Memphis High School to Present the Regional World Premiere of PROSPECT HIGH: BROOKLYN

Roundabout Theatre Company (Todd Haimes, Artistic Director) and Education at Roundabout (Jennifer DiBella, Director of Education) have announced that Ridgeway High School in Memphis, TN will present the regional premiere of PROSPECT HIGH: BROOKLYN. Written by Daniel Robert Sullivan and a team of New York City teenagers, Prospect High: Brooklyn was developed in partnership with Education at Roundabout and the Fox Foundation Resident Actor Fellowships. The play will have its world premiere in 22 high school productions across the country, September 2015 - May 2016. Ridgeway will present the play in their auditorium at 2009 Ridgeway Rd. on November 13th at 7:00 PM, November 14th 7:00 PM, and November 15th at 3:00 PM. Tickets are $5.00 and available at the door. Call 901-416-8820 for more information.

The Ridgeway High School production will be helmed by teacher and director, Julie Watson.

Says Watson, "Ridgeway High School's theatre department is truly honored to be a part of the nationwide rolling premiere of Prospect High: Brooklyn. Although my students are southern and live in a different part of the country than the characters in the play, we have remarked over and over again in rehearsal on the similarities between the characters' situations and their own situations as high school students in Memphis. I guess the experience of being a teenager is relatively universal. My students are particularly excited to perform a play that was conceived by a group of young people who are their own age; I think that they are even more motivated to play their roles well. As a director and teacher, it has been particularly exciting to know that we are debuting new work, and I very much appreciate the opportunity for my students and for me."

Conceived by Daniel Robert Sullivan (Tommy DeVito in Jersey Boys, Author of Places Please!) and co-written by a team of New York City teenagers, the play focuses on four intelligent, highly charged students and one seriously apathetic teacher. Prospect High: Brooklyn was created with the intent of offering a new collection of serious, true-to-life material for teenage actors. The play addresses themes of apathy, revenge, deep friendship, trans acceptance, casual racism, self-harm, and the power of both good and bad advice from teachers, all against the backdrop of an enormous Brooklyn high school. Prospect High: Brooklyn can be performed by 5 - 18 actors.

"The National New Play Network introduced the concept of a rolling world premiere in 1998, and I've always thought it would be great to offer that kind of arrangement to high schools. There is so much energy and power in teenage theatre-makers, but that positive force is often felt only locally. By introducing this fierce new play to the nation's high schools in a coordinated way, Roundabout is not only promoting the play with positive publicity, but the schools themselves. After much research, we chose 22 of the boldest high school theatre departments from across the country and can use this first-ever high school rolling world premier to recognize them and expose their power at a national level," notes creator Daniel Robert Sullivan.

Prospect High: Brooklyn was recently awarded semi-finalist status for the 2015 National Playwrights Conference at the Eugene O'Neill Center and has been published by Smith & Kraus.

Sullivan adds, "I wanted to create an issue-driven, age-appropriate, ethnically-diverse, flexible-cast play that represents the extremes inherent in an urban high school environment. Through nine months of collaboration, these teenagers have introduced me to the issues and debates most important to them. We've structured these conversations into the play."

The following productions are currently scheduled for the 2015-16 academic year:

• Indianapolis: Broad Ripple Magnet High School for the Arts and Humanities (September 2015)
• Memphis: Ridgeway High School (November 2015)
• Providence: Trinity Academy for the Performing Arts (November 2015)
• Syracuse: Corcoran High School (November 2015)
• Philadelphia: Academy at Palumbo (December 2015)
• Boston: Boston Arts Academy (December 2015)
• Bridgeport: Central High School (December 2015)
• Harrisburg: Capital Area School for the Arts (December 2015)
• Milwaukee: Milwaukee High School of the Arts (December 2015)
• Ann Arbor: Pioneer High School (January 2016)
• Louisville: Youth Performing Arts High School (January 2016)
• Minneapolis: Southwest High School (January 2016)
• Oklahoma City: Harding Fine Arts Academy (January 2016)
• San Jose: Lincoln High School (January 2016)
• Chicago: Niles West High School (February 2016)
• Tallahassee: Leon High School (February 2016)
• Dallas: Grand Prairie Fine Arts Academy (February 2016)
• Philadelphia: Philadelphia School for Creative and Performing Arts (February 2016)
• Long Island: Nassau BOCES Long Island High School for the Arts (March 2016)
• Austin: McCallum Fine Arts Academy (April 2016)
• San Diego: San Diego School of Creative and Performing Arts (May 2016)

In New York City, the Repertory Company High School for Theatre Arts will perform the play in Roundabout's own Black Box Theatre in early Spring 2016.

Co-writers of the play include Daniel Robert Sullivan, Paul Stoll, Aaliyah Stewart, Isaiah Latimer, Chanique Peart, Deshaye Tingling, Amanda Rodriguez, Jaylin Acosta, Brandy Brown, Azaria Guthrie, Rebecca Powell, Rachel Friedman, and Shannon Deep.

Prospect High: Brooklyn received a workshop presentation at Roundabout Theatre Company in April 2014 under the direction of Shelley Butler. It is currently being further developed at the Nevada Conservatory Theatre, in association with the University of Nevada-Las Vegas, under the direction of Christopher V. Edwards.

The script is now available on Amazon and directly from Smith & Kraus. To learn more about the development of Prospect High: Brooklyn, please visit TCG Circle at the link here.