Trustus Theatre to Stage IN THE RED AND BROWN WATER, 1/23-2/7

Trustus Theatre is bringing a fresh voice in American playwriting to Columbia as they open Tarell Alvin McCraney's In the Red and Brown Water, part one of a trilogy called The Brother/Sister Plays. This play is likened to a choreopoem where poetry, prose, music, and movement come together to tell a story. This unique script and ambitious production will open on the Thigpen Main Stage on Friday, January 23rd at 8:00pm. The show will run through Saturday, February 7th, 2015. A free talk-back will follow the matinee on February 1st. Tickets may be purchased at www.trustus.org, or by calling the Trustus box office at (803) 254-9732.

The story of In the Red and Brown Water is grown from the seeds of the Yoruba cosmology. McCraney's script takes the stories of Orishas from Yoruba folklore and turns them into real human beings that live and walk in America here and now. This show tells an unexpected story that charts a young girl's thrust into womanhood. Audiences will be introduced the fast and spirited Oya. She is a promising young athlete who is offered a scholarship that could jump-start her future. Forced to choose between her dying mother and her own dreams, she makes a life-changing decision. Oya's subsequent path to womanhood leads her to a crossroads where she finds herself torn between settling down or just settling. With many around her standing in her way, audiences will wonder how far the fast and beautiful Oya will go to make a mark in the world. Set in the "distant present" of the fictional projects of San Pere, Louisiana; this show will be a distinctive experience for Columbia theatre-goers.

Trustus Theatre plans on producing all three of McCraney's plays from The Brother/Sister Plays over the next three seasons with Trustus Co-Artistic Director Chad Henderson at the helm of these projects. "McCraney's work has had a great influence on me as a theatre artist," said Henderson. "When I saw In the Red and Brown Water at Chicago's Steppenwolf Theatre in 2010, I was instantly engaged with the unique structure of the script, the brilliant use of mythology to tell a modern story, and the adventurous and highly theatrical use of non-traditional staging. I couldn't get enough of it, and yearned for more. I'm thrilled that Trustus is producing this trilogy, and that we'll be introducing South Carolina to Mr. McCraney's work and his bold world that exists in these plays." This show stands as a testament to Trustus' commitment to bringing the best and most innovative American scripts to Midlands audiences.

McCraney's script calls for a cast with unique skills. While the language of the script is constructed with poetry, it is still the language of a modern America albeit in a heightened form. The cast must also create vocal compositions that underscore and transition the action of the play as well as telling parts of the story through stylized movement. Director Chad Henderson has assembled a daring cast for this production including Trustus Company Members Avery Bateman (Oya), Katrina Blanding (Aunt Elegua), Kevin Bush (Oo Li Roon), and Kendrick Marion (Shango). The cast is rounded out by talented performers Bakari Lebby (Elegba), Jabar Hankins (Ogun Size), Annette Grevious (Mama Moja), Latrelle Brennan (Shun), Felicia Meyers (Nia), and Leroy Kelly (Egungun).

In the Red and Brown Water also boasts a talented design team with local artist Kimi Maeda creating the scenic design, Marc Hurst crafting the lighting design, Amy Brower fashioning the costume design, and Jeremy Polley generating the sound design. Act Two will also feature hip-hop mixes by local musician Preach Jacobs.

Playwright Tarell Alvin McCraney was born and raised in Liberty City, the inner city area of Miami, Florida. He graduated from the New World School of the Arts High School, with the Exemplary Artist Award and the Dean Award in Theater in 1999. Subsequently he matriculated into the Theater School at DePaul University in Chicago graduating with the Sarah Siddons Award and a BFA in Acting 2003. He attended the British American Drama Academy (BADA) Mid-Summer at Oxford, studying Shakespeare with master actors and teachers from the Royal Shakespeare Company and around the UK. His Master's Degree in Fine Art is from the Yale School of Drama in playwriting 2007 receiving the Cole Porter Award upon graduating. In 2013 he was the beneficiary of a MacArthur Fellowship "Genius Grant." He is a member of New Dramatists, Teo Castellanos/D-Projects in Miami, and the Steppenwolf Theatre Company in Chicago, IL.

Columbia audiences can expect a one-of-a-kind evening in the theatre at Trustus Theatre's In the Red and Brown Water. The show opens on the Trustus Main Stage on Friday, January 23rd at 8:00pm and runs through February 7th, 2015. Thigpen Main Stage show times are 7:30pm on Thursdays, 8:00pm on Fridays and Saturdays, and 3pm matinees on Sundays. Tickets are $22.00 for adults, $20.00 for military and seniors, and $15.00 for students. Half-price Student Rush-Tickets are available 15 minutes prior to curtain. A free talk-back will follow the matinee on Sunday, February 1st.

Trustus Theatre is located at 520 Lady Street, behind the Gervais St. Publix. Parking is available on Lady St.and on Pulaski St. The Main Stage entrance is located on the Publix side of the building.

For more information or reservations call the box office Tuesdays through Saturdays 1-6 pm at 803-254-9732. Visit www.trustus.org for all show information and season information.

Pictured: Avery Bateman. Photo by Jonathan Sharpe.

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