Trey Ellis & Ricardo Khan's FLY Headed Off-Broadway Next Spring

The Pasadena Playhouse announced today that The New Victory Theater in New York will present the Off-Broadway premiere of The Pasadena Playhouse/Crossroads Theatre Company production of FLY, by Trey Ellis and Ricardo Khan, the Tony Award-winning co-founder and former artistic director of Crossroads Theatre Company, to open March 11, 2016. FLY will be directed by Ricardo Khan.

The New York Engagement will follow The Pasadena Playhouse engagement in honor of Black History Month January 26-February 21, 2016, part of the upcoming 2015-2016 season.

FLY tells the story of four brave young men who became the first black aviators in United States history. From training to combat, experience the anguish, fears and triumphs of the Tuskegee Airmen, who fought for freedom abroad-and at home-in this action-adventure.

Sheldon Epps, Artistic Director of The Pasadena Playhouse says, "I was already thrilled to include this fine play in our upcoming season. It is even more gratifying to know that our production will now transfer to a much respected and admired colleague theater in New York City. This fascinating piece of history deserves wide exposure. I'm very happy that The Playhouse is involved in making that a reality."

Ricardo Khan, Co-writer and Director of FLY says, "Having been a fan and friend of Sheldon Epps for a long time, finally there will be this amazing journey with FLY that we share. For The Pasadena Playhouse and the Crossroads Theatre Company to be coming together on this production, and to then take it into New York for the 20th anniversary season of The New Victory Theater, one of my favorite places...Wow, there's so much in all of that to be proud of, to celebrate and to honor. FLY tells an important American story, a fascinating story. And we aim to tell it with the magic and spirit that only the live theatre can. So I am very glad that we'll be doing it together and grateful for the opportunity to see FLY fully realized thanks to Sheldon and The Pasadena Playhouse. Here we come, West Coast!"

Mary Rose Lloyd, Director of Artistic Programming for The New Victory Theater, says, "The New Victory Theater is thrilled that our colleagues at Crossroads Theatre Company and The Pasadena Playhouse are bringing the brilliant FLY to our home on 42nd Street during this very special season. We have been honored in past years to present Crossroads productions (Sheila's Day 1996, Ain't Nothin but the Blues 1999), and look forward to sharing this wonderfully imagined co-production with New York audiences next spring."

Full creative team and casting will be announced at a later date.

The Pasadena Playhouse began in 1917 and was recognized by the State Legislature as the State Theatre of California for bringing national and international renown to the state as a center for dramatic art in 1937. A new era began when Sheldon Epps became Artistic Director in 1997. Production highlights include the launch of the national tour of Purlie (with the Goodman Theatre); Sister Act: The Musical, which played in the West End at the London Palladium Theatre and on Broadway at the Broadway Theatre (Five 2011 Tony Award nominations, including Best Musical) and is currently on a national tour; and Baby, It's You!, which played at Broadway's Broadhurst Theatre (2011 Tony Award nominee). Other Broadway shows developed at The Pasadena Playhouse include A Night With Janis Joplin (2014 Tony Award nominee), Stormy Weather: The Lena Horne Story, Can Can: The Musical, and Ray Charles Live.

Founded in 1978 by Ricardo Khan and L. Kenneth Richardson, Crossroads Theatre Company (Ain't Nothin' but the Blues, 1999; Sheila's Day, 1996) embraces the vision that African-American theater is intended for all audiences; to this end, they produce works that enrich and diversify the representation of African American culture on the American stage. In 1999, Crossroads Theatre Company was celebrated with a Tony Award for Outstanding Regional Theater, and was the first African American theater to receive this honor. Crossroads has produced over 100 works, many of which were premiere productions by the world's leading African and African American artists, including August Wilson, Anne Deavere Smith, George C. Wolfe, best-selling novelist Walter Mosley and former U.S. Poet Laureate Rita Dove. Crossroads was a resident theater of The Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. They received the National Governors Association Award for Distinguished Service in the Arts and The New Jersey State Council on the Arts/Department of State has designated the theater as a Major Impact Arts Institution.

Since The New Victory Theater opened its doors in 1995, it has become a cultural home for the youngest of New Yorkers. For many of the almost 2 million people who have passed through its doors, The New Victory marks their very first theatrical experience. In 2012, The New Victory Theater received a special Drama Desk Award for "providing enchanting, sophisticated theater that appeals to the child in all of us, and for nurturing a love of theater in young people." The New Victory Theater has traveled the world to bring more than 250 shows from more than two dozen countries to its stages, presenting the very best for New York's most imaginative audiences. Many shows that were first brought to NYC by the New Vic have toured the globe to great acclaim. Tony Kushner, Neil Armfield, Moises Kaufman, Julie Taymor, Mabou Mines, Julian Crouch and Phelim McDermott, and the late great Maurice Sendak have chosen The New Victory to present their works, along with the Berkeley Repertory Theatre, Steppenwolf Theatre Company, the Guthrie Theater, the National Theatre of Scotland, the Young Vic, the Royal Opera House and Kneehigh Theatre.

The Pasadena Playhouse engagement of FLY is January 26 -February 21, 2016. Subscriptions for the 2015-2016 Season are now available for purchase. Current subscribers can renew online or by phone and will receive priority access to their current seat locations. New subscribers can purchase subscriptions via phone only and will receive the best available seats within the requested sections. Tickets for FLY are currently only available via subscription.

The Pasadena Playhouse is located at 39 South El Molino Avenue, Pasadena, CA 91101. Tickets are available at the theatre box office, by phone at (626) 356-7529, and online at www.pasadenaplayhouse.org. On non-performance dates, the box office windows are open Tuesday-Sunday from 1:00-6:00pm. On performance dates, the windows are open Tuesday-Saturday from 1:00-8:00pm, and on Sunday from 1:00-7:00pm. Box Office Phone lines are open Monday-Friday from 12:00-6:00pm, and on Saturday and Sunday from 1:00-6:00pm.

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