New Brooklyn Theater's 'BESSIE SMITH' Extends Through 3/9 at Interfaith Medical

Back by popular demand, New Brooklyn Theater has announced the resumption of its site-specific production of Edward Albee's The Death of Bessie Smith at Interfaith Medical Center in Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn.

Since the show opened on January 9, it's been the hottest ticket in town with 19 of 20 performances sold out. Now, after a brief rest and with the support of Interfaith's I M Foundation, the company is set to resume performances this Friday, February 28 for another two weeks.

New Brooklyn Theater launched the show in order to highlight the threat of imminent closure that the hospital faced and to provoke a citywide conversation about health, race, and class. The press coverage has been phenomenal. The Wall Street Journal called the show "perhaps the city's most dramatic blend of theater and health policy in nearly 30 years". The Huffington Post says the play's "story of ill will, poor communication and failed provision of medical care, extends far beyond New York City".

Interfaith is still in imminent danger of closing. While the federal government's release of an $8 billion Medicaid waiver will fund systemic reforms in New York State, it's far from certain whether these funds will be used to keep Interfaith open as a hospital. Consequently, New Brooklyn Theater felt the need to keep the show going.

A new block of tickets are free to the public and available by visiting www.newbrooklyntheater.com or https://www.artful.ly/store/events/2261.

Set in a 1937 Memphis whites-only hospital and its surrounding area, The Death of Bessie Smith uses the legend surrounding the death of the famous blues singer to mine the circumstances and attitudes that allow injustice to occur.

The Death of Bessie Smith was written in 1959 and premiered in West Berlin in 1960. It made its American premiere at the York Playhouse the following year. This is the first New York production of the play in 46 years.

Interfaith Medical Center, located in Bed-Stuy, is one of several hospitals throughout Brooklyn in danger of imminent closure. Despite the efforts of the Bed-Stuy community and its allies in labor and government rallying to its defense, Interfaith may have to shut its doors if mediation is unsuccessful. The public is invited to consider whether that is how public health decisions affecting hundreds of thousands should be made.

All performances will be followed by discussions with leaders in the arts, government, labor, and health. Previous post-show conversations have included legendary artist and activist Harry Belafonte, U.S. Representative Hakeem Jeffries, State Senator Velmanette Montgomery, Assemblymembers Annette Robinson and Walter Mosley; City Councilmembers Robert Cornegy, Laurie Cumbo, and Steve Levin; NYSNA executive director Jill Furillo, activist Sharonnie Perry of the Interfaith Community Advisory Board, Diane Porter of the Interfaith Board of Trustees, and Reverend Shaun J. Lee of Mount Lebanon Baptist Church.

The cast includes original members Jessica Afton* (Nurse), Brian D. Coats* (Bernie), Jamyl Dobson* (Orderly), Edwin Lee Gibson* (Jack), Keilly McQuail(Second Nurse), James Patrick Nelson* (Intern), and Paul Wilcox* (Father).

*These Actors are appearing courtesy of Actors' Equity Association.