Theatre503 Announces Cast For MORENO By Pravin Wilkins, Directed By Nancy Medina

Pravin Wilkins' stunning debut play Moreno was the winner of the 2020 Theatre503 International Playwriting Award. Straight from her National Theatre debut, Nancy Medina (Trouble in Mind) directs the following cast: Sebastián Capitán Viveros (Sweat, Donmar Warehouse) as Luis Moreno, Joseph Black (Sessions, Paine's Plough/Soho Theatre) as Ezekiel Williams, Hayden Mclean (ear for eye, Royal Court) as Cre'von Garcon, and Matt Whitchurch (Milk and Gall, Theatre503) as Danny Lombardo.

Moreno is set in the world of American football, where the NFL is being shaken by Colin Kaepernick's monumental decision to take a knee to protest police brutality against Black people. As he struggles to overcome an injury and prove he still has what it takes, star player Luis Moreno must decide whether to take a risk and make a stand when America's political tide turns against his own community. A searing representation of sporting culture, American celebrity, and race, Moreno interrogates the impact of bringing politics on to the pitch, and asks what sports fans are willing to forgive players for - and what they're not.

Pravin Wilkins, playwright: "I was honoured to be among such a strong selection of finalists for the Theatre503 International Playwriting Award. I feel it is important that Moreno was selected to win because it investigates a historic moment when athletes across the world stood together to protest against racial injustice. For progress to happen, we must revisit the messages that are - year after year, generation after generation - delivered by Black and brown people; this play is about putting these perspectives firmly at the centre of conversations about how we approach racism. The play is vital at this moment in time and I am excited for Nancy to now bring it to the stage with such an incredible cast and team."

Pravin Wilkins is a playwright, poet, and fiction writer based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, whose works typically deal with race and class struggle - and the many intersections between. His play was selected to win the 2020 Theatre503 International Playwriting Award by a panel comprising Erica Whyman (Chair of Theatre503 and deputy artistic director, RSC), producer Caro Newling, actor/director Daniel Evans, arts journalist and reviewer Sam Marlowe, playwrights Roy Williams and Vinay Patel, and Theatre503 Artistic Director Lisa Spirling.

The Theatre503 International Playwriting Award is a biennial prize established in 2014. Previous winners of the Award are: Paul Murphy (Valhalla) and Bea Roberts (And Then Come The Nightjars) - joint winners 2014; Andrew Thompson (In Event of Moone Disaster, winner 2016, which went on to win Best Writer at The 2016 Stage Debut Awards); and Danusia Samal (Out of Sorts, winner 2018).

Dates: 1 - 26 March
Times: Tuesday - Saturday at 7.30pm; + Sat 12, 19, 26 March at 3pm; Wednesday 16 March at 12 noon

Press night: Tuesday 8 March at 7.30pm
Box office: 020 7978 7040 / www.theatre503.com

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