Alliance Theatre to Stage CHOIR BOY, 9/20-10/13

By: Jul. 30, 2013
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The ALLIANCE THEATRE has announced the American premiere of CHOIR BOY, a modern coming of age story by Tarell Alvin McCraney, winner of the 2008 Alliance/Kendeda National Graduate Playwriting Competition for his play In The Red and Brown Water. The American premiere of CHOIR BOY is co-produced by the Manhattan Theatre Club in New York, where CHOIR BOY opened earlier this month to outstanding reviews. The New York production has been extended twice due to popular demand and will close August 11. CHOIR BOY will run on the Hertz Stage at the ALLIANCE THEATRE September 20 - October 13, 2013. Opening night is Wednesday, September 25, 2013.

The Charles R. Drew Prep School for Boys is dedicated to the creation of strong, ethical black men. Pharus's confidence, charisma, clarity of purpose, and talent hide the struggle he endures at school. Gospel music at Drew is a tradition as old as the school itself, and that tradition is embodied in its vaunted choir. The choir is where Pharus can stand out and be different without fear - because he's the best.

CHOIR BOY is led by Director Trip Cullman. With new vocal arrangements by Music Director Jason Michael Webb, CHOIR BOY is a play featuring stirring gospel and spiritual music.

Leading the cast in the role of Pharus is Jeremy Pope (Little Shop of Horrors). The cast also features Nicholas L. Ashe (The Lion King), Joshua Boone(Regional: In the Heights), Grantham Coleman (As You Like It), Scott Robertson (Cabaret), John Stewart (ALLIANCE THEATRE: The Whipping Man), andCharles E. Wallace (Jekyll & Hyde).

"Since the world-premiere of In the Red and Brown Water, Tarell has become an international playwriting sensation with productions from coast to coast and in London," said ALLIANCE THEATRE Director of New Projects Celise Kalke. "I'm so proud that Atlanta audiences experienced his talent so early in his career because of the Alliance/Kendeda competition, and that the Alliance is bringing this amazing production to Atlanta."

"I feel like working at the Alliance has been a part of my artistic process," said McCraney. "It allows me to engage with a sophisticated audience that is different from those around the globe. I'm excited to hear how CHOIR BOY sings at the Alliance."

In addition to winning the Alliance/Kendeda National Graduate Playwriting Competition, McCraney has been awarded The New York Times Outstanding Playwright Award, the 2009 Steinberg Playwrights Award, and the Paula Vogel Playwriting Award.

The Alliance is thrilled to play a role in the development of new American Playwrights through its commitment to the Alliance/Kendeda competition. The competition, which celebrates its 10th Anniversary this year, provides developmental opportunities and readings for all finalists as well as a full production for one winning play each season. Over the lifetime of the competition the Alliance has had the honor of recognizing and supporting early career playwrights who have gone on to have highly successful careers in theatre.

Performances of CHOIR BOY are Tuesday through Thursday at 7:30pm, Fridays at 8:00pm, Saturdays at 2:30pm and 8:00pm, and Sundays at 2:30pm and 7:30pm, September 20 - October 13, 2013. Opening Night is September 25, 2013. There will be no 2:30pm performance on September 21.

Tickets start at $25 and are available at the Woodruff Arts Center Box Office in person or by calling 404-733-5000. Tickets are also available online at www.alliancetheatre.org/choirboy. Discounted rates for groups of 10 or more are available by calling 404.733.4690. Discounted rates are also available for members of the military, seniors and students. The ALLIANCE THEATRE is located at the Woodruff Arts Center, 1280 Peachtree Street, NE, Atlanta, GA 30309, at the corner of Peachtree and 15th Street, in Midtown.

CHOIR BOY is part of the Turner Series on the Hertz Stage. The Alliance/Kendeda National Graduate Playwriting Competition is supported by a 2005 gift by the Kendeda Fund, the National Endowment for the Arts, and The Harold and Mimi Steinberg Charitable Trust.

SPECIAL EVENTS

After Words

The ALLIANCE THEATRE is committed to extending dialogue from the stage to the community. After Words (post show) events offer audience members the chance to engage in conversation with cast members about the issues and ideas presented in the play. After Words are free to ticket holders.

After Words Opportunities -

Saturday, September 28 - Following the Matinee Performance
Saturday, April 20 - Following the Matinee Performance
Saturday, April 27 - Following the Matinee Performance
Saturday, May 4 - Following the Matinee Performance

Page to Stage

In conjunction with the 10th Anniversary of the Alliance/Kendeda National Graduation Playwriting Competition, we're offering our Hertz Stage patrons a chance to see where the play really begins, as words on the page and ideas in the imagination of the playwright. Taking our cue from the book club model, we'll be hosting a seris of pre-show discussions with Alliance Playwright in Residence Pearl Cleage and Alliance Community Engagement Associate,DayRon Miles. Participants will receive an electronic copy of the script one month in advance before coming together to explore the playwright's ideas and their own. Looking at the play from the inside out adds an exciting dimension to the experience of actually seeing the show come alive. The Page to Stage opportunity for CHOIR BOY is October 1, 2013, 6:30pm. Page to Stage is free with a ticket to the October 1, 7:30pm performance of CHOIR BOY.

Gospel in the Galleria

Raise your voices while raising your choir's profile. ALLIANCE THEATRE is inviting choirs to perform in the Woodruff Galleria lobby before performances ofCHOIR BOY and HARMONY - A NEW MUSICAL. Performing choirs and congregations receive discounted tickets. Call 404.733.4690 for details.

DEALS: Student Tickets - College students may purchase $10 tickets for all shows on the day of the performance by showing their student ID at the Woodruff Arts Center Box Office. Subject to availability.

Founded in 1968, the ALLIANCE THEATRE remains closely tied to the cultural identity of Atlanta, growing as the city has grown. The theatre has gained national recognition and prominence as we have become a leading international city. In 1977, the Alliance merged with the Atlanta Children's Theatre (founded in 1929) in order to include Atlanta's youngest audiences in fully produced theatrical experiences. In 1979, the Alliance created the Theatre School (now the Acting Program and Education Department) in order to strengthen the relationship with our community. In 2007, under the leadership of Susan Booth, Artistic Director, the Alliance received the Regional Theatre Tony Award, in recognition for sustained excellence in programming, education and community engagement.

Realizing that our audience and the national field supports plays developed in Atlanta, the Alliance has created a large body of new work. The Alliance produces world premiere American musicals with a strong track record of Broadway, touring and subsequent regional productions. The theatre creates and nurtures the plays and careers of early career playwrights through the Alliance/Kendeda National Graduate Playwright Competition, providing a premiere for the winner as part of our regular season and national networking opportunities for four finalists. Locally based artists create work on a nationally watched stage, launching and sustaining Atlanta's artistic community. Finally we create and produce original plays for young audiences at every age level: from the Collision Project which creates opportunities for high school artists to collide with classic texts to the ground breaking Theatre for the Very Young, creating interactive work for infants and toddlers.

The Alliance takes great pride in our multi generational educational programming. Believing that the same excellence found on our stage must be found in our education programs, the Alliance created the ALLIANCE THEATRE Institute for Educators and Teaching Artists. A collaborative partnership between the Alliance and partner schools, institute programs equip teachers with theatrical techniques that link directly to school curriculum, align with the Georgia Performance Standards, and increase student learning. These innovative programs include GA Wolf Trap, a nationally recognized professional learning program that focuses on literacy skills for children in pre-K - 2nd grades, Dramaturgy K-12, a unique program that empowers student scholars to create research material that both informs Alliance productions and prepares their peer audiences; and Collision Plus, which takes the creativity and collaboration of the Collision Project into our high school classrooms. The Alliance also offers community education, including classes for all ages and abilities of theatre interest; and adult student productions of unproduced plays in development (working with local writers and playwrights from the National Graduate Playwriting Competition). Twice recognized by the Federal Department of Education as leaders in the field of arts education, these programs reflect the Alliance's commitment to city wide arts access.

The ALLIANCE THEATRE strives to set the highest artistic standards and create the powerful experience of shared theatre for a diverse audience. Above all else, we value excellence, pursued with integrity and creativity, and achieved through collaboration.

The ALLIANCE THEATRE is a division of The Woodruff Arts Center in Atlanta, Georgia, which also houses the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, High Museum of Art and Young Audiences. For more information, call 404.733.4650 or visit www.alliancetheatre.org.



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