Alliance Theatre to Premiere New Kids Show TELL ME MY DREAM

Playwright Pearl Cleage (What I Learned in Paris, Blues for an Alabama Sky) and Alliance Theatre Artistic Director of Theatre for Youth and Families Rosemary Newcott, are pleased to announce a new play for middle school audiences - Tell Me My Dream. When two modern day teenagers find themselves in 1910 Atlanta, history is made present and their lives are forever changed.

"When my grandson, Michael, turned eleven he let me know he had had enough of Charlotte's Web so I promised to write him a play more suited to his middle school sensibilities," said Playwright Pearl Cleage. "The story of the 1910 Atlanta Colored Music Festival gave me the perfect opportunity to wrap his play around an important, but overlooked piece of Atlanta history. By adding a couple of time traveling middle schoolers from modern day Atlanta to the story, I was able to challenge young audiences to take an active role in shaping their own futures."

"One of the great advantages to directing at a theatre that also has a strong education department is there is constant access to students," said Director Rosemary Newcott. "These students are invited to directly interact with drafts of new plays specifically written for them. This year, I have been inspired by student response to Pearl Cleage's new piece, Tell Me My Dream. The subject matter truly challenges them to both think and feel about what came before and about what is happening now. It is important for all of us to realize that this age group has a valid voice, and although not yet in high school, we can learn something from the observations of those that are seeing our world with fresh new eyes."

Tell Me My Dream features a talented local cast including - Isake Akanke (The Shakespeare Project) as Mary Solomon, Jeremiah Parker Hobbs (Knuffle Bunny) as Jeremy Glass, Stephen Ruffin (Macbeth) as Wallace Anderson, Avery Sharpe (Marcus; Or the Secret of Sweet) as Henry Butler, Daviorr Snipes (The Color of Justice) as Reverend James Solomon, and Vallea E. Woodbury (Mama Bear) as Anna Butler.

The Alliance is also thrilled to be a part of the City of Atlanta's Office of Cultural Affairs Cultural Experience Project. The Cultural Experience Project was launched to afford every Atlanta Public School (APS) student from pre-kindergarten through 12th grade the opportunity to experience the city's premier art and cultural venues. The City of Atlanta's vision is for every student in APS to have minimally one onsite cultural experience at a cultural venue each year that directly ties to Common Core Georgia Performance Standards and curriculum goals. Teacher and student educational materials further the students' understanding of arts and culture and compliment the age and grade level-appropriate experiences. Through the CEP, all sixth graders in APS, nearly 3,000, will have the opportunity to see Tell Me My Dream - making it one of the only cultural experiences offered by the program that is developed specifically for students in their age category.

Performances are available for school groups and home-school groups Tuesday-Friday, October 28-November 6, at 9:45 a.m. and 11:45 a.m. Most appropriate for grades 4-8, and connecting to Curriculum Standards: CCRA.R.3; CCRA.L.5; CCRA.SL.2; SS8H 6, 7, 11; TAES.1; TAES.6; TAES.11. Audio-described performance on November 4 at 11:45 a.m. for the visually impaired. Shadow-interpreted performance on November 5 at 11:45 a.m. for the hearing impaired. Tickets for school groups are deeply discounted. To book your field trip performance, call 404.733.4661 or email allianceschoolday@woodruffcenter.org. Learn more about all field trip opportunities at http://alliancetheatre.org/content/field-trips.

Public performances are Saturdays and Sundays, October 31 - November 8, at 1:00 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. Opening night is Friday, October 30, at 7:00 p.m.

Tickets are available online at www.alliancetheatre.org/dream or by calling 404.733.5000. Discount rates for groups of 10 or more are available by calling 404.733.4690. Discount rates are also available for members of the military, seniors and students. The Alliance Theatre is located at The Woodruff Arts Center, 1280 Peachtree Street, NE, Atlanta, GA 30309, at the corner of Peachtree and 15th Street, in Midtown Atlanta.