Oakland Theater Project's 2021 Season Shifts to Outdoor Performances for THE DREAM LIFE OF MALCOM X Premiere

Oakland Theater Project's ambitious 2021 Season will continue with the announcement of its first outdoor seated performance, and the conclusion of its drive-in theater, with the world premiere of a new one-person show The Dream Life of Malcolm X by Oakland Theater Project Literary Manager John Wilkins, starring Co-Artistic Director William Hodgson and directed by Education Director Dawn L. Troupe. Oakland Theater Project's production is an attempt to re-see, re-imagine, and re-think the still contested ideas of historical icon and human rights activist Malcolm X.

The production will be staged outdoors as an in-person theatrical experience with socially distanced seating in the parking lot of OTP's Oakland Theater at FLAX art & design (1501 Martin Luther King Jr. Way), July 23rd - August 29th. For those who can't make it in-person, the production will also be livestreamed on Saturday, August 21st and will be available on-demand until September 12th.

"Indict everyone, especially ourselves." This was one of the goals that drove the creative conversations of the trio behind The Dream Life of Malcolm X, and inspired a commitment to radical experimentation and clear, forceful communication. Artistic Director Michael Moran put writer John Wilkins, director Dawn Troupe, and actor William Hodgson in a Zoom room once a week and said, "Let's do a piece on Malcolm X; don't come out of this virtual reality until you have one." Born out of philosophical conversations on theater, activism, violence, America, and race, The Dream Life of Malcolm X uses some of Malcolm's speeches ("The Ballot and the Bullet" and "Black Man's History (the story of Yacub)") as jumping off points, and interweaves often-forgotten parts of Malcolm's life into a one-person show designed to disorient audiences in a good way-to highlight the shock and clarity of Malcolm's ideas, not as a bio-drama or school lesson, but as a striking theatrical event.

Malcolm X lives on in the American consciousness. In exploring the how-the ways in which his teachings predicted America's present, and how his ideas live on in our national imagination, The Dream Life of Malcolm X brings his ghost center stage, haunting our present in ways that are incisive, necessary and vital for change.

"We believe that theatre not only responds to the time we live in, but can also offer a way for us to 're-conceptualize' the world we currently experience," said OTP Co-Artistic Director Michael Socrates Moran. "William Hodgson is a consummate performer, John Wilkins is a daring provocateur of a writer, and Dawn L. Troupe brings grace to everything she touches. In many ways, meditating on, exploring and wrestling with Malcolm X's philosophy and legacy were ways for our playwright, director and actor to make sense of an upside-down America continuing to enact state-sanctioned violence upon Black bodies. Perhaps how mainstream America imagines Malcolm is connected to how we imagine race relations in America-and in re-imagining Malcolm, we might re-conceive our world."

Oakland Theater Project has concluded its drive-in theater model and has shifted its season to seated outdoor performances. Oakland Theater Project's seated outdoor theater model unlocks powerful live performances during a pandemic while keeping a strong commitment to safety for our staff and community. With California and Alameda County's new reopening guidelines, Oakland Theater Project is able to produce theater in a manner in which actor and audience get to share space once again. To promote ongoing safety and comfort for our community, we are going beyond state guidelines and will provide audience members with rigorous cleaning and sanitization protocols and distanced seating between groups when they arrive at the theater. Unvaccinated individuals will be required to wear a mask or face covering while at the theater but vaccinated individuals may choose not to wear a mask if they show proof of vaccination.

Information:

World Premiere

The Dream Life of Malcolm X

by John Wilkins

directed by Dawn L. Troupe
featuring William Hodgson

July 23-August 29, 2021
Previews: Fri, July 23 and Sat, July 24 at 8:00 p.m.
Opening Night: Sun, July 25 at 8:00 p.m.

Performances: Thu/Fri/Sat/Sun through Aug 29 (all 8:00 p.m.)

Location: The Oakland Theater at FLAX art & design

1501 Martin Luther King Jr. Way

Oakland, CA 94612

Running Time: Approximately 80 minutes (no intermission)

Tickets: $25-50 online, additional pay-what-you-can tickets available; tickets at oaklandtheaterproject.org/malcolm-x or by calling 510.646.1126.

General admission tickets are $25-$35 (seating assigned upon arrival to theater), priority tickets with reserved seats are $50; and pay-what-you-can tickets ($10-$20) will be available for every performance. All tickets will be sold online until 2 hours before each performance.

Livestreaming Performance: Audiences can also enjoy the show at home by

livestream on Saturday, August 21st @ 8:00pm PT or On Demand for 3 weeks

after the performance through September 12th. Livestream + On-Demand Tickets are $15-$25 and will take place on the streaming platform Stellar. Tickets can be purchased at stellartickets.com/o/oakland-theater-project/events/malcolm

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