| NEC revives ZOOMAN AND THE SIGN | |
| Last Edit: Official_Press_Release 03:01 pm EDT 05/29/24 | |
| Posted by: Official_Press_Release 02:47 pm EDT 05/29/24 | |
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| NEGRO ENSEMBLE REVIVES "ZOOMAN AND THE SIGN" BY CHARLES FULLER JUNE 27 TO JULY 7 WHERE AND WHEN: June 27 to July 7, 2024 American Theatre of Actors (ATA), 314 W. 54th Street, Manhattan Presented by The Negro Ensemble Company, Inc. in cooperation with Penn Live Arts Wednesdays through Saturdays at 8:00 PM, Matinees Saturdays and Sundays at 3:00 PM $35 gen. adm., $25 seniors, students and groups of 10+ Buy Tickets: https://necinc.org/ Running time: 1:30 NEW YORK -- A twelve year old girl had been killed by a stray bullet from Zooman's gun during a gang shootout. The title character -- a young slum-shaped sociopath -- became one of the signal individual dramatic creations of the American theater. The Negro Ensemble Company (NEC) produced the world premiere of Charles Fuller's Obie Award-winning play, "Zooman and the Sign," 44 years ago at Theater Four on West 55th Street. Now The Negro Ensemble Company, Inc., in cooperation with Penn Live Arts, is reviving the play for contemporary New York audiences June 27 to July 7 at American Theatre of Actors (ATA), 314 W. 54th Street, directed by Phyllis Yvonne Stickney. The play explores the effects of gun violence on a family and its struggle to convince apathetic neighbors to take a stand together to achieve justice. Playwright Charles Fuller is best known for his Pulitzer Prize-winning work, "A Soldier's Play," which was also originally produced Off-Broadway by NEC. He was born and raised in Philadelphia. This revival of "Zooman and the Sign" is the New York mounting of a production that NEC performed in February for Penn Live Arts at the Annenberg Center in Philadelphia to celebrate the remarkable playwright and shed light on how his work still resonates today. NEC is the 23/24 season artist-in-residence of Penn Live Arts. The drama achieves new resonance today when American citizens need to generate new understanding of the social forces behind the scourge of gun violence that society has been helpless to resist. Previously this season, from March 20 to 28 NEC presented "No Policy No Justice," an evening of three one-acts, at La MaMa Community Arts Space, 74 E.4th Street. That evening explored the tragedy and trauma of the gun violence epidemic and its disproportionate impact on communities of color, particularly on families of shooting victims. "Zooman and the Sign" delves into the complexities of urban life, racial tension, and personal responsibility. Set in a gritty neighborhood, the story revolves around Zooman, a troubled young man who commits a senseless act of violence, taking the life of a young girl. The impact of this heinous crime reverberates through the community, forcing residents to confront their own complicity and silence in the face of such atrocities. Central to the narrative is a sign erected by the victim's grieving father, proclaiming the guilt and shame of those who knew but did nothing. This sign becomes a symbol of accountability, challenging the characters to reflect on their own morality and ethical choices. As the family grapples with the community's inaction, tensions rise, and a searing dialogue unfolds, questioning societal norms and the individual's role in the collective responsibility for justice. Director Phyllis Yvonne Stickney was named in the 25th anniversary of Essence Magazine as "one of the 200 African American Women who has changed the world." She has received two AUDELCO Awards, The Ellie Charles Award for Contribution to Society and the Arts, The Jewel of African Award, The Phenomenal Woman Award and CT Vivian's Torch of Leadership. Stickney was inducted into the Arkansas Black Hall of Fame in 1998 and on September 12, 2023, received The Lifetime Achievement Award as a Comedic Icon. Her film appearances include "New Jack City," Die Hard III," "Jungle Fever," "What's Love to Do With It?" "How Stella Got Her Groove Back" and other iconic films. She is Founder/Executive Director of a non-profit community based organization called Alternative Careers in the Arts. The cast includes Wadiah Brown, Ashlee Danielle, Isaiah Joseph (as Zooman), Salif Kone, Isaiah Martinez, Benjamin Rowe, Constance Thompson and Reginald L. Wilson. Video/projection designer is Michele Baldwin. Lighting designer is Melody Beal. Set designer is Patrice Davidson. Sound designer is Twan Howard. Costume designer is Rhonda Lucas. Stage manager is Erica Jeudy. Assistant stage managers are Lawrence Floyd and Liam Riordan. NEC's Artistic Director/Producer is Karen Brown. Producer is Jacqueline Jeffries. ABOUT THE NEGRO ENSEMBLE COMPANY, INC. The Negro Ensemble Company, Inc. has been invited to join the Co-Op Residency Program of 59E59 Theaters. Co-Op Resident Companies produce 1-2 shows with 59E59 each year and receive a high degree of curatorial trust with advanced, preferred calendar placement in the 59E59 complex's highly sought-after Theaters B & C. NEC's awards include a Pulitzer Prize (1982, "A Soldier's Play"), two Tony Awards, eleven Obies and many more. Its legacy reads like a Who's Who of America's Black theater artists. Prior to the 1960s, there were virtually no outlets for the wealth of Black theatrical talent in America. In 1965, Playwright Douglas Turner Ward, producer/actor Robert Hooks, and theater manager Gerald Krone founded The Negro Ensemble Company, Inc. (NEC) to provide a haven and platform for African American actors and playwrights, to create works that otherwise would not have access to Broadway stages, and to elevate the authentic, underrepresented stories coming out of the Black experience. "The River Niger" by Joe Walker, originally produced at St. Marks Playhouse (NEC's home theater), moved to Broadway and was awarded 1973 Obie Awards for Distinguished Performance for Douglas Turner Ward, Best American Play for Joseph A. Walker, and Distinguished Performance for Roxie Roker. Other significant works of this period included Peter Weiss' "Song of the Lucitanian Bogey" (1967), Lonnie Elder's "Ceremonies in Dark Old Men" (1969) and Charles Fuller's "Zooman and the Sign" (1980). In 1981, NEC mounted "A Soldier's Play" by Charles Fuller, which won the Pulitzer Prize. A film version, "A Soldier's Story," was released in 1984 and nominated for three Academy Awards. NEC has produced more than two hundred new plays and provided a theatrical home for more than four thousand cast and crew members. Among its ranks have been some of the best black actors in television and film, including Louis Gossett Jr., Sherman Hemsley, Denise Nichols, Esther Rolle, Adolph Caesar Laurence Fishburne, Glynn Turman, Reuben Santiago-Hudson, S. Epatha Merkerson, and Phylicia Rashad; playwrights include steve carter (intentionally lower case), Samm-Art Williams, Leslie Lee. In 2009, Signature Theatre presented a season of readings of various plays from the NEC canon, with Douglas Turner Ward as curator and Ruben Santiago-Hudson as associated artist. NEC continues to be a constant source and sustenance for black actors, directors, and writers as they have worked to break down walls of racial prejudice. |
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