American Blues Theater Announces Cast For FLYIN' WEST

American Blues Theater announces the cast for its 2018-2019 season opener, Flyin' West, written by Pearl Cleage and directed by Artistic Affiliate Chuck Smith. Flyin' West features Sydney Charles (Fannie Dove), Wardell Julius Clark (Frank Charles), Tiffany Renee Johnson (Minnie Renee Johnson), Joslyn Jones (Miss Leah), Tiffany Oglesby (Sophie Washington) and Henri Watkins (Wil Parish).

The creative team includes Grant Sabin* (scenic design), Lily Grace Walls (costume design), Jared Gooding* (lighting design), Ricks Sims* (sound design), Kevin Rolfs (props design), and Shandee Vaughan* (Production Manager).

*American Blues Theater Artistic Affiliates.

Flyin' West runs October 5 - November 3, 2018 at Stage 773, 1225 W. Belmont Ave. in Chicago. The press opening is Thursday, October 11, 2018 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are on sale and can be purchased at www.AmericanBluesTheater.com and box office, 773.654.3103.

Following the end of the Civil War, many former slaves took advantage of The Homestead Act and went West to build new lives for themselves and their families. Many of these homesteaders were black women who overcame tremendous odds to work their own land and make a place for themselves in an often harsh and forbidding environment. Set in 1898, Flyin' West is the story of some of these African-American female pioneers who settled, together, in the all-black town of Nicodemus, Kansas.

Winner of the American Theatre Wing's prestigious 2016 National Theatre Company Award, American Blues Theater is a premier arts organization with an intimate environment that patrons, artists, and all Chicagoans call home. American Blues Theater explores the American identity through the plays it produces and communities it serves.

The diverse and multi-generational artists have established the second-oldest professional Equity Ensemble theater in Chicago. The 33-member Ensemble has 600+ combined years of collaboration on stage. As of 2018, the theater and artists received 195 Joseph Jefferson Awards and nominations that celebrate excellence in Chicago theater and over 35 Black Theatre Alliance Awards. The artists are honored with Pulitzer Prize nominations, Academy Awards, Golden Globe Awards, Emmy Awards and numerous other accolades.

American Blues Theater programs and activities are made possible, in part by funding by The MacArthur Funds for Arts & Culture at Prince, the Shubert Foundation, The Chicago Community Trust, SMART Growth Grant, Gaylord & Dorothy Donnelley Foundation, the Illinois Arts Council Agency, Anixter Foundation, Actors' Equity Foundation, and the Chip Pringle Fund. ComEd is the Season Lighting Sponsor.

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