SummerStage Season Continues With AMERICAN SCHEMES, 7/2, 7/9

SummerStage has announced the continuation of their first theater season with American Schemes, written by Radha Blank and Directed by Charlotte L. Brathwaite. This show is a part of SummerStage's summer-long FREE theater program and will take place on Friday, July 2nd and Saturday July 3rd at St. Mary's Park, Bronx and Friday, July 9th at Crotona Park, Bronx at 8:00 p.m.

American Schemes is a special commission by City Parks Foundation that delves into and explores the enigma of The American Dream. Comprised of three acts that focus on people from various social hierarchies including immigrant vendors trying to make dollars, corporate yuppies trying to make a family and female emcees trying to make it big, everyone is trying to 'make it' in the land of golden opportunity. But at what cost?

"It's so wonderful to be able to present play's that are socially relevant and entertaining," said City Park Foundation's Director of Theater Programs, Freedome Bradley. "American Schemes explores the lives, desires and hopes of people that we come into contact with everyday and gives the audience a glimpse into the personal emotions that people feel about the idea of success in a society that constantly stresses the importance of fulfilling the American dream. In the commissioning of this piece, we wanted to open the audience to a world they have never experienced, while still remaining relevant to the community it serves."

The full cast of American Schemes includes Radha Blank, Jocelyn Bioh (Fatou/Plush), Robyn Corujo (Rosa), Glenn Gordon (Daryl/Clay), Teresa Avia Lim (Lucy, Assistant), and Ayesha Ngaujah (Tracy, Idunno).

The creative team for American Schemes includes Ana Milosevic (Scenic Design), Dede Ayite (Costume Design) and Luqman Brown (Sound Design).

This year in honor of the 25th anniversary, SummerStage is excited to have expanded from Central Park to encompass all five boroughs, and will feature productions in Von King Park, Brooklyn, Betsy Head Park, Brooklyn, St. Mary's Park, Bronx, Crotona Park, Bronx, Springfield Park, Queens, Marcus Garvey Park, Manhattan and East River Park, Manhattan.

For the most up-to-date SummerStage scheduling and line-up for SummerStage programming, visit http://www.SummerStage.org.

Radha Blank's (Playwright) work has been described as ‘Riveting...immediately alive' by The Voice in relation to her one-woman-Hip-Hop-dramedy, Kenya (Dixon Place, Hip-Hop Theater Festival, Public Theater's New Works Now, HERE; awards: New Professional Theatre's Annual Writers Award for Best Script, The NY Foundation for the Arts Artists Fellowship and Nickelodeon's Writers Fellowship). She wrote for the Nickelodeon shows - Little Bill and The Backyardigans, co-created the animated musical short Papa Moco Jumbie for the network and created a pilot based on her life as a comic in NYC called My Life Is a Joke for TeenNick. She was chosen to form The Public Theater's inaugural Emerging Writers Group (2008) where she created the satire nannyland. Her latest solo project, Happy. Flower. Nail explores gentrification through the women of a Bed-Stuy nail salon. HFN was chosen for development at Voice and Visions 2009 Envision Retreat at Bard. Her latest play, Casket Sharp!, is a dark comedy that explores the world of gang violence through the eyes of a man who inherits his family's funeral parlor. Seeing writing as a path to self-discovery and self-empowerment, Radha has instructed NYC youth in poetry and playwriting for over fifteen years.

Charlotte Brathwaite (Director) has directed theater pieces in the Netherlands, Croatia, Mexico and Germany. She is a member of the legendary La Mama theater's Great Jones Repertory Company with whom she has toured to over 12 countries. Charlotte is currently an MFA candidate at Yale School of Drama and a Lloyd Richards Fellow in Directing.

Jocelyn Bioh (Fatou/Plush) comes from originating the role of "Topsy" in the sold out run of Neighbors at The Public Theater. Other credits include: Lightskin/Darksin, For Colored Girls...(Columbia University), Are Women Human? (Freedom Train Productions) and readings/workshops at The Public Theater and Primary Stages. Spokesmodel for Cover Girl Queen Collection. B.A in English and Theatre from The Ohio State University, M.F.A in Playwriting from Columbia University.

Robyn Corujo (Rosa) BFA in Acting, Montclair State University. Robyn tours the United States with Pushcart Players in their bi-lingual production of Cuentos Del Arbol as well as many others shows. Regional; As Bees In Honey Drown, Theatrefest. In addition to being a performer, Robyn is a certified fitness instructor and teaches various classes throughout Manhattan.

Glenn Gordon (Daryl/Clay) Recent credits include Waiting For Godot, The Actor's Rap, Deep Azure, and his solo performance piece Re:Definition. Glenn received his BFA in Acting from Howard University.

Teresa Avia Lim (Lucy, Assistant) played Kiku in Naomi Iizuka's world premiere of Concerning Strange Devices From the Distant West at Berkeley Rep, Jennifer Marcus in The Intelligent Design of Jenny Chow at W.H.A.T and various productions at the Shakespeare Theatre Company D.C. including Lady Windermere's Fan, Lorenzaccio, Macbeth, Pericles, and The Tempest. Her New York credits include Sleep Awake at the Subjective Theatre Company and Even Maybe Tammy (Or, A Cockamamie Bucket of Ruckus) at The Flea Theatre. Her TV credits include "Law and Order: Criminal Intent".

Ayesha Ngaujah (Tracy, Idunno), was last seen in Eclipsed at Woolly Mammoth Theater in DC. She also performed in Angela's Mixtape at the Ohio Theater. Other theatre credits include Times 365:24:7, Bone Orchard Theatre, Van Gogh Cafe, Synchronicity Performance Group, Stick Fly, True Colors Theatre Company, GoDogGo!, Alliance Theater and others. Internationally she's performed in Diggydotcom 2.0, Made in Da Shade (Amsterdam, Netherlands), and Spring Awakening, Albatheaterhuis (Den Haag, Netherlands).

City Parks Foundation (CPF) is the only independent, nonprofit organization to offer park programs throughout the five boroughs of New York City. CPF works in over 750 parks citywide, presenting a broad range of free arts, sports, and education programs, and empowering citizens to support their parks on a local level. CPF programs and community building initiatives reach more than 600,000 people each year, contributing to the revitalization of neighborhoods throughout New York City.

To post a comment, you must register and login.