New Play by Daniel Robert Sullivan and NYC Teens Debuts at Edinburgh

Roundabout Theatre Company (Todd Haimes, Artistic Director) and Education at Roundabout (Jennifer DiBella, Director of Education) are pleased to announce that Skyline High School in Oakland, CA will present the Edinburgh Fringe Festival premiere of PROSPECT HIGH: BROOKLYN as part of the American High School Theatre Festival, which runs in conjunction with the Fringe. 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 was the first in history to experience a high school theatre Rolling World Premiere in 2016, receiving more than 30 coordinated productions throughout the United States. Skyline High School will present the play on August 5th, 7th, 8th, and 9th at thespace@Venue45 in Edinburgh, Scotland. Tickets are £5.00 and may be purchased here: https://tickets.edfringe.com/whats-on/prospect-high-brooklyn.

The Skyline High School production will be helmed by teacher and director, Awele (ah WAY lay).

Says Awele, "Prospect High: Brooklyn has not only been a play to produce, it has been a gift of an opportunity for self-examination, civic and artistic engagement with our community, and a call to action. Inspired by the Golden State Warriors' Not On Our Ground and Peaceful Warriors campaigns, I began looking for plays that addressed bullying and revenge, confronting hate, speaking up, and building safe and inclusive communities for all. Last summer I attended the American Alliance for Theatre Education (AATE) conference and heard a reading of Prospect High: Brooklyn and the play spoke to my heart. Oakland Unified School District is focused on bringing sanctuary to the classroom to empower students to be allies for each other and I want to use theatre as a vehicle to dialogue about important issues in our community, for to dialogue makes us more human and helps to shape a community vision about where we need to take action: theatre-for-social justice.

The play has allowed us to explore what's going on in the lives of teens at schools and we've had deep discussions amongst ourselves and with middle - high schoolers across the San Francisco Bay from San Jose to Richmond, about the themes in the play and the types of conflict they've experienced and witnessed as well as our need to examine and address the root causes and systems that perpetuate negative conditions of climate and culture in schools and the need to deepen community and relationship building. We've learned locally, and now look forward to the international impact our performances and dialogues can bring. This opportunity of a lifetime is made possible by rigorous fundraising and the support of our community. To quote my students: 'This is mind blowing.' 'I'm over the moon!' 'We reached what seemed an impossible goal.' 'We're really doing it!' 'Think locally and at globally.' My goal as a drama teacher and director is to nurture the creative genes of young artists to grow!"

Conceived by Daniel Robert Sullivan (Tommy in Jersey Boys, Barney in Motown, 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. Visit ProspectHighBrooklyn.com for reviews, images, or to request a perusal copy.

"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 was able to promote both the play and the schools with positive publicity. More than 30 productions in the first year allowed us to expose the power of high school theatre at a national level," notes creator Daniel Robert Sullivan.

Prospect High: Brooklyn was 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."

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 and was originally developed with dramaturg Shannon Deep. It was further developed at the Nevada Conservatory Theatre, in association with the University of Nevada-Las Vegas, under the direction of Christopher V. Edwards.

To learn more about the development of Prospect High: Brooklyn, please visit TCG Circle at the link here.

Student actors performing in the Edinburgh premiere include Avelina Rivezzo-Weber, Atlantis Clay, Nadia Brooks, Kyla Henderson, Demetri Freeman-Tubby, and Richard Nguyen.

Daniel Robert Sullivan and Roundabout Theatre Company are participants in the Fox Foundation Resident Actor Fellowships, funded by the William & Eva Fox Foundation and administered by Theatre Communications Group.

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