Ed Bullins to be Honored at Voices at the River, 7/14

Arkansas Repertory Theatre previously announced that Ed Bullins will be honored at an awards ceremony July 14, 2010 during The Rep's Voices at the River II. The playwrights' residency program is designed to support Latino- and African-American Playwrights nationally and in Arkansas. Plays to be developed during the residency include new works by Augusto Federico Amador, La'Chris Jordan, Tearrance Chisholm and Elaine Romero. Free public readings will be held at Mosaic Templars Cultural Center in Little Rock, AR, July 16 and 17, 2010.

Honoree Ed Bullins is one of the most noteworthy playwrights to come from the Black Theatre movement of the 1960s and 1970s. Throughout his career, he has worked with the New Lafayette Players, was the in-residence playwright for the American Place Theatre and was a staff member at the New York Shakespeare Festival. He has written over 30 plays such as In the Wine Tine, Goin a Buffalo and the Taking of Miss Janie, as well as short stories, novels and poetry. He has won numerous awards, including an Obie Award, The Black Arts Alliance Award and the New York Drama Critics Award. He is currently the Distinguished Artist-in-Residence at Northeastern University in Boston, where he was previously a professor.

"Ed Bullins has made significant contributions to the American canon of dramatic literature. It's an honor to recognize his creative spirit and artistic tenacity," said Rajendra Maharaj, project director for Voices at the River and artistic director of New York City's Rebel Theatre Company.

Four new works will be developed during the two-week residency, July 5-18:

Solterona, by Augusto Federico Amador, is about a spinster, or solterona, named Maria. Unmarried and quickly becoming middle-aged, she struggles to find an independent life of her own while caring for her repressive mother, Delores.

Roses in the Water, by La'Chris Jordan, follows the uneasy life for Clarice who lives in the New Orleans Desire Housing Projects. The dead end job, the drive-by shootings, and the constant struggle to pay the rent have all taken their toll and she wants out. With no other options, Clarice enlists in the U.S. Navy against her mother's wishes. But will life in the military be any safer than life in the streets? A challenging and timely drama with sharp humor, this play touches on the tough choices we are sometimes forced to make.

Liddy's Sammiches, Potions, and Baths, by Tearrance Chisholm, is a play about the daughter of sorceress who seeks to realize her identity through her deceased mother's spell book. Teaching herself through her mother's words, Liddy journeys to find the truth about the mother she never got a chance to know. This play lives in the south, on the border between reality and the fantastic, and explores how one begins to put together the ingredients to concoct the truth.

Wetback, by Elaine Romero, follows tensions arising on the U.S./Mexican border as the Minuteman Militia hold rallies in the park and lobby to deny citizenship to the American-born children of undocumented workers. The play charts the intertwined fates of a privileged Latina high school principal and the Mexican undocumented worker she fires to protect her job. The irrevocable consequences of her choice force her to question her position in the community and herself.

"We are pleased to see so much good work submitted for Voices at the River II," said Robert Hupp, Arkansas Rep's producing artistic director. "We've chosen for readings four plays that demonstrate the caliber of contemporary dramatic literature being created across the nation. Also selected for participation is a young Arkansan college student who will be mentored throughout the process by a professional team assembled for the development process."

Voices at the River II is underwritten by the Winthrop Rockefeller Foundation. Artists and audiences interested in attending Voices at the River II free public readings can find more information at www.therep.org.

The Legacy Award dinner honoring Ed Bullins will be held at the William J. Clinton Presidential Center, Great Hall on Wednesday, July 14, 2010. The reception will begin at 6:30pm, followed by a dinner at 7:00pm. Tickets are $60. Please RSVP to Bethany Hilkert at bhilkert@therep.org.

About the Winthrop Rockefeller Foundation
In 1974, the trustees of Gov. Winthrop Rockefeller's estate endowed the Winthrop Rockefeller Foundation to continue the work of The Rockwin Fund. Governor Rockefeller set up The Rockwin Fund in 1954 and, on an annual basis from 1956 until his death in 1973, funded projects and programs he believed were important to improving the quality of life in Arkansas. The Winthrop Rockefeller Foundation is a private, nonprofit foundation whose mission is to improve the lives of Arkansans by funding programs and projects that improve education, economic development, and economic, racial and social justice. During the past 35 years, the foundation has awarded more than $90 million in grants. Additional information about the Winthrop Rockefeller Foundation can be found on its website at www.wrfoundation.org.

About the Arkansas Repertory Theatre
Founded in 1976, Arkansas Repertory Theatre is the state's largest nonprofit professional theatre company. A member of the League of Resident Theatres (LORT D), The Rep has produced more than 280 productions, including 40 world premieres, in its historic building in downtown Little Rock. Producing Artistic Director Robert Hupp leads a resident staff of designers, technicians and administrators in the creation of eight to 10 productions for an annual audience in excess of 70,000 for MainStage and SecondStage productions, educational programming and touring. The Rep produces works that range from contemporary comedies and dramas to world premieres and the classics of dramatic literature. For more information, visit www.therep.org.

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