. He has numerous TV and film credits.

*appearing through the courtesy of Actors Equity Association

Creative Team:

Lawrence Floyd (Director) is Co-Founder of Genesis East and West, Inc. with Dr. Myrah Brown Green, a 501(c)3 that specializes in Theatre/Film and Television Development with locations in New York and Las Vegas. His team swept the 2015 AUDELCO Awards in Black Theatre Excellence with Flambeaux!. Other Shows he's directed (partial list) are These Four Walls, The Strong Man, Indelible, MISUNDERSTOOD, TROIKA BERMUDA, and ResurGENTs. He was also on the Producing team of Black Man Rising by James Chapmyn. He has studied Playwriting with the late Leslie Lee and PJ Gibson, as well as Laurence Holder and Cassandra Medley and has studied Film/TV Directing at Sundance Collab. Proud Member of Equity, SAG-AFTRA, WGA and lifetime Member of The Actors Studio. www.genesiseastandwest.org

Coolidge Harris II (Playwright) - Most recent full-length plays are Greenwood, Golden Wings, and Footsteps in the Dark. Greenwood won the 2021 BIPOC Playwrights Festival sponsored by the African American Playwrights Group in conjunction with Matthews Playhouse of the Performing Arts in Charlotte, NC and received a full production in the fall of 2021. In addition, Greenwood was a finalist in the 2021 American Association of Community Theatre (AACT) NewPlayFest, a semifinalist in the 2021 National Playwrights Conference at the Eugene O'Neill Theater Center and an honorable mention in the 2020 Panndora's Box Playwrights Competition. His newest play, Golden Wings was awarded a virtual presentation from Theater Resources Unlimited in the 2021 TRU Voices New Plays Reading Series. He has also written the one-act plays A Trial for Butchy and The Unicorn, The Hare & The Snake.

Janel C. Scarborough (Lead Producer) is a multi-disciplinary entertainment producer, artistic consultant, script developer and dramaturg. A few of her distinctive projects include: executive producing the award winning film In Time which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival and was acquired by HBO Network; internationally producing and starring in the thought-provoking stage play Single Black Female; masterminding the anniversary special of the iconic hit show "CLUB MTV"; as well as receiving an AUDELCO Award nomination for performing in Love and Marriage and New York City. This past fall Broadway reopening, she was invested in the history making Thoughts of a Colored Man; in the spring she contributed to capitalizing the Tony nominated revival of for colored girls... Janel currently serves on the board of directors of Theater Resources Unlimited and is a founding member of the TRU Diversity program initiative.

About Theater Resources Unlimited:

Theater Resources Unlimited (TRU) is the leading network for developing theater professionals, a twenty-eight-year-old 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization created to help producers produce, emerging theater companies to emerge healthily and all theater professionals to understand and navigate the business of the arts. Membership includes self-Producing Artists as well as career producers and theater companies.

TRU publishes an email community newsletter of services, goods and productions; presents monthly panels as well as the COVID-generated weekly Community Gatherings; offers a Producer Development & Mentorship Program taught by prominent producers and general managers in New York theater, and also presents Producer Boot Camp workshops to help aspirants develop business skills. TRU serves writers through the TRU Voices Play Reading Series, Writer-Producer Speed Date, a Practical Playwriting Workshop, How to Write a Musical That Works and a Director-Writer Communications Lab.

Programs of Theater Resources Unlimited are supported in part by the Montage Foundation, The Storyline Project and the Leibowitz Greenway Foundation.

For more information about TRU membership and programs, visit www.truonline.org.

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