Towne Street Theatre Announces Special Events During the Limited Engagement Run of PassingSOLO

Towne Street Theatre, L.A.'s premiere African-American Theatre Company, is proud to announce that there will be a number of special events during the limited engagement run of "PassingSOLO." The production, which runs for three weeks only from October 8 - 23 at the Stella Adler Theatre, will offer theatre-goers receptions, special presentations, and talkbacks.

Nancy Cheryll Davis' acclaimed one-woman show is adapted from Nella Larsen's 1927 novella and the Towne Street Theatre play "Passing." "PassingSOLO" will be in L.A. for a limited engagement before she takes it to Germany this fall, where it will be presented at the University of Duisburg in Essen, Germany.

It's the height of the 1920s Harlem Renaissance and like a moth to a flame, Irene Westover Redfield is drawn to childhood friend Clare Kendry Bellew, who's suddenly reappeared in her life. Both share a secret. Their birth certificates read "Negro" but both can - and do - pass as white. In fact, Clare's been married to a wealthy, white racist for twenty years. Now she's sought out Irene as she flirts with her roots. A memory play, "PassingSOLO" explores the conflicting demands of race and friendship; the slippery line between trust and deception - always with the danger of discovery. Nancy Cheryll Davis portrays both Irene and Clare, as their renewed friendship exposes the price we pay in a society where freedom is bought with deceit. Check out this video on Youtube to learn more about PassingSOLO.

PassingSOLO Special Events

On Opening Night (Oct. 8th), audiences are invited to dress up in your most fabulous 1920s-inspired attire. After the production, the 20s' fun continues with a Champagne & Dessert Reception in Stella Adler's Speakeasy.

Oct. 6th & 7th are Pay-What-You-Can-Previews. See PassingSOLO before it officially opens to the public and pay whatever amount you can.

Closing Night celebrates the show's run with special salute to the Towne Street Theatre Advisory Board for 10 years of service, followed by a Wine & Cheese Reception in the Speakeasy.

Each Sunday, the show is followed by a presentation or talkback with a special guest moderator.

• Oct. 9th: A special Visual Presentation on the works and life of Harlem Renaissance Photographer James Van Der Zee, by Rosalind Goddard, Associate Professor of Library and Information Science in the Martin Luther King, Jr. Library at Los Angeles City College, and a TST Advisory Board Member.
• Oct. 16th: Talkback - Moderator T.B.A.
• Oct. 23rd: Talkback with Dr. Stephanie Batiste, Associate Professor in the Departments of English & Black Studies, and Director, Hemispheric South/s Research Initiative at the University of California at Santa Barbara.

"Talkbacks and receptions are our opportunity to engage in dialogue about issues that affect our community, both past and present. Staying true to the TST mission of affecting social change, we always look forward to hearing the responses and experiences of our audience members on how our work impacts them," says Davis.

More About PassingSOLO

The production is an adaption of the novel "Passing" by acclaimed novelist of the Harlem Renaissance, Nella Larsen. Nella Larsen (1891-1964), most famous for her two books, "Passing" and "Quicksand," was the first African American woman to win a prestigious Guggenheim Fellowship. Though her writing career was short lived, Larsen is credited as a major novelist of the coalescence of African-American aesthetic expression, during the 1920s Harlem Renaissance. As part of the Harlem elite, Larsen socialized with some of the most famous people of that era including W.E.B. Dubois, Walter White, Jessie and Arthur Fauset, and James Weldon Johnson. She disappeared from the public eye after a plagiarism accusation and a high-profile divorce. She spent the last 30 years of her life in obscurity as a nurse in New York City. It is speculated that she passed as white in the same manner as the heroine of her novel "Passing."

"PassingSOLO" is a special show. It not only brings to the stage a classic text in the African American literary canon, but it also exemplifies the very best in solo performance," says Dr. E. Patrick Johnson, Chair of Graduate Studies, African American Studies and Performance Studies at Northwestern University.

Nancy Cheryll Davis is a critically acclaimed actress, director, producer and co-founder of Towne Street Theatre. She is the winner of the NAACP Best Actress award for her portrayal of Clare Kendry Bellew in the 1997 Towne Street Theatre production of "Passing" and a Best Actress Nominee for her portrayal of Sophie in Pearl Cleage's award-winning play Flyin' West at the St. Louis Black Repertory Company. In addition to a number of theatre productions, she has also been featured in iconic films such as Robert Townsend's Hollywood Shuffle, Keenan Ivory Wayans' I'm Gonna Git You Sucka, The Hughes Brothers' Menace to Society, and The Court Martial of Jackie Robinson, which starred a young Andre Braugher. As Founding Artistic/Producing Director of Towne Street Theatre, she has executive-produced all shows in its 23-year history. As a result, Towne Street Theatre has become a home for many local artists of color and has a loyal audience following. It has received numerous NAACP Theatre Awards and nominations, Valley Theatre League nominations, a DramaLogue nomination, along with honors of recognition from the City of Los Angeles, Women in Theatre and The League of Allied Arts. Nancy's sample directing credits include Langston & Nicolas, Millennium in Black, Passing (all 3 - conception as well), Joleta, Five on the Blackhand Side, Madwoman of Chaillot, Story in Harlem Slang and two short films - Family and Summer Dreams. Her adaptation of PassingSOLO is published in the anthology black/woman/solo from Northwestern University Press.

"I felt a connection to these women and their desire to break free of societal norms and the restraints placed on them," says Nancy Cheryll Davis. "I identified with their situation and the need to be accepted for who you are and not what you look like."

PassingSOLO is directed by Nancy Renee. Production Design is by Nathaniel Bellamy. Video Projection Design is by Ken Cosby. It is produced by Nancy Cheryll Davis, Nathaniel Bellamy, Nancy Renee, Ken Cosby, Jackie Marriott and Mark V. Jones.

Towne Street Theatre, L.A.'s Premiere African American Theatre Company, was founded in 1993 in the aftermath of the 1992 Los Angeles riots. Its mission is to create positive social impact by producing and developing original works reflective of the African American experience. Towne Street continues to be an oasis for creativity and imagination; a theatre that helps to bridge the cultural divide by bringing artists and audiences of all colors and ethnicities together. Originally located in a downtown loft, the Towne Street Theatre has been in residence at the Stella Adler Theatre/LA in Hollywood since 2004. The 9th Annual TST Ten Minute Play Festival begins in April of 2017.

Tickets for "PassingSOLO" preview nights (Oct. 6th & 7th) are Pay-What-You-Can. For the entire run of the production, tickets are $20 General Admission, $15 for Seniors (62 & over) and Groups of 6+, and $12 for Students.

Tickets on sale Now! Get them at http://tstpassingsolo.eventbrite.com/

The Stella Adler Theatre is located at 6773 Hollywood Blvd. in Hollywood, CA 90028

For more information visit our website at townestreetla.org or on Facebook at facebook.com/TowneStreet.

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