OBAMA-OLOGY to Receive European Premiere at Finborough Theatre

Discovered by the Finborough Theatre and part of its 20 Premieres season, the European premiere of Obama-ology, the European full-length debut of multi-award-winning American playwright Aurin Squire, runs at the Finborough Theatre, playing Sunday and Monday evening and Tuesday matinee performances from Sunday, 30 November 2014 (Press Night: Monday, 1 December 2014 at 7.30pm).

When African-American college graduate Warren takes a job with the 2008 Obama campaign, he's fired up and ready to go - until he lands in the troubled streets of East Cleveland. But somewhere between knocking on doors, fending off cops, and questioning his own racial and sexual identity, he learns that changing society isn't as easy as he imagined...

Obama-ology is a compelling journey into the lives of the black minority of East Cleveland. This invisible underclass - despondent after a lifetime of presidential campaigns with only the educated, white candidate to represent them - have the flame of hope reignited by a passionate young man canvassing for Obama. A stunning new play that demonstrates the resilience of the human spirit to overcome defeat at the hands of social repression and financial hardship.

Recently produced in the United States at the world renowned Julliard School in New York, Obama-ology marks the European full-length debut of a stunning new African-American playwright.

Playwright Aurin Squire is a New York playwright, producer and artist/activist. In 2014-2015, he has playwriting fellowships at the Brooklyn Arts Exchange, National Black Theatre and the Dramatists Guild of America. His plays include The Great Black Sambo Machine (Lincoln Centre Lab and Ars Nova), Defacing Michael Jackson (Nuyorican Poets Café workshop), To Whom It May Concern (Abingdon Theatre and ArcLight Theatre productions), African Americana (Theatre 503). Last year his drama Freefalling (Barrington Stages) won the Fiat Lux Prize from the New York Catholic Church as well as first prize in the InspiraTO Theatre International Play Festival in Toronto in Spring 2014. As a part of pro-democracy activism at Ensemble Free Theatre of Norway and Belarus Dream Theatre, his drama Article 119-1 premiered simultaneously around the world in various cities including Vancouver, Oslo, Los Angeles and Florence. Squire also writes and produces multimedia and web video including writing the installation art film Dreams of Freedom, which won three National Museum prizes and is in the permanent exhibit at the National Museum of American College, and New School University in New York City.

Director Tommo Fowler returns to the Finborough Theatre where he was Assistant Director of Sommer 14: A Dance of Death. Trained with Living Pictures and on the Short Course at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. Direction includes Vesting Day (Southwark Playhouse), a rehearsed reading of Wake (English Touring Theatre Studios), The [Accidental] Execution of Alan Bishop (Pleasance London), Porcelain, Just Say No (Theatre503), Multiple Choice (Lost Theatre), Taketh (Take Courage Theatre, New Cross) and Extremely Brief and Violent (Royal Academy of Dramatic Art). Forthcoming productions include Monster Party (Arcola Theatre) and The Repast (Theatre503). Assistant Direction includes Handel Furioso (Arcola Theatre and National Tour), Rainbow, winner of a Fringe First Award (Edinburgh Festival) and Mojo Mickybo (Old Red Lion Theatre). Dramaturgy includes No Border, an intranational verbatim theatre project. Tommo is currently Development Associate at ABG Productions, a Reader for Theatre503 and Project Manager for Living Pictures.

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