New Federal Theatre to Stage 50th Anniversary Production of IN WHITE AMERICA

Woodie King Jr's New Federal Theatre kicks off its 47th season a rare revival of Martin Duberman's In White America, not seen in NYC for 50 years! In White America, directed by Charles Maryan, will begin performances October 15th, with opening night set for October 29th at the Castillo Theater (543 West 42nd Street). This limited Off-Broadway engagement will continue through November 15th only.

Why In White America now? Playwright Martin Duberman explains: "In White America - which opened some 50 years ago--should be a relic, but unfortunately isn't. I wrote the play to provide historical background for the civil rights struggle then in progress. Given the state of race relations in this country today, that history remains all-too-relevant. Yes, there's been progress, but as recent events have made all too clear, black lives still matter much less than white ones. It isn't only police shootings and harassment, or prejudice in job applications and promotions, or jail sentences for minor infractions. It's also the continuing high level of residential segregation that in turn continues to make our schools just about as segregated as they were in the past. My hope is that in another 50 years In White America will really be no longer relevant. But for that to happen, we need to face up to the wretched history that In White America records. As has often been said, those who don't learn about the past are destined to repeat it."

Woodie King Jr. adds: "I am producing the 50th anniversary production of Martin Duberman's In White America because it is so timely. It's like watching history repeat itself. Duberman research was 50 years ahead of its time. The play actually shows that American History and African American History is really one story. In White America is a historical journey from colonial America up to the landmark Brown Vs. The Board of Education in 1954. The play is drawn from historical records; original recorded stories by former slaves. The play's major theme is the quest for freedom and equality - a theme that is deeply integrated in the 46-year history of New Federal Theatre. Charles Maryan, the director of this production stage managed the original Off-Broadway production; the late Gloria Foster and Moses Gunn (who starred in the original production) were great friends and supporters of New Federal Theatre."

In White America will have scenic design by Chris Cumberbatch, costume design by Gail Cooper-Hecht, lighting design by Shirley Prendergast and sound design by Mark Bruckner. Casting will be announced shortly.

Historian, playwright and gay rights activist Martin Duberman grew up near New York City and earned a B.A. from Yale in 1952 and a Ph.D. from Harvard in 1957. He taught American history at Yale until 1962. He then spent nine years on the faculty of Princeton, during which time he got involved in the budding counterculture movement and became an advocate and activist for left wing causes. He was among those who signed the "Writers and Editors War Tax Protest" pledge in 1968, refusing to pay taxes in protest against the Vietnam War. Meanwhile, Duberman went through years of therapy in an attempt to "cure" his homosexuality. But with the rise of the gay liberation movement, he decided to embrace a gay identity and incorporate queer issues into his work. He is the author or editor of twenty books, including the biography Charles Francis Adams, 1807-1886 (1961), which won a Bancroft Prize; the play In White America (1963) which won a Drama Desk Award; and the anthology Hidden from History: Reclaiming the Gay and Lesbian Past (1989), which won two Lambda Awards. Many of his essays and book reviews are collected in The Uncompleted Past (1969), and his most recent book is Waiting to Land: A (Mostly) Political Memoir (2009). Duberman has been a finalist for both the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award and has won an Award for Scholarly Distinction from the American Historical Association. His contributions to literature have garnered him a special award from the National Academy of Arts and Letters. In 1971, Duberman accepted an appointment as Distinguished Professor of History at CUNY's Lehman College. Twenty years later, he founded and became executive director of CLAGS at CUNY's Graduate Center. CLAGS was "the first university­-based research center in the United States dedicat­ed to the study of historical, cultural, and political issues of vital concern to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender individuals and communities." Today, Duberman is a pro­fessor emeritus of history at Herbert Lehman College and the Graduate Center of the City University of New York (CUNY).

Charles Maryan's Off-Broadway directing work includes premieres of Ira Levin's Cantorial (Lamb's Theatre, Jewish Repertory Theatre), New York 1937 by Jose Iglesias (JRT), Mercy Street by Anne Sexton (American Place Theatre), First Week in Bogota by Robert Cessna (Playwrights Horizons). The Last Girl Singer by Deborah Grace Winer (Women's Project), The Aunts by Gary Bonasorte (47th Street Theatre), The World of Wallowitch conceived with John Wallowitch (cabaret), and Algonquin Sampler: a Literary Revue (conceived with Fred Voelpel), Joseph Jefferson Theatre. In London, Mr. Maryan directed Murray Schisgal's The Typist and the Tiger starring Anne Jackson and Eli Wallach (Globe Theatre) and Judd Silverman's Personal Affairs (ETC Theatre, previously Edinburgh Fringe Festival). He is currently in his 24th year teaching at Pace University. Starting at Yale, as the director of The Dramat (Yale's undergraduate drama club), he has guest-directed or taught at The O'Neill Theatre Center, Juilliard, The Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theatre, the Stella Adler Conservatory of the Theatre, Columbia University, Purchase College, City College, The College of Staten Island, and the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. Recently, he has been active in both the Actors Studio's Playwright/Directors Unit and their P/D Workshop, and several of his projects have been featured in the Studio's Festival of New Plays. TV work includes directing and serving as associate producer, and acting consultant for daytime television and Court TV. A native of Chicago, after graduating from Dartmouth College he trained in New York with Stella Adler and Sanford Meisner.

Woodie King Jr. is the Founder and Producing Director of New Federal Theatre. Woodie King Jr.'s New Federal Theatre has presented over 325 productions in its 46-year history. Mr. King has produced and directed on Broadway, Off-Broadway, in regional theatres, and in universities across the United States. He is the original producer of the ground breaking "choreopoem" For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow is Enuf, (The play was then co-produced by NFT with Joseph Papp's Public Theatre). He also produced What the Wine Sellers Buy, Reggae and The Taking of Miss Janie (Drama Critics Circle Award). His directional credits are extensive and include work in film as well as theater. Mr. King was recently inducted into The Theater Hall of Fame for outstanding contribution to the American Theater.

For tickets, which go on sale September 18th, please visit www.castillo.org or call toll-free 866-811-4111.

For more information, please visit www.newfederaltheatre.com.

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