Larry Owens, April Matthis, Keith Josef Adkins and D. Woods Join 48HOURS IN...HARLEM

Tomorrow, Harlem9, the Obie Award-Winning producing collective, begins the stream of their 10th Annual and 1st Digital Festival. The Harlem based collective is no stranger to Black Playwrights, Actors and Directors who also make their living within the Theatre, TV and Film industry. This year, with the Coronavirus shuttering theatres and public gathering spaces around the world, the 6 producers did not want to skip over a milestone in their history but have had to shift their 10th-anniversary celebration.

This year's participants include: Obie Award winning actor, April Matthis (Toni Stone), Drama Desk, Obie and Lucille Award Winning actor, Larry Owens (A Strange Loop), Keith Josef Adkins (P-Valley, Girlfriends), also an alum of the inaugural "48Hours in...™Harlem" participates as a playwright and D. Woods (Blackbird, Star, for colored girls who have considered suicide / when the rainbow is enuf) participates as an actor in the 10th Annual festival which is digital for the 1st time and subsequently global. Notable alums include: MacArthur Fellow and Tony Award Nominee Dominique Morisseau (Shameless, Ain't Too Proud), Nicco Annan (P-Valley), Jocelyn Bioh (TV: Spike Lee's She's Gotta Have It, and Russion Doll / Theatre: Nollywood and School Girls; Or, The African Mean Girls Play).

Last year, 2019, was the first year that the Obie Award-Winning collective went National. They produced "48Hours in...™El Bronx" with Pregones / PRTT, "48Hours in...™Detroit" with Detroit Public Theatre, and "48Hours in...™Holy Ground" in Winston-Salem at The National Black Theatre Festival in partnership with NC Black Rep.

Harlem9 is a collaborative partnership between 6 producers, bringing together 6 playwrights, 6 directors, and 18 actors. For this year's festival, playwrights were inspired by the same 6 classic Black Plays from the inaugural year: "Zooman and the Sign", "The Colored Museum", "Day of Absence", "Funnyhouse of a Negro", "Dutchman" and "Black Terror". The new plays were written in 48-hours between July 17 and 19th, then rehearsed and recorded during an additional 48-hour period between July 24th and 25th. "48Hours in... ™Harlem" Digital Edition culminates in a four-night streaming event from Thursday - Monday, August 20 - 24, 2020, beginning at 7:00 pm. Full participating artists' details are below. There will be a streamed open captioned performance beginning at 7pm on Sunday through the close of digital festival on Monday, August 24th at 7pm. Tickets are available on Veeps, the platform where the event will be streamed. Visit harlem9.veeps.com to purchase your pass to watch for any of the 96-hour streaming period. Ticket prices begin at $10, with proceeds going to support the collective to continue to commission and support Black and underrepresented voices.

The 6 playwrights for 48Hours in... ™Harlem" Digital Edition are Keith Josef Adkins, Brittany K. Allen, Tracey Conyer Lee, Nadine Mozon, jeremy o'brian, and L. Trey Wilson. The 6 directors are Marjuan Canady, nicHi douglas, Raja Feather Kelly, Malika Oyetimein, Logan Pitts, and Dominique Rider. The 18 actors are *Mikayla LaShae Bartholomew, *Eric Berryman, *Kaaron Briscoe, *Ashley Bufkin, *Brandon E. Burton, *Shavanna Calder, Broderick Clavery, Rasheda Crockett, *Patricia R. Floyd, *Freddie Fulton, *Ashley N. Hildreth, *Manu Kumasi, *April Matthis, *Javon Q. Minter, *AK Murthadha, *Larry Owens, *David Ryan Smith, and *D. Woods.

Since 2011, Harlem9 has commissioned playwrights of color to tell their stories in the annual "48Hours in...™Harlem" play festival. For nearly a decade, the producers have continued to highlight and uplift writers, directors, and actors at various points in their careers, including Brandon Michael Hall (The Mayor, God Friended Me), Tonye Patano (Weeds), Tonya Pinkins (Madam Secretary, Gotham) and Marcel Spears (The Neighborhood).

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