Tennessee Playwrights Studio Presents FAN ME WITH A BRICK At The Darkhorse Theater, July 7-22

Tennessee Playwrights Studio has announced the production of the world premiere of Fan Me with a Brick - written by Kenley Smith and directed by Shawn Whitsell. Original Research by V. Yalewa Sparrowhawk Ferguson.

When Victoria sets out to learn more of her family's history, she opens a portal to a past full of loss, pain and indomitable perseverance. Her mother reluctantly joins her, and the two women uncover old wounds - a scandalous affair in segregated Virginia, a stolen child, a lost parent, a horrific accident - that linger unhealed in the present. Based on true events.

The cast of Fan Me with a Brick includes Tanya Anderson, Briana C. Finley, Dee Hammonds, Leslie Hammonds, Tony Insignares, Myah Jackson, Ethan H. Jones, Josh Kiev, JR Knowles, Angela Martin, Kysa Otis, and Kinston Smith. 

Other theatre artists contributing to Fan Me with a Brick include: Happy Allen, (Lighting Design), Dee Benn (Costume Design), Jonah Burch (Sound Design), LaTia Lewis (Stage Manager), E. Roy Lee (Set Design & Construction).

Kenley Smith (Playwright) co-founded and co-directs TPS. He came to Nashville in 2011 as an Ingram New Works playwright, and he facilitated the Writing Room at Nashville Rep from 2015 to 2017. Earlier, Kenley founded Studio Roanoke, a new-works venue in Virginia that put up some 30 first or second productions from 2009 to 2012. His plays, including DEVIL SEDAN, EMPIRES OF ETERNAL VOID and MAIDENS, have been produced in Chicago, Nashville, Memphis and Omaha; AKUMA-SHIN received its world premiere in 2018 at Sacred Fools Theatre in Los Angeles. His plays have been MainStage selections three times at the Great Plains Theatre Conference in Omaha. Learn more about Kenley and his work at http://www.kenleysmith.com.

Shawn Whitsell is a playwright, actor, director, producer and founder of the Destiny Theatre Experience. He has worked with Tennessee Playwrights Studio, Nashville Children's Theatre, Nashville Repertory Theatre, Dream 7 Productions, Monument Theatre Company, SistaStyle Productions and other theatre production companies. He also tours "23/1," his one-man show about solitary confinement, which the Nashville Scene called "The Best Blend of Theatre and Activism." When he isn't doing theatre, Shawn facilitates a variety of workshops, ranging from drama to spoken word to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. Shawn is also the proud father of Destiny and Zayn.

TPS is a playwright development lab and theatre production company that was co-founded in 2018 by co-directors Kenley Smith and Molly Breen to offer in-state playwrights the opportunity to develop fresh, incisive scripts that reflect a changing world. In 2019, TPS broadened its scope to include theatre production of projects developed in Tennessee, and its first World Premiere production was Maidens by Kenley Smith. In January of 2021, TPS formed a partnership with two of the most productive and dynamic Black-owned theatre companies in Nashville: Destiny Theatre Experience and SistaStyle Productions for collaboration on the production of new works and educational programs. TPS's 2022 season at the Darkhorse Theater included four world premieres of new works by Tennessee playwrights/creators: That Woman - The Monologue Show & That Woman - The Dance Show (stories from the perspectives of women involved with JFK created by multiple Nashville theatre and dance artists), Don't Look Black - A Moral Story by Preston Crowder and The Sins of the City by Shawn Whitsell, which have been critically acclaimed and recognized with First Night nominations and awards.

Dates and times for Fan Me With a Brick are: July 7-9th, 13-15th, 20-22nd (all shows at 7:30 pm except Sunday, July 9th 3:00 p.m. matinee) at the Darkhorse Theater - 4610 Charlotte Avenue, Nashville, TN 37209. Tickets are $15 in advance and $20 at the door. General ticket sales begin June 16th. Opening night special sale of $10 tickets purchased in advance between June 1-15th. Visit tnplaywrights.org for ticket information, photos/bios of cast and creatives.

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