Classical Theatre of Harlem to Present Reading of STEPCHILD; Smith Replaces DeShields

Roger Guenveur Smith has replaced Andre DeShields in the Classical Theater of Harlem's 10th Anniversary Season reading of STEPCHILD: Frederick Douglass & Abraham Lincoln.

The reading will take place on November 10, 2008 at 7pm.

The Classical Theatre of Harlem (CTH), in partnership with The Frederick Douglass Creative Arts Center and The Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, will present a reading of a new work, STEPCHILD: Frederick Douglass & Abraham Lincoln. The reading is part of their new play development series called "Future Classics."

CTH's Future Classics Program promotes emerging playwrights, in particular African-American writers, whose work is persistently underrepresented on American stages. The program supports work in early stages of development through a series of workshops with the provision of professional actors and directors.  The program culminates with a free public reading at The Schomburg Center, giving playwrights a chance to hear their work theatrically and share the experience with a responsive audience.

CTH is most interested in work that speaks to an expansive view of the classic, responds to classical subjects and themes, addresses the history of African-Americans, or focuses on the history, culture and community of Harlem.

STEPCHILD:  Frederick Douglass & Abraham Lincoln is by David W. Blight and Peter Almond.
Featuring Roger Guenveur Smith as Frederick Douglass, directed by Alfred Preisser, and produced in association with The Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission, The Smithsonian Institute and Howard University.

Stepchild is a tour de force one-person play focusing on the complex and often conflicted relationship between Frederick Douglass and Abraham Lincoln.  Lincoln, who found "greatness thrust upon him," has just been assassinated in the nation's capitol. Douglass, perhaps the most powerful symbol and agent of the Abolitionist movement in America, is nearing the end of his life. He contemplates his life's journey, his struggles with American culture and the true nature of his friendship with Lincoln.  The playwright, David W. Blight, is a Professor of American History and Director of the Gilder Lehrman Center for the Study of Slavery, Resistance & Abolition at Yale University.  He is one of the nation's foremost authorities on the US Civil War and its legacy, and author of A Slave No More: Two Men Who Escaped to Freedom, Including Their Narratives of Emancipation, (Harcourt, 2007), and Race and Reunion: The Civil War in American Memory (Harvard University Press, 2001), which received eight book awards, including the Bancroft Prize, the Abraham Lincoln Prize, and the Frederick Douglass Prize as well as four awards from the Organization of American Historians, including the Merle Curti prizes for both intellectual and social history.

Roger Guenveur Smith is an actor, writer, and director whose work has been internationally acclaimed. He created and performed the Obie Award-winning A Huey P. Newton Story and adapted it into a Peabody Award-winning telefilm, directed by his longtime colleague, Spike Lee.  Also among his historically-inspired performances are Frederick Douglass Now, Christopher Columbus 1992, and the award-winning duet Inside The Creole Mafia, a "not-too-dark comedy" in collaboration with New Orleans native Mark Broyard.  Roger's most recent work includes a new solo, The Watts Towers Project, and the Spalding Gray retrospective Leftover Stories To Tell, both cited among the best of 2006 by the Los Angeles Times; and Who Killed Bob Marley?, which inaugurated Harlem's new Gatehouse Theater.

Now in its Tenth Season, the Classical Theatre of Harlem has staged nearly forty productions, which have included numerous works by Shakespeare, Samuel Beckett's Waiting for Godot and Jean Genet's seminal political drama, The Blacks: A Clown Show. The Classical Theatre of Harlem is dedicated to producing theatre that truly reflects the diversity of ideas and racial tapestry of New York City. Their long list of awards includes 5 OBIE Awards, 2 Lucille Lortel Awards, a Drama Desk Award and the Edwin Booth Award for Artistic Excellence, among many others.  Their most recent work includes Ty Jones' Emancipation (developed in CTH's Future Classics program), and Melvin Van Peebles' Ain't Supposed to Die a Natural Death staged outdoors in New York City Parks.

All Future Classics Readings will be held at The Schomburg Center, located at 515 Malcolm X Boulevard at 135th Street (2 or 3 train to 135th Street).  Admission is free.
For information about tickets and schedules, please visit the company's web site at www.classicaltheatreofharlem.org.