The Resident Ensemble Players Returns Live With BLUE DOOR

After 23 months, the Resident Ensemble Players (REP), the professional theatre company in residence at the University of Delaware, has announced its return to live performances this February with Tanya Barfield's powerful play, Blue Door.

This production runs Feb 24 through March 13, at the Roselle Center for the Arts in Newark, DE. Tickets can be purchased at the box office, online at www.rep.udel.edu, or by phone at (302) 831-2204. Tickets range from $30 - $39.

Deep questions of personal and cultural identity, hidden underneath a carefully crafted façade of confidence and success, suddenly erupt in the soul of Lewis - an African American mathematics professor played by REP company member Hassan El-Amin - when his white wife announces that she is leaving him over his refusal to attend the Million Man March.

Suffering from a disorienting bout of insomnia brought on by the implosion of his marriage, Lewis inadvertently conjures the specters of his ancestors, all played by Will Cobbs who returns to the REP from Broadway's Is This a Room. Lewis is led on an emotionally charged and often humorous journey through the past and present.

Directed by acclaimed actor, director, and writer Akin Babatundé, Blue Door is a brilliant balance between tragedy and comedy and with original songs delightfully woven through the story. This production packs a powerful punch for all people as it examines important issues of identity, race, and the impact of the past on the present.

REP Producing Artistic Director Sanford (Sandy) Robbins says, "We are proud and happy to be returning to live performance with such a timely, thought-provoking, and highly entertaining play as Blue Door."

The cast includes REP company member Hassan El-Amin* (Lewis) and guest actor Will Cobbs* (Simon, Rex, Jesse). *Member of Actors' Equity Association. The creative team includes Akin Babatundé (Director); Sarita P. Fellows (Costume Designer); Stephanie Hansen (Scenic Designer); and Eileen Smitheimer (Lighting and Sound Designer).

TICKET INFORMATION AND PERFORMANCE SCHEDULE

Performances begin Thursday, February 24, and run through Sunday, March 13, in the Thompson Theatre at the Roselle Center for the Arts on the University of Delaware's Newark campus. Opening night is Saturday, February 26.

Tickets prices range from $30 - $39; discounts are available for students, seniors and University of Delaware faculty and staff. Tickets can be purchased online at www.rep.udel.edu or by contacting the REP box office at 302-831-2204 or visiting in person at 110 Orchard Rd. Newark, DE., Tuesday - Friday, noon to 5:00 PM.

The Thompson Theatre in the Roselle Center for the Arts is ADA-compliant and is equipped with a hearing loop system, which works with hearing aid t-coils, cochlear implants and in-house hearing devices. Wheelchair and other seating requests can be made prior to the performance by calling (302) 831-2204 or emailing cfa-boxoffice@udel.edu.

REP productions are made possible, in part, by a grant from the Delaware Division of the Arts, a state agency dedicated to nurturing and supporting the arts in Delaware, in partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts.

ABOUT THE REP

The Resident Ensemble Players (REP) is a professional theatre company in residence on the campus of the University of Delaware. The REP's mission is to engage audiences throughout the tri-state region and beyond with frequent productions of outstanding classic, modern, and contemporary plays performed in a wide variety of styles that celebrate and demonstrate the range and breadth of an ensemble of nationally respected stage actors.

The REP is committed to creating and expanding audiences for live theatre by offering a diversity of productions at low prices that enable and encourage the attendance of everyone in the region, regardless of background or income.

The REP performs in the Roselle Center for the Arts, 110 Orchard Road, Newark, Delaware on the main campus of the University of Delaware.