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2011-2012 Season Proudly Presented by:
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I Wish You Love World Premiere |
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Penumbra Announces Opening and Cast for "Black Nativity" |
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NEWS FROM PENUMBRA THEATRE
For Immediate Release
Contact: Julie McGarvie, Director of Marketing
651-288-6784 or julie.mcgarvie@
penumbratheatre.org
Tickets: Penumbra Theatre Box Office at 651-224-3180 or penumbratheatre.org
Black Nativity: Now’s the Time
A holiday gospel tradition
November 1, 2010; St. Paul, MN: Penumbra Theatre Company, the nation’s preeminent African American theatre, proudly announces the opening of Black Nativity: Now’s the Time, by T. Mychael Rambo and Lou Bellamy, directed by Dominic Taylor, with musical direction by Sanford Moore on Friday November 26, 2010. The production will run November 26– December 26, 2010.
For the seventh year in a row, this spectacular holiday production plays on the Penumbra stage, marking the 23rd year of this Christmas tradition. This season, we are taken into the Walker family home. The story follows four family members, representing three generations, as they each journey away from the expectation and need for material gifts towards the recognition that a true gift is one that money can’t buy—the gift of love. The Walker family offers us the spirit of hope and cheer, sharing their gifts to us through song and dance.
“I think the lasting power of ‘Black Nativity’ is that it makes you feel better, warmer, and more connected to yourself and one another than you did when you first entered the theatre. This play uplifts the audience and has the potential to open our hearts—perhaps when we need it most,” said Dominic Taylor, director of the production and Penumbra’s associate artistic director.
This powerful gospel journey includes old favorites such as “No Room at the Inn,” “Angels We Have Heard on High,” “Joy to the World,” and several songs new to Black Nativity including “The Twelve Days of Christmas,” “The Soulful Noel,” and “Boogie Woogie Santa Claus.” The performance features live music by award-winning musicians, original dance choreographed by the renowned Uri Sands of TU Dance Company, and a stellar gospel choir ensemble that includes members of Moore by Four and the Grammy Award-winning Sounds of Blackness.
Featured vocalists include Samia Butler, Ginger Commodore, DeMarcus T. Green, Jackson Hurst, Geoff Jones, Tonia Hughes, Greta Oglesby, Dennis W. Spears, and Jennifer Whitlock. Joining the vocal ensemble are TU Dance Company members Alanna Morris and Marciano Silva dos Santos, with live music by Sanford Moore and David Hurst on keyboards, James A. Young on bass, and Demetrius Mabry on drums. |
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Sleep Deprivation Chamber |
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NEWS FROM PENUMBRA THEATRE
For Immediate Release
Contact: Julie McGarvie, Director of Marketing
651-288-6784 or
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Tickets: Penumbra Theatre Box Office at 651-224-3180 or penumbratheatre.org
Sleep Deprivation Chamber
A Regional Premiere
August 31, 2010; St. Paul, MN: Penumbra Theatre Company, the nation’s preeminent African American theatre, proudly announces the opening of Sleep Deprivation Chamber, by Adam P. Kennedy and Adrienne Kennedy, directed by Robbie McCauley on Thursday, September 16, 2010. The production will run September 16 – October 10, 2010.
An OBIE award-winning drama, Sleep Deprivation Chamber is the harrowing autobiographical story of a mother fighting for her son’s life at the risk of her own sanity.
The play is based on a real life incident occurring January 12, 1991, in the early hours of the morning when Adam Kennedy was pulled over by the police in his father’s driveway in Arlington, Virginia. What began as a routine traffic stop turned into a nightmare of police brutality as Adam was beaten by a policeman and then charged with resisting arrest and assaulting an officer. Although Adam was eventually acquitted of all charges and won a civil suit against the Arlington Police Department, the impact of that January night reverberated far beyond those dark moments in the front yard.
Sleep Deprivation Chamber, which celebrated playwright Adrienne Kennedy wrote with her son Adam, presents an autobiographical portrait of both the external reality of that night in January and the crushing internal weight of its consequences. Moving freely between past and present, dream and reality, the courtroom and the rehearsal hall, the play weaves together a series of surreal scenes focused on a mother and son’s struggle to piece together a world fractured by an act of racist brutality.
The play offers an unsettling vision of the racial reality faced by black Americans in the late 20th century, applicable across economic class and education level. Adam’s arrest and beating occurred only a few months prior to the Rodney King beating. With its commanding portrayal of family, its fusion of dreams and reality, and its questioning of the legal system, Sleep Deprivation Chamber challenges audiences to reflect upon not only the corporeal, but the spiritual impact of racist acts motivated by racial profiling. |
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16th Annual Penumbra Jazz Jam |
NEWS FROM PENUMBRA THEATRE
For Immediate Release
Contact:
Julie McGarvie, Marketing Director
651-288-6784,
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16TH ANNUAL PENUMBRA JAZZ JAM
Presented by Target
Sunday, June 6, 2010 - 6:00 to 9:30 p.m.
Dakota Jazz Club & Restaurant
1010 Nicollet Mall, Minneapolis, MN 55403
May 26, 2010, St Paul, MN: Four-time Grammy award winner Dianne Reeves will headline the 16th Annual Penumbra Jazz Jam, presented by Target, on Sunday, June 6, 2010 from 6:00 to 9:30 p.m. at The Dakota Jazz Club & Restaurant. Featuring Master of Ceremony T. Mychael Rambo, the fundraiser will include a special appearance by Dennis W. Spears and Sanford Moore. Guests will enjoy a gourmet dinner by Dakota Chef Jack Riebel. All proceeds from the evening's silent and live auctions will benefit Penumbra's Summer Institute Scholarship Fund.
Over the years, Jazz Jam has raised more than $700,000 for Minnesota's only African American theatre, thanks to the talents of the best of the Twin Cities jazz community, such as Hannibal Locumbe, Debbie Duncan, Ginger Commodore, Thomasina Petrus, Regina Marie Williams, and Bruce Henry.
Penumbra is grateful for the generous support of its many 2010 Jazz Jam sponsors, including Target (Presenting Sponsor), RBC Wealth Management, (Entertainment Sponsor) and General Mills (Food Sponsor).
Bellamy Balcony seats are $125 per person. Only a few remain. Call 651-224-3180 or visit www.penumbratheatre.org. |
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Two Old Black Guys Just Sitting Around Talking |
NEWS FROM PENUMBRA THEATRE
For Immediate Release
Contact: Julie McGarvie, Director of Marketing
651-288-6784 or
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Tickets: Penumbra Theatre Box Office
651-224-3180 or penumbratheatre.org
Two Old Black Guys Just Sitting Around Talking
A World Premiere
April 8, 2010; St. Paul, MN: Penumbra Theatre Company, the nation's preeminent African American theatre, proudly announces the opening of Two Old Black Guys Just Sitting Around Talking, by Gus Edwards, directed by Lou Bellamy on Thursday, April 29, 2010. The production will run April 29 - May 23, 2010.
Henry and Abe can’t stand each other, but like magnets the elderly duo is drawn to the same park bench every day. Having once jockeyed for the love of the same woman, their cantankerous rivalry has grown through the years. Now, in the twilight of their lives, they find themselves more intertwined than either had ever imagined. Two Old Black Guys Just Sitting Around Talking is a funny and poignant story of rivalry, friendship, and the journey of life.
Penumbra's Education Director Sarah Bellamy says, "I've learned a lot because of old black guys just sitting around talking. Women too. Penumbra has long been that kind of place-where teaching often happens through storytelling. One of the most important lessons I've learned here is that history isn’t necessarily epic; sometimes it is quiet conversations that teach us the most about being human."
Penumbra company member August Wilson, one of the most celebrated American writers, honed his craft not in classrooms but in barbershops, cafes and on the corner. These are the places where many of Penumbra's company members learned to love, defend and express themselves within the African American culture. They listened to elders tell stories that carried with them not just humor and creativity, but also a perspective on life left untold by the dominant culture. It is out of this tradition that Gus Edwards penned Two Old Black Guys Just Sitting Around Talking.
Artistic Director and Founder Lou Bellamy says, "In their old age, Abe and Henry are still asking questions about love, faithfulness, truth. The irony is that these two men really don't like each other. Circumstances have placed them together and they end up revealing themselves to their worst enemy."
The cast stars long time Penumbra Company members James Craven as Abe and Abdul Salaam El Razzac as Henry. |
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Penumbra Announces 2010-2011 Season |
NEWS FROM PENUMBRA THEATRE
For Immediate Release
Contact: Julie McGarvie, Marketing Director
651-288-6784 or
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Penumbra Theatre Company
2010-2011 Season
March 2, 2010, Saint Paul, MN: Penumbra Theatre Company, the nation's preeminent African American theatre, proudly announced its 2010-2011 season.
- Sleep Deprivation Chamber by Adam P. Kennedy and Adrienne Kennedy
Directed by Robbie McCauley
September 16 - October 10, 2010
A regional premiere
- Black Nativity: Now's the Time by T. Mychael Rambo & Lou Bellamy
Directed by Dominic Taylor
November 26 - December 26, 2010
A holiday tradition
- Julius by Design by Kara Lee Corthron
Directed by Lou Bellamy
January 20 - February 13, 2011
A world premiere
- Ma Rainey's Black Bottom by August Wilson
Directed by Lou Bellamy
February 11 - March 6, 2011
Presented by Cargill
A special presentation at the Guthrie
Tickets will only be available for purchase through the Guthrie.
- I Wish You Love by Dominic Taylor
Directed by Lou Bellamy
April 21 - May 22, 2011
A world premiere
Special support provided by The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
Tickets on sale May 3, 2010 through the Penumbra Theatre Box Office at
651-224-3180 or at www.penumbratheatre.org.
NOTE: Tickets for Ma Rainey's Black Bottom will only be available for purchase through the Guthrie box office later this year.
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