NCTC Presents World Premiere of Jewelle Gomez's LEAVING THE BLUES

New Conservatory Theatre Center continues its 35th Anniversary celebration in March, proudly presenting the world premiere of Jewelle Gomez's Leaving the Blues, an NCTC commissioned play with music imagining the life of legendary Blues singer-songwriter Alberta Hunter (1895-1984). In the new play by the celebrated Gilda Stories' author, Hunter is backstage preparing for a professional comeback, knowing just how many doors to the past it may open. Spanning 60 years, Leaving the Blues imagines a journey through the public life Hunter led as an African-American musician, the private life she hid as a lesbian, and the ghosts that won't let her forget.

Leaving the Blues was commissioned and developed as part of NCTC's New Play Development Lab, and will be directed by Arturo Catricala.

Leaving the Blues runs March 3 - April 2, 2017. Opening Night is Saturday, March 11, 2017 at 8pm. Tickets are $25-50 and available at nctcsf.org or by calling (415) 861-8972.

Leaving the Blues is the second play in a trilogy Gomez is writing. The first play in the trilogy was Waiting for Giovanni, written in collaboration with Harry Waters Jr., and was a dream play exploring the inner life of author James Baldwin. It premiered at NCTC in the 2011-2012 Season, and was also developed in NCTC's New Play Development Lab.

For the world premiere of Leaving the Blues, NCTC is proud to partner with the Museum of the African Diaspora (MoAD). NCTC and MoAD presented special events for their members, including writing workshops with Gomez and a cabaret featuring a selection from the play and discussion with Gomez.

Every Thursday at 7pm in the NCTC lobby, audiences can enjoy a live-music pre-show by Mr. Tipple's Musicians, from Mr. Tipple's Recording Studio, the local jazz bar located in Hayes Valley/Civic Center.

During the run of the show, audiences can enjoy many special events including Live Music Thursdays: live-music pre-show by Mr. Tipple's Musicians at 7pm in the lobby, Onstage Insight, Post-Show Discussion after the following performance. Sunday, March 19 at 2pm- Panel discussion featuring the cast, moderated by the play's director. Low-cost Previews: Friday, March 3 - Friday, March 10. Opening Night will take place on Saturday, March 11 at 8pm. The performance will be followed by a reception catered by 16-17 Season Restaurant Sponsor, Mina's Brazilian.

Playwright Jewelle Gomez is a writer and activist who wrote the double Lambda Award-winning novel, The Gilda Stories, among many other published works. Her most recent play, Waiting for Giovanni, written in collaboration with Harry Waters Jr., was a dream play exploring the inner life of author James Baldwin. It premiered at NCTC in the 2011-2012 Season, also part of NCTC's New Play Development Lab. Her stage adaptation of The Gilda Stories, Bones & Ash: a Gilda Story was performed by Urban Bush Women in 13 U.S. cities. Her fiction, essays, criticism and poetry have appeared in numerous periodicals, including the San Francisco Chronicle, The New York Times, the Village Voice; Ms. Magazine, ESSENCE Magazine, The Advocate, Callaloo and Black Scholar.

The cast of Leaving the Blues features Desiree Rogers, Leontyne Mbele-Mbong, Michael Gene Sullivan, Jasmine Milan Williams, Anthony Rollins-Mullens, Paul Collins, Matt Weimer, and Tai Rockett.

The creative team of Leaving the Blues includes musical arrangements and direction by Scrumbly Koldwyn, scenic design by Kuo-Hao Lo, costume design by Keri Fitch, lighting design by Christian V. Mejia, and choreography by Jayne Zaban, and stage management by Kaitlin Rosen.

NCTC's New Play Development Lab was created in 2002 to commission and develop new work to expand the canon of LGBT-themed plays, give voice to new and diverse playwrights, and add to the list of over 40 World Premieres NCTC has produced since 1981. The Lab is currently developing plays by such playwrights as JC Lee, Elyzabeth Gregory Wilder, and Harrison David Rivers.

New Conservatory Theatre Center has been San Francisco's premier LGBTQIA and allied performing arts institution and progressive arts education conservatory since 1981. NCTC is renowned for its diverse range of innovative, high-quality productions, touring productions and shows for young audiences; its foundational anti-bullying work with youth and educators through YouthAware; and its commitment to developing new plays to continue expanding the canon of queer and allied dramatic work.