Keith Hamilton Cobb's AMERICAN MOOR Opens Tonight at The Wild Project

Phoenix Theatre Ensemble (PTE) announces that Keith Hamilton Cobb's American Moor will begin performances tonight, April 21, 2015 at The Wild Project at 195 East 3rd Street in NYC's East Village.

Keith Hamilton Cobb, who is best known for his television work in daytime dramas (All My Children, The Young and the Restless, etc.) and Gene Roddenberry's Andromeda, has always been at heart a classical stage actor and has an impressive resume to back him up. This love for the theatre brought him to develop a remarkable and controversial work that takes the audience into a sanctified and often secretive place - the audition room.

Funny, ironic and deeply moving, American Moor explores the process of auditioning for the role of Othello; an audition that invariably ends up with a large black man on stage responding to suggestions from white middle-aged decision makers who portend to understand how a charismatic, intelligent, black man would react in an alien society.

Craig Smith, PTE Producing Artistic Director says "American Moor is greatly entertaining and at the same time asks questions that need to be asked. Our national theatre community prides itself on progressiveness and open expression. But are we really? Is there a patronizing quality to our approach that is similar to what happens in the play of Othello itself? When I describe this play to my black actor friends - many who have played Othello, they have a singular response, usually unspoken, one that I will not most likely ever totally understand. PTE is proud to be producing the American premiere of this important work that explores Shakespeare, Othello and race -- but not necessarily in that order."

Joining Keith Hamilton Cobb in the cast will be PTE regular Josh Tyson. American Moor is under the direction of Paul Kwame Johnson and will play in repertory with Medea & the Furies, an ensemble developed piece based on the Euripides, through May 10 at The Wild Project, 195 East 3rd Street (Avenue B).

Tickets are $25, discount 4-admission passes are available, TDF Vouchers are welcome, Group discounts available. To order tickets call 212-352-3101 or visit PhoenixTheatreEnsemble.org.

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