Kenny Leon and True Colors Theatre Company Presents the Southeast Premiere of EXIT STRATEGY by Ike Holter

Artistic Director Kenny Leon and True Colors Theatre Company presents the Southeastern premiere of Exit Strategy written by Ike Holter and directed by John Dillon, running February 21 - March 19, 2017 at Fulton County's Southwest Arts Center's Performance Theater.

Exit Strategy is a hilarious comedy with an honest view point, centering on a Chicago public high school that is slated for closure at the end of the year. The impending shut-down causes tensions in the school's already volcanic neighborhood to rise to the breaking point. As a small group of teachers launch a last-minute battle to save the school, they put their careers, future, and safety in the hands of a fast-talking administrator who comes on strong; but might actually have no clue what he's doing. With our education system at the forefront of discussions in our community, Exit Strategy is timely, relevant, and relatable.

More than a play about a failing school, Holter has written a play about people, about community, about what matters to them, and the lengths they are willing to go to when they believe in something deeply. Starring Tracey Bonner (Sadie), Diany Rodriguez (Jania), Ralph Del Rosario (Luce), Laurie Roach (Donnie), Matthew Busch (Ricky), and Bill Murphey (Arnold).

"Exit Strategy is at once poetic, political, sad, funny, timely, complex and compassionate, Ike Holter's thrilling, beautiful new play..." Chicago Tribune

Exit Strategy will be in preview performances February 21 - 23, 2017 at 8 PM. Opening night is February 24, 2017 and the show is running through March 19, 2017. Performances during the run are Wednesday - Saturday @ 8 PM and Saturday and Sunday @ 2:30 PM. All performances will be presented at Fulton County's Southwest Arts Center's Performance Theater at 915 New Hope Rd, Atlanta, GA 30331.

For more information, visit: www.truecolorstheatre.org

ABOUT THE PLAYWRIGHT

Ike Holter's work has been produced at The Steppenwolf Garage, A Red Orchid, Barrow Street, Primary Stages, The Lily Tomlin Theater, Philadelphia Theater Company, The New Colony, Jackalope Theater and The Inconvenience, where he is a founding member. He's received fellowships and commissions from Goodman Theater, Studio Theater, The Kennedy Center, Writers Theater, Teatro Vista, and Playwrights Center. Both his plays "Exit Strategy" and "Hit The Wall" premiered in Chicago and moved to Off Broadway productions in New York. This year he premiered 2 new plays; "Sender" at A Red Orchid and "Prowess" at Jackalope. He was named the "Chicagoan of the Year in Theater 2014" by Chris Jones of The Chicago Tribune, and his monologues have been published in The New Yorker and several editions of Applause Books. Holter was recently named one of Victory Gardens newest ensemble playwrights.

ABOUT THE DIRECTOR

John Dillon has staged productions at leading theaters in England, Russia, Egypt and Japan and has directed new works by such noted playwrights as David Mamet, Romulus Linney, Larry Shue, Ariel Dorfman, Y York, Israel Horovitz, Joanna Glass, David Rambo, Anthony Clarvoe and Amlin Gray. He's worked at over two dozen of the country's leading regional theaters, including the ALLIANCE THEATRE, Georgia Shakespeare, Actors Theatre of Louisville, the Repertory Theatre of St. Louis, Syracuse Stage, Chapel Hill's PlayMakers Rep, the Missouri Rep, D.C.'s Arena Stage, Chicago's Goodman Theatre, New Haven's Long Wharf, Seattle's ACT Theatre, the Seattle Children's Theatre, the Berkeley Rep, Portland's Artist Repertory Theatre and the Oregon Shakespeare Festival (where his staging of WIT won him a BackstageWest Garland Award). His production of David Mamet's RACE at True Colors gained a Suzi Bass nomination for outstanding production and for outstanding direction.

Although he makes his home in Seattle, John is also the Associate Director of Tokyo's Institute of Dramatic Arts (and where his productions have twice won Japan's highest theater award). From 1977 to 1993 he was the Artistic Director of the Milwaukee Repertory Theater and during his time there launched a number of innovative exchanges with theater companies in Mexico, Russia, Ireland, Chile, Japan and England. From 2004 to 2010 he served as the director of the theatre program at Sarah Lawrence College. Dillon is a fellow in the College of Fellows of the American Theatre and was also elected to membership in the National Theatre Conference. He is a Danforth and Woodrow Wilson fellow with graduate degrees in theater from Columbia and Northwestern Universities. Oh yes, and he had a burger named after him at a restaurant in Baltimore

TRUE COLORS SEASON SPONSORS

Delta Air Lines, AT&T, Metro Atlanta Arts Fund, Bank of America, Georgia Power, Turner Broadcasting, Georgia Pacific, The Coca-Cola Company, Macy's, National Endowment for the Arts Art Works, Time Warner, The Zeist Foundation, Radio One Atlanta, WCLK Jazz 91.9, The Shubert Foundation, Fulton County Arts Council, City of Atlanta Office of Cultural Affairs, Georgia Council for the Arts.

ABOUT True Colors Theatre COMPANY

True Colors Theatre Company is a National Theatre Company based in Atlanta, GA. Lead by Artistic Director Kenny Leon, and Managing Director Jennifer Dwyer McEwen, True Colors mission is grounded and centered in the rich canon of African American classics with a strong commitment to diverse new voices. True Colors strives to be an important voice in the American discussion of diversity including plays and playwrights from various times, cultures and perspectives. True Colors' next shows are Ike Holter's ExitStrategy directed in February 2017 and Between Riverside and Crazy playing in July 2017.

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