New Play with Poems by High School Students Runs in March

History of the Word will be directed by award-winning actor/director Joe Morton (TV's "Eureka," Broadway's ART, Raisin and Hair).  The show will be presentd from February 27 through March 3 at Washington Irving High School (40 Irving Place at E. 17th Street) and from March 7 through 10 at LaGuardia Performing Arts Center at LaGuardia Community College (31-10 Thompson Avenue, Long Island City). 

"Inspired by poetry commissioned from six of the country's most talented spoken word poets and hip-hop artists, History of the Word follows four students over a single day in an urban high school as they struggle with identity, and through writing and expressing themselves, move toward empowerment and acceptance.  The play explores questions of body-image, cultural identity, violence, the war in Iraq, single-parent families, teenage pregnancy, racial tension, and the power of the word," as the show is described in press notes.

Snyder's play also draws on the words of historical figures such as Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Mahatma Ghandi, Walt Whitman, Sojourner Truth, Muhammad Ali, William Shakespeare, and spoken word poetry by current NYC high school students.

History of the Word will be presented in conjunction with an extensive educational curriculum featuring in-school poetry workshops at Washington Irving High School and at high schools in Queens.  In those schools, students will create their own spoken word poetry, some of which will be incorporated into the script during performances of the play at their schools.   

The cast of History of the Word features Utkarsh Ambudkar, Lauren Birriel, David Deblinger, Britton Jones, and Cedric Sanders. 

The costumes for History of the Word are designed by Ali Turns and donated by Def Jam Records founder Russell Simmons, from his Phat Farm Collection. 

History of the Word is co-conceived by Orin Wolf and Rajendra Ramoon Maharaj.  The play is written by Ben Snyder, with original poetry by Felice Belle, and additional contributed poetry by well-known spoken word artists Akil Dasan, Marisa Vural, Kayo Charles, and Yolanda Kae Wilkinson.   

Snyder's work has been produced by New York Stage and Film, LAByrinth Theater Company, PS 122, and has been seen at the NYC Hip Hop Theater Festival, the Bronx Museum Teen Outreach, PSNBC/HERE, the Henry Street Settlement, and HBO's U.S. Comedy Arts Festival.  Ben is an Actor/Teacher with NYU's Creative Arts Team, and a graduate of NYU's Tisch School of the Arts.    

The design team includes Neil Patel (sets), Ali Turns (costumes) and Josh Bradford (lights), and Brett Jarvis (sound).  Maya Workman is the choreographer, and Rhonda Picou is the Production Stage Manager.  History of the Word features original poetry by Felice Belle.  Casting is by Dave Clemmons Casting, CSA.     

Visit www.vineyardtheatre.org for tickets and more information.