Crossroads Theatre Company announced their 2009-2010 season today. The New Jersey-based organization will see three world premieres, a musical celebration, the CommonGround: Festival of the People, and the Genesis Festival of New and Emerging Voices. The Theatre Company is also unveiling a new Membership Program.
Fly
By Trey Ellis and Ricardo Khan
October 1-18 (World Premiere)
Opening Night: October 3
With a focus on hope, endurance, and accomplishment, Fly is a vivid play that brings to life the famed African-American Army Air Corp fighters known as the Tuskegee Airmen who flew over the skies of Europe and North Africa during World War II. Originally commissioned by Lincoln Center Institute as an educational play, Fly premieres as a full length play that dramatizes the historic contributions made by the Tuskegee Airmen to the desegregation of the American military and furthering civil rights.
3 Mo'Divas
Conceived and Directed by Marion J. Caffey
November 19-December 6
Opening Night: November 21
3 Mo' Divas is a theatrically staged concert that showcases the extraordinary versatility of African-American female performers spanning some four hundred years of music. These classically trained and gifted divas move easily from the opera of Puccini to the jazz of Ellington while maintaining the integrity of each musical style. Billed as a celebration of "sass, class, and style," 3 Mo' Divas is a musical journey that exhilarates with jazz, soul, R & B, blues, gospel and opera along with Broadway showstoppers that appeal to a diverse audience not bound by age, race, or gender.
Through the Night
Written and Performed by Daniel Beaty
February 11-21 (World Premiere)
Opening Night: February 13
A health food store is the setting for Daniel Beaty's new play that explores how the lives of African-American males intersect when the stakes are high. A series of events brings together the six males who span the ages from ten to sixty and who are in different life stages across American society. Beaty first came to Crossroads with his highly acclaimed Emergence-SEE! and continues on his artistic journey with the Theatre in this latest provocative and powerful play.
The Last Fall
By Stephanie Berry
April 15-May 2 (World Premiere)
Opening Night: April 17
Set in New York, this romantic comedy uses a series of dramatic flashbacks to follow the relationship of two fifty-somethings and the difficult truths they must face. Obie Award winner Stephanie Berry presentedThe Last Fall as a reading at the 2009 Crossroads' Genesis Festival where this exceptional and charming story was a rousing success.
CommonGround: Festival of the People (2010)
Making its debut in 2008, CommonGround serves as a spotlight for extraordinary community talent and features selected works by organizations of the central New Jersey community as a means of providing them a creative outlet.
Genesis Festival of New and Emerging Voices (Spring 2010)
The Genesis Festival began in 1990 as the brainchild of Artistic Director Ricardo Khan and then New Play Development Director Sydne Mahone as a means of giving voice to young writers and new, cutting edge forms of theatre in a nurturing and creative environment. Among plays that have found their way from Genesis to the world's stages are George C. Wolfe's Spunk, Anna Deveare Smith's Dream, Linda Nieves-Powell's Yo Soy Latina and original works by Ntozoke Shange, Ruby Dee and Ossie Davis
Crossroads Theatre Company Membership Program:
Three Levels
Basic Membership: Annual Fee: $50, 50% discount on up to 4 tickets, 25% discount on an additional 4 tickets
Opening Night Membership: Annual Fee: $275, Tickets to all Opening Night Performances and 25% discount on 4 additional tickets
Premium Membership: Annual Fee: $325, 50% discount on 4 tickets, 25% discount on 4 additional tickets, and exclusive entry to Premium Lounge
Membership forms can be found at the website www.crossroadstheatrecompany.org.
Crossroads Theatre is located at 7 Livingston Ave., New Brunswick, NJ 08901
Single tickets are priced at $40-$65. To purchase tickets, or for more information, call 732-545-8100 or visit www.CrossroadsTheatreCompany.org.Videos