SEVEN GUITARS Opens Soon At The Long Beach Playhouse

Beginning in 1984, playwright August Wilson wrote a series of ten plays covering each decade of the 20th Century. Together they are known as the Pittsburgh Cycle. Seven Guitars, written in 1995, is set in 1948. The play opens and closes after the funeral of Floyd "Schoolboy" Barton in the backyard of a Pittsburgh rooming house. In between those two acts Wilson uses flashbacks to tell us the stories of seven friends whose lives and dreams are compellingly human, and in some cases, breathtakingly tragic.

In the flashbacks we learn Floyd was recently released from serving a short prison sentence for vagrancy. A record he made in Chicago has become a hit and the record company is interested in working with. He returns to Pittsburgh to get his band back together, find enough money to get his guitar out of a pawn shop and reunite with his girlfriend, Vera. In the span of a week those plans and dreams begin to fall apart.
"It's an ensemble play," said Sean Gray, Producing Artistic Director for the Playhouse. "The lives of the seven friends are intertwined in ways that are both good and bad. Like guitars they can make music or they can make noise. Floyd sees music as his ticket out of poverty. Instead what he gets is a cacophony of dysfunction and shattered dreams. Wilson turns heartbreak into a compelling and unforgettable story."

Directing the show is Rovin Jay. With more than 30 years' experience as an actor and director, he was the perfect choice for this show. Last year Jay directed the play Flight for the Playhouse. It was a beautifully constructed piece of unforgettably magical storytelling. In 2011, he played the role of Sam in the Playhouse production of Master Harold...and the Boys. His expertise and sensitivity to people and their stories are evident in everything he does.

"It's hard to put a label on Seven Guitars," said Playhouse Executive Director, Madison Mooney. "Wilson uses music, gossip and bawdy humor to bring the characters to life. His characters and stories show us how much alike we are as human beings even if it doesn't seem that way on the surface."

The cast is a mix of new and returning actors. Returning actors include Rayshawn Chism, Latonya Kitchen, and Ebonie Marie. Making their debuts are Jay Reed, Gilbert Roy DeLeon, Justyn High and William Warren.

The show opens May 18 and runs through June 15, 2019. SPECIAL EVENTS FOR THIS PLAY:

• Pay what you can Thursday May 16 - community can see this production for whatever they can afford
• Two for One Preview Friday May 17 - Tickets are $10.00
• Opening Night Champagne Reception with cast on May 18 - Tickets are $27.00

Friday: Adults are $20.00, Seniors $18.00, and Students $14.00 Saturday and Sunday: Adults are $24.00, Seniors $21.00, and Students $14.00. Tickets are available at www.lbplayhouse.org, or by calling 562-494-1014, option 1. To request an interview with the director, cast members or reserve your media tickets to this performance, please send an email to: pr@lbplayhouse.org.

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