Public Theater's The Good Negro Extends to April 19

Due to strong demand, The Public Theater (Artistic Director Oskar Eustis; Executive Director Andrew D. Hamingson) announced today that it would extend Tracey Scott Wilson's THE GOOD NEGRO an additional two weeks through Sunday, April 19. THE GOOD NEGRO begins previews on Tuesday, March 3 and will now run through Sunday, April 19 with an official press opening on Monday, March 16. Directed by Liesl Tommy and in association with Dallas Theater Center, THE GOOD NEGRO is the first new play to transfer from the Public LAB initiative to a full main stage production at The Public.

The cast for THE GOOD NEGRO will feature Joniece Abbott-Pratt (Tyler Perry's Why Did I Get Married?), Francois Battiste (Prelude to a Kiss on Broadway), J. Bernard Calloway ("Rescue Me"), Quincy Dunn-Baker (Romeo and Juliet at Shakespeare in the Park), Erik Jensen (Spain at MCC), LeRoy McClain (Cymbeline at Lincoln Center), Curtis McClarin (King Hedley II at Signature), Rachel Nicks (Life Support) and BrIan Wallace (A Christmas Carol at Trinity Rep).

"There is a tremendous appetite for the story The Good Negro tells, of courage and human frailty in the Civil Rights Movement," said Public Theater Artistic Director Oskar Eustis. "How wonderful to announce this extension before the show even begins previews on Abraham Lincoln's 200th Birthday!"

THE GOOD NEGRO is a gripping new play that rips through the pages of history to uncover the human story at the heart of the 1960s American Civil Rights Movement. In the increasingly hostile South, tensions build as a trio of emerging black leaders attempts to conquer their individual demons amidst death threats from the Klan and wire taps by the FBI. Through personal and intimate stories inspired by the political upheavals of the era, THE GOOD NEGRO examines the human frailties behind the historic headlines.

THE GOOD NEGRO will feature scenic and costume design by Clint Ramos; lighting design by Lap Chi Chu; and sound design by Daniel Baker.

TRACEY Scott Wilson (Playwright). Her current work includes The Story, produced at The Public Theater. Additional productions include Order My Steps for Cornerstone Theater's Black Faith/AIDS project in Los Angeles; and Exhibit #9, which was produced in New York City by New Perspectives Theatre and Theatre Outrageous; Leader of the People, produced at New Georges Theatre; two ten-minute plays produced at the Guthrie Theatre in Minneapolis; a ten minute play produced at Actors Theatre of Louisville. Tracey has had readings at the New York Theatre Workshop, New Georges Theatre, The Public Theatre and Soho Theatre Writers Centre in London. She earned two Van Lier Fellowships from the New York Theatre Workshop, a residency at Sundance Ucross and Sundance Theatre Laboratory is the winner of the 2001 Helen Merrill Emerging Playwright Award, the 2003 AT&T Onstage Award, the 2004 Whiting Award, the 2004 Kesserling Prize, the 2007 Weissberger Playwriting Award as well as the 2007 Time Warner Storytelling Fellowship. Ms. Wilson holds a Master's degree in English Literature from Temple University.

Liesl Tommy (Director). Her directing credits include Angela's Mixtape by Eisa Davis; Flight by Charlayne Woodard; Small Tragedy by Craig Lucas; Camino Real; The Good Negro; Uncle Vanya; Split Ends; Our Lady of 121st Street; Bus and Family Ties by Cristian Panaite; Hydriotaphia by Tony Kushner; Misterioso 119 by Koffi Kwahule; Adventures of Barrio Grrrl by Quiara Hudes; and A Stone's Throw by Lynn Nottage. Awards: NEA/TCG Directors Grant, NYTW Casting/Directing Fellowship. A member of Soho Rep and Lincoln Center Director's Labs, Ms. Tommy teaches directing at Brown University and acting at NYU.

The Public Theater (Artistic Director Oskar Eustis; Executive Director Andrew D. Hamingson) was founded by Joseph Papp in 1954 as the Shakespeare Workshop and is now one of the nation's preeminent cultural institutions, producing new plays, musicals, productions of Shakespeare, and other classics at its headquarters on Lafayette Street and at the Delacorte Theater in Central Park. The Public's mandate to create a theater for all New Yorkers continues to this day on stage and through its extensive outreach and education programs. Each year, over 250,000 people attend Public Theater-related productions and events at six downtown stages, including Joe's Pub, and Shakespeare in the Park. The Public has won 41 Tony Awards, 145 Obies, 39 Drama Desk Awards, 24 Lucille Lortel Awards and 4 Pulitzer Prizes.

Photo: Matthew Rauch and Francois Battiste