Classical Theatre of Harlem to Have Hamptons Party

Dr. Bonnie Maslin and Dr. Yehuda Nir will host a party for The Classical Theatre of Harlem at their East Hampton home on Sunday, August 17. The event, which will begin at 12:00pm and continue through 3:00pm, is designed to introduce the award-winning New York City theatre company to the Hamptons community. Guests of honor include legendary filmmaker Melvin Van Peebles, TONY Award nominee André DeShields, and OBIE Award winner Ty Jones. These three artists are among the many theatrical talents that regularly work with The Classical Theatre of Harlem.

The Classical Theatre of Harlem is dedicated to producing theatre that truly reflects the diversity of ideas and racial tapestry of New York City. Their long list of awards includes 13 AUDELCO Awards, 5 OBIE Awards, 2 Lucille Lortel Awards, a Drama Desk Award and the Edwin Booth Award for Artistic Excellence.

Since being founded in 1999 by Alfred Preisser and Christopher McElroen, the Classical Theatre of Harlem has staged thirty-six productions that have included numerous works by Shakespeare, August Wilson's Ma Rainey's Black Bottom, Euripides' Medea and Trojan Women, a new stage adaptation of Richard Wright's Native Son, Douglas Turner Ward's Day of Absence, an extremely successful revival of Melvin Van Peebles' Ain't Supposed To Die A Natural Death, Jean Genet's The Blacks: A Clown Show (4 OBIE Awards), Anton Chekhov's The Cherry Orchard (featuring Earle Hyman), Adrienne Kennedy's Funnyhouse of a Negro (directed by Billie Allen), King Lear featuring stage and screen veterans André DeShields and Ted Lange (Love Boat), and Peter Weiss' Marat Sade. Recent work includes Langston Hughes' Black Nativity, presented by at the New 42nd Street, and free performances of a site-specific production of Samuel Beckett's Waiting for Godot (with Wendell Pierce – HBO's The Wire) staged outdoors in the devastated Lower Ninth Ward and Gentilly neighborhoods of New Orleans.

The upcoming 10th Anniversary Season kicks off with a free outdoor version of their acclaimed production of Ain't Supposed To Die A Natural Death.  The season continues with Anton Chekhov's tragicomic Three Sisters, followed by Supreme Jealous Divine, an adaptation with music of Molière's classic Tartuffe set in The Harlem Renaissance, and concludes with the first New York City revival of Paul Carter Harrison's 1974 play The Great MacDaddy.  In addition, the company will present several readings of new plays as part of their Future Classics Series at the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture and a workshop of Melvin Van Peebles' Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song at the Apollo Theater. Additional anniversary special events, celebrity readings and concert performances are currently being scheduled, so be sure to check the website.

André DeShields received Tony Award nominations for his work in Play On! and The Full Monty. His other Broadway credits include The Wiz, Ain't Misbehavin', Stardust, and Prymate. He most recently appeared in New York in the Classical Theater of Harlem's Black Nativity, for which he received Drama Desk and Lucille Lortel Award nominations.

Melvin Van Peebles' numerous credits include directing the 1970 comedy "Watermelon Man", writing, directing and starring in the independent feature, "Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song", which is credited with creating the "blaxploitation" film genre, and writing the book, music and lyrics for musical Ain't Supposed To Die A Natural Death, currently being revived by CTH. The original Broadway production of Ain't was nominated for numerous awards, and the recent revival has been touring the country.

Ty Jones received a 2003 OBIE Award for his work in the off-Broadway production of Jean Genet's The Blacks: A Clown Show. His numerous television and movie roles include Brian De Palma's 2007 film "Redacted." He recently starred in the world premiere of his first play, Emancipation, in an acclaimed production by Classical theatre of Harlem.

Dr. Bonnie Maslin is a psychologist and best-selling author of such books as Picking Your Battles: Winning Strategies for Raising Well-Behaved Kids and The Angry Marriage. Her husband, Dr. Yehuda Nir is a psychiatrist and author; his books include The Lost Childhood. The couple has written books together, including Not Quite Paradise: Making Marriage Work. The longtime Hamptons residents were profiled in the New York Times for their extensive collection of "postwar American kitsch."

For more information visit www.ClassicalTheatreofHarlem.org