I am ecstatic to announce that the filmed stage production of my play, When a Tree Falls, will be available for showings and streamings sometime this summer. We are formally in the editing process. Thank you to all of the incredible cast, crew and designers that made this a reality. Big shout out to our producer, Trial and Error Productions. We are all excited to see the final product. Stay tuned for dates and ticket links. In the meantime, enjoy a couple of photos from our last day on set. From left to right (top row) Zoe Wolf, Mary E. Brown, Terry Boyd, Dawn Cornell, Brandon Eller (Stage Manager), (bottom row) Jasmine Lomax, Lillian Afful-Straton and Amontaine Aurore (Writer/Director). Photos by Whitney Bashaw.
REVIEW: LEGACIES: A GHOST STORY
I was thrilled to be included in ACT Theater's 2020 Local Playwright Series, which highlighted the voices of a diverse group of Seattle playwrights as we embarked on new work. Here is the interview that I did with director, Ameenah Kaplan, regarding the workshop and my play, The Ever-Expanding Moment.
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As Quarantine rages on, it has given me the opportunity to get my nostalgia on, and look back at some of the highlights of my play, Don't Call it a Riot! I have decided to post some of my favorite scenes here. Take a trip down memory lane with me (in more ways than one). Here are a few scenes from Don't Call it a Riot!, perforrmed at 12th Avenue Arts, Seattle, 2019. Video sequences edited by Ben Laurence and Trial & Error Productions. Featuring Meysha Harville as Reed, Lillian Afful-Straton as Marti, Skylar Wilkerson as Falala, Mic Montgomery as Sam, and Robert Lovett as Paris.
It's 1968 and Reed, a member of Seattle's Black Panther Party, must juggle the demands of a new marriage and a baby on the way, yet still find time to fight for liberation and dream of creating a better world. When her best friend Marti moves in, there is yet one more thing on her plate. Reed is unaware of the forces that will eventually destroy the Party, as well as the ones that threaten her happy home. It will take 31 years before she discovers the betrayal that was at the root of a dream deferred.
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The Seattle Times Feature Article, June 19, 2019
THE SEATTLE TIMES, BRENDAN KILEY, FRANKLIN HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS HELP CREATE SET DESIGNS FOR NEW PLAY
HONORING THE BLACK PANTHER PARTY AND GENERATIONS OF ACTIVISM IN SEATTLE
DON'T CALL IT A RIOT OFFERS A GLIMPSE INTO THE COMPLEX REALITIES OF REVOLUTION
When a Tree Falls to be staged at 18th and Union Theater, March/April 2020.