FOR COLORED BOYZ Will Have a Showcase at the Downtown Urban Arts Festival

As Ntozake Shange's FOR COLORED GIRLS prepares for its Broadway run, award-winning Houston-based playwright Bryan-Keyth Wilson's Choreopoem FOR COLORED BOYZ has been selected to showcase at the Downtown Urban Arts Festival in New York City. The Downtown Urban Arts Festival (DUAF) is a five-week annual multi-disciplinary arts event with cultural offerings in theater, film, music, and poetry held during the Spring at renowned venues in downtown Manhattan, NYC. DUAF treats New Yorkers, East Coasters, and tourists to the best of new groundbreaking theater and film worldwide. Storytellers from America's burgeoning multicultural landscape worldwide have the opportunity to share their stories that interpret our history and our times.

The Theatre portion of the festival is under the artistic direction of Tony-Award-winning playwright Reg E Gaines. Reg E Gaines has been a poet, playwright, director, lecturer, and Artistic Director of the Downtown Urban Arts Festival in New York City since 2007. He is a two-time Tony Award-nominated playwright, Grammy-nominated lyricist ( Bring in da Noise/ Bring in da Funk), and author of four books of poetry, including Abstract Sax and The Original Buckwheat. A former Nuyorican Poets Cafe Grand Slam Champ, reg appears in numerous poetry anthologies, including Bum Rush The Page, Paterson Literary Review, Aloud: Voices From The Nuyorican Poets Cafe, and A Year in Ink. He has composed the score for the PBS documentary, Senior Year, and has released four poetry albums. reg has appeared on seasons 3-4 of HBO's Def Poetry Jam and the Arsenio Hall Show, the John Stewart Show, MTV Spoken Word Unplugged, and MSNBC's Edgewise. He has performed at Woodstock '94, Central Park SummerStage, The Berlin Jazz Festival, Carre Opera House in Amsterdam, Aaron Davis Hall, the New Jersey Performing Arts Center, and NYU's Gallatin Center. reg is currently writing and directing The 88, a musical composed by Calvin Gaines.

For the summer NYC Showcase of FOR COLORED BOYZ, the creative team looks to cast performers from Houston and New York City to bring Wilson's innovative choreopoem to life on the New York City Stage. "I am honored and blessed to be part of a festival that caters to the stories of the people. I have been a long-time student and fan of Mr. Gaines' work, and to have the opportunity to have him read FOR COLORED BOYZ has been a highlight of my career. I am excited to bring a Lil H-Town swag to the Big Apple." said Bryan-Keyth Wilson.

FOR COLORED BOYZ, on the verge of a nervous breakdown/ when freedom ain't enuff is an unabashed display of blackness that's unapologetic and speaks to the human heart from a black man's perspective. Originally written after the death of Michael Brown (August 9, 2014), this is a love letter to the black man in all his glory, vulnerability, psychosis, and heartbreak. This piece brings social issues to the stage and addresses taboo topics within the black community. Afro-centric rhythms and dance are the pulse of this piece and must be handled delicately. This piece works well with a director-choreographer, but if these roles are to be split, the director and choreographer must work in tandem as they prepare this piece for production. Trained dancers aren't necessary but highly encourage actors who move well within their facility. FOR COLORED BOYZ resonates with its audiences no matter their ethnicity or demographic; a common thread brings us all together when sitting in the dark watching this show; to go forth with understanding and love.

While this choreopoem has universal themes, a tough southern decadence is sprinkled throughout the choreopoem. From tippin on foe-foe's to sippin syrup, Wilson finds a way to pay homage to his southern/ H-Town roots. The playwright wanted to make sure that this cast consisted of Houston/ Galveston County-based artists and NYC-based talent. "This was a great time to bring a part of my city with me on this beautiful journey. I want to allow artists to work and get exposure in a large theatre market such as NYC," Wilson added.

The entire creative team and cast will be announced later this Spring. If you are interested in auditioning, please send your headshot and resume to Production Stage Manager Morgan Benford at creativecolabtx@gmail.com.

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