SEPARATE AND EQUAL, Inspired By The Oral History Project At The Birmingham Civil Rights Museum, Makes NYC Premiere At 59E59 Theaters

59E59 Theaters (Val Day, Artistic Director; Brian Beirne, Managing Director) presents the NYC premiere of SEPARATE AND EQUAL, written and directed by Seth Panitch. Produced by the University of Alabama in partnership with the Birmingham Civil Rights Museum and Birmingham Metro NAACP, SEPARATE AND EQUAL begins performances on Wednesday, September 5 for a limited engagement through Sunday, September 30. Press Opening is Sunday, September 9 at 2:15 PM. The performance schedule is Tuesday - Saturday at 7:15 PM; and Sunday at 2:15 PM. Performances are at 59E59 Theaters (59 East 59th Street, between Park and Madison Avenues). Single tickets are $25 - $35 ($24.50 for 59E59 Members). To purchase tickets, call Ticket Central at (212) 279-4200 or visit www.59e59.org.

In the pressure-cooker of 1950's Jim Crow Alabama, two groups of teens-one black, one white-play a forbidden game of basketball. SEPARATE AND EQUAL follows six young men on the very cusp of adulthood as they struggle to break free from a repetitious cycle still evident today.

Inspired by compelling personal recollections from the Oral History Project at the Birmingham Civil Rights Museum, SEPARATE AND EQUAL is a provocative theatrical experience that explores the emotional violence of segregation through basketball. The visceral experience of the game comes through a dynamic hybrid of theater, modern dance, and sport, all performed to an original jazz soundtrack.

The cast features Pamela Afesi ("Ray Donovan," "Daredevil"), Will Badgett (Faust Pt 1&2 at Classic Stage Company), Adrian Baidoo (On Striver's Row at Metropolitan Playhouse), Ted Barton (The Man in the Iron Mask at Shakespeare Santa Cruz), Ross Birdsong (NYC debut), Steven Bono Jr. (Footfalls at The Kraine), Edwin Brown III, Jeremy Cox, Dylan Davis (NYC debut), James Holloway (The Men, dir. Jack Hofsiss, at Primary Stages), and Barbra Wengerd (Torch Song, dir. Moisés Kaufman, at Second Stage).

The design team includes Matthew Reynolds (scenic, lighting, and sound design) and Tiffany M. Yeager (costume design). The choreographer is Lawrence Jackson. Music composed by Tom Wolfe. The Production Stage Manager is Amanda Harris.

Seth Panitch's (director/playwright) plays include Alcestis Ascending (Harold Clurman Theatre; Teatro Raquel Revuelta, Havana, Cuba); Hell: Paradise Found (59E59 Theaters); and Dammit Shakespeare! (Westbeth Theatre Center, Urban Stages). Seth has directed four productions of Shakespeare's works in partnership with the Cuban National Office of Scenic Arts, multiple productions Off Broadway, and at Shakespeare Festivals across the country. His feature film Service to Man, released by Freestyle Entertainment Pictures, won the Grand Jury Prize at both the American Black Film Festival and the International Black Film Festival. Seth is a proud member of the Society of Stage Directors and Choreographers and the Dramatists Guild of America.