National Black Theatre's SWEET Opens Tonight

Maechi Aharanwa, Tré Davis and Renika Williams will star in Harrison David Rivers' play "Sweet," the first theatrical production of the 48th season of Dr. Barbara Ann Teer's National Black Theatre's (NBT).

Directed by Raelle Myrick-Hodges in her New York City directorial debut, the world premiere had its first preview on Wednesday, October 19, and opens tonight, October 22, running through Sunday, November 20. The production falls under the banner of NBT's theme this season: "In Pursuit of Black Joy."

"Sweet" follows the tumultuous lives of three Midwesterners in a small town in Kansas during the late '60s. Retha and Nina Baker have always been close-folding laundry, chasing fireflies and enduring the summer heat together. But when their mother dies unexpectedly and their neighbor, George, returns home from college, the sisters' relationship begins to fray and long-held desires threaten to tear them apart. "Sweet" is a coming-of-age story about the sacrifices we make to hold on to the people we love.

The play features Aharanwa, whose Off-Broadway performances include "An Octoroon" (Soho Rep Production/TFANA), "Facing Our Truth" (NBT) and "Macbeth" (Classical Theatre of Harlem), as Retha. Williams, whose regional credits include the title role in "Antigone" (Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park) and "Race" (New Edgecliff Theatre Company), is Nina. Tré Davis, whose Off Broadway: credits include "Hamlet" (The Public) and "Zooman and the Sign" (Signature Theatre Company), portrays George, as he returns to NBT after starring in the theater company's critically acclaimed "Carnaval" (Audelco Award Best Ensemble, 2015).

"The 1960s conjure images of young Black voices emerging as leaders in our social consciousness, daring to live the lives they imagined," said NBT Director of Theatre Arts Jonathan McCrory. "'Sweet' offers a glimpse of an alternative perspective on Black lifestyle in the Midwest during that time period, of Black youth also in pursuit of joy against all odds."

Scenic design is by Matt McAdon, lighting design by Xavier Pierce, sound design by Justin Hicks, costume design by Ari Fulton and stage management by Belynda Hardin.

Available now are NBT's Season Passes, offering great discounts for theater lovers! A VIP Season Pass ($149) includes two tickets to every NBT production this year ("Sweet," "Manhood," "Blood" and the spring world premiere production (TBA), two tickets to every Keep Soul Alive Monday Reading Series showcase and access to other events throughout the season. A Regular Season Pass ($99) includes one ticket to every NBT production this year (excluding any Opening Night show), one ticket to every Keep Soul Alive Monday Reading Series and access to other events throughout the season.

Tickets for "Sweet" are also now on sale. Previews run at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, October 19, through Friday, October 21, with the ticket price at $20. The production officially opens on October 22 with an Opening Night Gala that includes a 7 p.m. show followed by a reception. Performances will run from Sunday, October 23, to Sunday, November 20, on Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Mondays at 7:30 p.m., with Saturday matinees at 2:00 p.m.; Sunday performances will be at 4:00 p.m. Tickets are $35 general admission with the following exceptions: All seats during the final week are $40 and an Opening Night Gala ticket (Saturday, October 22) is $50. A discounted ticket price of $25 is available for groups of 10 or more, senior citizens, students, active military members and veterans. Tickets can be purchased online at www.nationalblacktheatre.org, by calling NBT directly at (212) 722-3800 or at NBT's box office, open from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m., Tuesday through Sunday. National Black Theatre is located at 2031 Fifth Avenue between 125th and 126th Streets in Harlem. (Take the 2, 3, 4, 5 or 6 subway to 125th Street.)

Follow NBT on Facebook (www.facebook.com/NationalBlackTheatre) and Twitter/Instagram (@NatBlackTheatre).

ABOUT THE ARTISTS

Maechi Aharanwa (Rethe)-Credits include Off Broadway: "An Octoroon" (Soho Rep Production/TFANA), "Facing Our Truth," "Night Vision," "No More Monsters Here" (NBT), "Mother Courage," "Macbeth," "The Blacks," "Trojan Women" (Classical Theatre of Harlem), "The Beyonce Effect" (TFTTF); Regional: "The Call," "Seven Guitars," "Antigone," "Miss Julie," "A Woman Called Truth;" Selected workshops/readings: Sundance Theatre Lab, Hartford Stage, The Public Theater, New York Theatre Workshop, The Lark, Atlantic Stage 2; Television/film: "Elementary" (CBS), "Show Me a Hero" (HBO), "Person of Interest" (CBS), "30 Rock" (NBC), "Mercy" (NBC), "Boy in a Backpack," "Maybe There's A Tree," "Police State," "Silver Sling." Princess Grace Award Recipient. The Actors Center Company Member. Training: The Juilliard School. www.maechi.net

Tré Davis (George) is thrilled to return to NBT for this wonderful production. He was last seen at NBT in "Carnaval" (Audelco Award Best Ensemble). Off Broadway: "Crude" (Black Lab Theatre/Ars Nova), "Glenburn 12 WP" (59E59 Summer Shorts), "Hamlet" (The Public), "Zooman and the Sign" (Signature Theatre Company), "Airborne" (EST), "New York: The Paradox of the Urban Cliché" (Poetic Theatre Co.), "And Miles To Go" (Partial Comfort Productions), "Look Upon Our Lowliness" (The Movement Theatre Company), "Lower Ninth" (u/s The Flea). Selected regional credits: "The Hampton Years" (Virginia Stage Company), "The People Before the Park" (Premiere Stages). Selected television credits: "Shades of Blue" (NBC), "Orange Is the New Black," "Law & Order: SVU." A big thank you to Robyn and HCA! Support artistic excellence in Harlem! Tré is a proud graduate of the Webster Conservatory of Theatre Arts.

Renika Williams (Nina), a native of Dayton, Ohio, feels extremely blessed and proud to be making her New York debut at the National Black Theatre. She recently completed a nine-month contract with Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park's Acting Intern Company and participated in ABC Discover's Workshop Week with Marci Phillips. Just a few of her favorite regional credits include: Antigone ("Antigone") and Helen Robinson ("To Kill a Mockingbird") at Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park, Susan ("Race" by David Mamet) at New Edgecliff Theatre Company and Juliet ("Romeo & Juliet") at Wright State University where she earned her B.F.A. in Acting. She would like to thank God, for none of this would be possible without Him, her amazing parents, big brothers, family, instructors, mentors and friends for their love and support. Matthew 5:14

Born in North Carolina, raised in Washington, D.C., and educated internationally, Raelle Myrick-Hodges is a graduate of Ealing College (London) and the University of Southern California. Artistically mentored by George C. Wolfe and Joseph Haj, she is an original co-founder of Azuka Theater in Philadelphia. This year, she directed "Two Trains Running" at the Arden Theater Company (Philadelphia) and "Fences" at California Shakespeare Theater. Her work as a performance art creator/curator has been seen at the de Young Museum, Red Poppy Art House, Theater Monnot (Beirut, Lebanon) and Ami Galerie (Paris). As a producer/curator, she has worked with both regional artists and high-profile internationally known ensembles and performers in music, dance and theater, including artists such as Denis O'Hare, the Rude Mechanicals, Sam Green, Double Edge Theatre, Arturo Sandoval and Joey Arias, among others. She will collaborate in workshop with Urban Bush Women this fall and is slated to presents works for Pace University and PlayMakers Repertory Company. She is currently creating a new work with Elephant Room entitled "#BLKGRLSINGALONG," to premiere January 2018.

Harrison David Rivers is a playwright whose plays have been performed and developed at The Public Theater, New York Theatre Workshop, Lincoln Center, LAByrinth Theater Company, the Drama League, the Movement Theatre Company, Diversionary Theater (San Diego), About Face (Chicago), TheatreLAB (Richmond, Virginia), Theater Latté Da (Minneapolis) and the American Airlines Theatre on Broadway. Awards include the McKnight Fellowship for Playwrights, the Jerome Many Voices Fellowship, New Dramatists Van Lier Fellowship, New York Theatre Workshop's Emerging Artist of Color Fellowship, Aurora Theatre's Global Age Project Prize, New York Stage and Film's Founders Award and a GLAAD Media Award for best Off-Off Broadway play. Harrison is an alumnus of The Public Theater's Emerging Writers' Group, Interstate 73, NAMT, the Lincoln Center Directors' Lab and he was the 2016 Playwright-in-Residence at the Williamstown Theatre Festival. He is an NYTW Usual Suspect and a Core Writer at the Playwrights' Center. Rivers received his Bachelors of Arts degree from Kenyon College and his Master of Fine Arts from the Columbia School of the Arts.

Founded by visionary Dr. Barbara Ann Teer in 1968, National Black Theatre (NBT) is a nationally recognized cultural and educational institution. Dr. Teer pioneered "the healing art of black theater as an instrument for wholeness in urban communities where entrepreneurial artists of African descent live and work." In 1983, Dr. Teer expanded the vision of NBT by purchasing a 64,000-square-foot building on 125th Street and Fifth Avenue (renamed "National Black Theatre Way" by local law in 1994). This was the first revenue-generating Black arts complex in the country, an innovative arrangement through which for-profit businesses who shared NBT's spiritual and aesthetic values rented retail space to subsidize the arts. Out of her vision, NBT houses the largest collection of Nigerian new sacred art in the Western hemisphere and is considered the authentic representation of a model whose time has come. NBT is partially supported by grants from the City Council of New York, City of New York Department of Cultural Affairs, Ford Foundation, New York State Council on the Arts and private donations.

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