Harry J. Lennix To Direct MERCY By Felicia Oduh At Northlight

Northlight Theatre, under the direction of Artistic Director BJ Jones and Executive Director Timothy J. Evans, presents an Interplay reading of Mercy, written by Felicia Oduh and directed by Harry Lennix. The virtual reading of Mercy will be presented via livestream on Sunday, December 13 (time TBA)

Catch a glimpse of this new drama while still in the development process. The reading premiere of Mercy will be followed by a live Q&A with the playwright and director. A recording will be available for 96 hours following the premiere. This event is FREE with a suggested donation, but registration is required to receive a viewing link. To sign-up, or for additional details, please visit https://northlight.org/events/interplay-mercy/.

This benefit reading is a part of Northlight's Interplay New Play Development program, providing customized support for new work in the critical stages of early play development.

BJ Jones comments, "We are delighted to collaborate with Harry Lennix once again, this time on Felicia Oduh's touching play Mercy. Northlight is dedicated to developing new work and new voices and Northwestern graduate Felicia Oduh is a gifted young playwright and actress who has something to say. In the same vein as Selina Fillinger, who wrote the Jeff nominated play Faceless and who also came from Northwestern, we are excited to discover and offer opportunity to fresh voices. And Harry Lennix is a gifted actor and director whose generosity and mentorship is inspiring and selfless. We are grateful for his continued relationship with Northlight and his contribution to our work."

When Eric was leaving for college, he thought he and his friends had the world at their fingertips-until he was convicted of a crime he did not commit. Now, after 18 years away, Eric is finally home. And his mother is throwing him a party, whether he's ready to celebrate or not. In Felicia Oduh's new drama, one man struggles to reclaim the life he lost, while his family attempts to heal an age-old fracture.

Mercy features Shanesia Davis (Virginia), Dizzie Harris (Regina), Shams Eugene Monteiro (Eric), Dwain A. Perry (Julian), Kelsey Scott (Ariel). Stage directions will be read by Liana Runcie.

The artistic and production team includes Felicia Oduh (Playwright), Harry J. Lennix (Director), Sophia Danielle-Grenier (Zoom Coordinator), and Leean Kim Torske (Dramaturg).

The Interplay New Play Development Program is supported in part by The Sullivan Family Foundation.