'The Good Negro' Begins Performances at The Public 5/20

The Public Theater (Artistic Director Oskar Eustis; Executive Director Mara Manus) will begin performances for THE GOOD NEGRO, the fifth play of the inaugural PUBLIC LAB initiative.  Written by Tracey Scott Wilson and directed by Liesl Tommy, THE GOOD NEGRO will run Tuesday, May 20 to Sunday, June 1, 2008. Tickets are $10 for all performances.

 
In THE GOOD NEGRO, a trio of emerging black leaders tries to conquer their individual demons as the local KKK fights for its old way of life and everyday black men and women must overcome their fears – all under the ever-watchful eye of the FBI.

 
The cast of THE GOOD NEGRO features Joniece Abbott-Pratt (Tyler Perry's Why Did I Get Married?), Francois Battiste (Prelude to a Kiss on Broadway), J. Bernard Calloway ("Rescue Me"), Lizzy Cooper Davis (The SITI Company's Lilith), Quincy Dunn-Baker (Romeo and Juliet at Shakespeare in the Park), Anthony Mackie (Drowning Crow on Broadway), LeRoy McClain (Cymbeline at Lincoln Center), Brian Wallace (A Christmas Carol at Trinity Rep), and Myk Watford (Take Me Out on Broadway).

 
THE GOOD NEGRO will feature scenic and costume design by Clint Ramos; lighting design by Lap Chi Chu; and sound design by Daniel Baker.

 
Conceived and presented in association with LAByrinth Theater Company, PUBLIC LAB is designed to respond to new work immediately, and present fresh, raw and relevant plays that embrace the Public's history as a theater receptive to the big issues, the public issues of our time.  In so doing, this innovative program creates a new model for the ways in which The Public engages with our artists and audience.  This important initiative will give writers the essential opportunity to realize their work in collaboration with director, designers and actors through production and most importantly, to see their work in front of an audience.  The plays will be minimally designed and have short rehearsal periods.

 
TRACEY SCOTT WILSON (Playwright) returns to The Public, where her acclaimed play The Story premiered in 2003.  Her previous work includes Order My Steps, Exhibit # 9, A Small World, I Don't Know Why That Caged Animal Won't Shut Up, Neon Mirage, and Leader of the People. Among her many honors are two Van Lier Fellowships from the New York Theatre Workshop, the Helen Merrill Emerging Playwright Award, the AT&T Onstage Award, The Whiting Award, and The Kesselring Prize for Playwriting. Wilson won the 2007 Weissberger Award for The Good Negro and was named a 2007 Fellow of the Time Warner Storytelling Advancement Fund, which provided her with year-round residency and support while developing this play. Wilson received a B.A. from Rutgers University and an M.A. from Temple University.

 
LIESL TOMMY (Director)'s recent projects include A Stone's Throw by Lynn Nottage for the Women's Project, called a 'stand-out" by The New York Times; Dual by Kia Corthron at the Sanctuary Theatre; Love's Labour's Lost for Shakespeare in the Park(ing Lot); and Two Girls from Vermont: A Dirty Pop Extravaganza by John Kaufmann, a hip-hop musical she conceived for the Key Theater and NYC Fringe Festival. Current and future projects include a collaborative re-imagining of The Glass Menagerie with composer Doug Brandt and an African-American cast; Scheherazade, by Jason Grote; and Prime Time by Daryl Watson, which had its first reading at Lincoln Center this spring. Tommy is also a member of the Lincoln Center Theater Director's Lab and the recipient of a 2-year Early Career Fellowship in Casting and Directing from the New York Theatre Workshop. A proud native of South Africa, Liesl Tommy was born and raised in Cape Town, studied at Oxford and the Claire Davidson Drama Centre in London, then earned her MFA from Trinity Rep Conservatory.

 
THE PUBLIC THEATER (Artistic Director Oskar Eustis; Executive Director Mara Manus) was founded by Joseph Papp in 1954 as the Shakespeare Workshop and is now one of the nation's preeminent cultural institutions, producing new plays, musicals, productions of Shakespeare, and other classics at its headquarters on Lafayette Street and at the Delacorte Theater in Central Park.  The Public's mandate to create a theater for all New Yorkers continues to this day on stage and through its extensive outreach and education programs. Each year, over 250,000 people attend Public Theater-related productions and events at six downtown stages, including Joe's Pub, and Shakespeare in the Park. The Public has won 40 Tony Awards, 141 Obies, 39 Drama Desk Awards, 23 Lucille Lortel Awards and 4 Pulitzer Prizes.

 
THE GOOD NEGRO will begin performances on Tuesday, May 20 and run through Sunday, June 1.  The performance schedule is Tuesdays through Fridays at 8 PM; Saturdays at 2 PM and 8 PM; and Sundays at 2 PM and 7 PM.

 

The Public Theater is located at 425 Lafayette Street.  All tickets are $10 and can be purchased at (212) 967-7555 or by visiting www.publictheater.org.

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