San Jose Stage Proudly Presents WE ARE PROUD TO PRESENT!

San Jose Stage Company will kick off its culturally diverse 34th Season with the racially charged We Are Proud to Present, directed byL. Peter Callender and with Artistic Direction by the African-American Shakespeare Company.

Art and life merge to open a dialogue about the state of race and power in America. In the rehearsal room, six actors gather to bring the dark history of the early 20th century genocide in Namibia, Africa to life. As the troop delves deeper into the history of this distant story, tensions rise when the actors' examination begins to parallel the present. Forcing the actors to face their own personal & societal biases toward race.

"Partnering with the African-American Shakespeare Company is extremely exciting and somewhat metaphorical as we bring our two companies together to produce this play that is about a theatre company producing a play - revealing our struggles with race, culture and sins of the past. It's the perfect show to kick off our season of bold and compelling collaborations."- Randall King, Artistic Director San Jose Stage Company

Playwright Jackie Sibblies Drury, winner of the 2015 Windham-Campbell Literary Prize in Drama, has expertly crafted a piece that holds a mirror to the layered conversation about race and society. The results are at times devastatingly funny but more often surprising & filled with revelation.

From the Director: "In our current disjointed, fractured and somewhat dysfunctional political season we are, as a nation, forced into the new reality of old racism and bigotry. What more fitting choice that to present a piece of theater in which an ensemble of American actors gather to shine a light on the first genocide of the 20th century. During this funny and quite disturbing presentation, they are forced to come to terms with their own individual racial intolerance and bias; each holding a mirror up to their own discomfort and fears. WE ARE PROUD TO PRESENT is history on steroids, orchestrated brilliantly by our playwright, and is as timely as a production gets!" - L. Peter Callender

Full Title: "We Are Proud to Present a Presentation About the Herero of Namibia, Formerly Known as South West Africa, From the German Südwestafrika, Between the Years 1884-1915"

Cast Includes: Coleton Schmitto, Edward Ewell, Brandon Leland*, AeJay Mitchell*, Lyndsy Kail*, Oluchi Nwokocha

*Actors appear courtesy of Actors' Equity Association.

L. Peter Callender Director

Guilio Cesare Perrone Set Design

Ashley Garlick Costume Design

Maurice Vercoutere Light Design

Cliff Caruthers Sound Design

San Jose Stage's production of We Are Proud to Present is produced in association with the African-American Shakespeare Company.

African-American Shakespeare Company was introduced in 1994 to open the realm of classic theatre to a diverse audience; and provide an opportunity and place for actors of color to hone their skills and talent in mastering some of the world's greatest classical roles. We do this by producing work from the canon of classical theatre including Shakespeare and great American and world playwrights that is lively, entertaining and relevant.

L. Peter Callender (Director) A native of Trinidad in the West Indies, L. Peter Callender has worked professionally as an actor for over thirty years, and more recently as a director and writer. He received his formal training in the theater at the Juilliard School in New York City; Webber/Douglas Academy in London, England; Mask Technique with Julie Taymor; and The Suzuki Technique with The Tadashi Suzuki Company in Toga-mura, Japan. He has appeared on Broadway, off-Broadway, in regional theaters across the US, and has performed internationally in Japan, England, and France.

Jackie Sibblies Drury (Playwright) A Brooklyn based playwright. Her work has been featured at Victory Gardens' 2010 Ignition Festival, The Magic Theatre, and the Bay Area Playwrights Festival. She is a graduate oF Brown's MFA playwriting program, where she received a Weston Award as well as the David Wickham Prize in Playwriting. She received a 2015 Windham-Campbell Literature Prize in Drama, a 2012-2013 Van Lier Fellowship at New Dramatists, and was the inaugural recipient of the 2012-2014 Jerome Fellowship at The LARK. Jackie is a NYTW Usual Suspect and a 2015 United States Artists Gracie Fellow.

Previews: September 28 @ 7:30 pm / September 29 @ 7:30 pm/

September 30 @ 8:00 pm

Opening: October 1 @ 8:00 pm

Run Dates: October 1- October 23

Wednesday & Thursday @ 7:30 pm

Friday & Saturday @ 8:00 pm

Sunday @ 2:00 pm

WHERE: 490 S 1st St, San Jose, CA 95113

TICKETS: For tickets ($30-$65) or more information, the public may contact San Jose Stage Company box office at 408-283-7142, or www.thestage.org

San Jose Stage Company's 34th Season (2016-17)

San Jose Stage Company Mission: Through powerful, provocative and profound theatre, San Jose Stage Company (The Stage) seeks to expand community, forge creative partnerships, and challenge individuals in order to illuminate the human condition.

"This season offers a diverse line-up of powerful stories and strong characters reverberating the truth of today's world. We want our work to further tolerance, acceptance, and a greater understanding of one another. And this season strikes that chord, taking us on an incredible journey of self-reflection and exploration."

- Randall King- Artistic Director, San Jose Stage Company.

We Are Proud to Present by Jackie Sibblies Drury

2013 Obie-Winner

September 28 - October 23, 2016

Opening Night: Saturday, October 1

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New York Drama Critics Circle Award-Winner for 2013-14 "Best Play"

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Opening Night: Saturday, November 19

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2013 Pulitzer Prize-Winning Drama

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Opening Night: Saturday, February 4

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April 5 - April 30, 2017

Opening Night: Saturday, April 8, 2017

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June 7 - TBA

Opening Night: Saturday, June 10

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