LINES IN THE DUST Starring Jeffrey Bean, Melissa Joyner & Lisa Rosetta Strum to be Presented by New Normal Rep

NNR - New Normal Rep will continue its inaugural season with Lines in the Dust,by Pulitzer Prize-nominated and Obie Award-winning playwright Nikkole Salter (In the Continuum, Carnaval). Streaming on demand July 8 through August 8 at NewNormalRep.org, tickets for Lines in the Dust are $25, $10 for students, educators and theater professionals, and can be purchased at NewNormalRep.org.

Awoye Timpo (The Loophole at The Public Theater) directs a cast including Jeffrey Bean (Amadeus on Broadway), Melissa Joyner (Maids Door off-Broadway, the FX Original Series "Mrs. America"), and Lisa Rosetta Strum (She Gon' Learn at the Emerging Artist Theatre Festival at TADA!, and United Solo Festival on Theatre Row).

2010, Essex County, NJ. When Denitra loses the charter school lottery for her daughter, she must find another way to escape from their underperforming neighborhood school. The answer seems like a risk well worth taking, but may end up requiring a bigger sacrifice than she ever could have imagined. Set over a half-century after Brown Versus The Board of Education, Lines in the Dust questions how far we've come and more importantly, where we go from here.

Lines in the Dustwas commissioned by and received its world premiere at Luna Stage in 2014.

New Normal Rep's production of Lines in the Dustfeaturescostume design by Qween Jean, muti-media design by Afsoon Pajoufar, sound design by Stan Mathabane, andoriginal music by Alphonso Horne.

Playwright Nikkole Salter says "This play is about belonging. Who belongs where, and who has access? I was inspired by the intersection between the institution of education, the role that it plays in the American Dream, segregation, housing, and economic mobility. All of these issues are a part of the American conversation, yet have not made it to the forefront of our storytelling. We all need to challenge ourselves and recognize our own roles in these long-standing dynamics. What would it look like to invest in every child as if every child could be the steward of your future?"

NNR, New Normal Rep exists not in spite of the pandemic, but because of it.Dedicated to presenting new and lesser known plays, via the internet, NNR will present works with divergent perspectives that explore the historical, cultural, and psychological forces that have helped to shape our 21st Century lives. NNR commits to anti-racism training as well as partnership with BIPOC organizations to ensure that diversity is present in the curation of our seasons and the assembling of our companies. Above all, NNR is dedicated to producing deeply entertaining, engaging and illuminating work.

Following Lines in the Dust, NNR will present F.I.R.E. by Julia Blauvelt. More details to come.

All NNR productions are streamed on demand and can be accessed at NewNormalRep.org.

"New Normal Rep began with casual conversations at the beginning of the pandemic and expanded into something substantive," says Jack Canfora, Artistic Director. "NNR is a theatre company for our world today. We strive to illuminate and warm, to offer eclectic stories from diverse voices that will intrigue and unite us, and so much more."

"As theater people, we always knew that our craft had value," says Jill Eikenberry, founding artist, NNR. "But since the plague has descended on us and the possibility of theater has been taken away, we have come to understand more deeply our need to tell stories and the audiences need to hear them."

"Online theater is a New Medium with unique challenges, but we also believe it presents unique opportunities," says Sally Klingenstein-Martell, Executive Producer, NNR. "For too many years, high quality theater has felt out of reach financially and culturally to too many people. New Normal Rep, in a small way, aims to help in bridging this disconnect by providing affordable, diverse, high quality theater to a literally limitless audience."

The New Normal Rep Board of Directors includes: Jeffrey Bean, Jack Canfora, Jill Eikenberry, Melanye Duschene Finister, Eleanor Handley, Melissa Joyner, Sally Klingenstein-Martell, Maria Gabriella Landers, John Schaeffler, Carol Todd and Carl Vorwerk.

Tickets for upcoming NNR productions are $25, $10 for students, educators and theater professionals, and can now be purchased at www.NewNormalRep.org. A two-play season subscription is available for $50, and includes free access to play readings, talk backs, and bonus material.

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