Next Iteration Theater Company to Kick Off Intercultural Play Reading Series This May

Next Iteration Theater Company (NITC) announces its inaugural Intercultural Play Reading Series (IPRS). This May, NITC brings to Houston three plays that deal with constructing and reconstructing ourselves in an ever-changing world, in the face of tragedy, change and socio-cultural conflicts.

As relevant today as when award-winning playwright AISHAH RAHMAN wrote it in 1989, "The Mojo and the Sayso" opens the IPRS. In this poignant and deeply honest play, inspired by real life events in 1971, the story reveals how one family contends with the violent death of their son. From religion to militancy to the comfort of reconstructing a vintage Cadillac, each family member struggles to find a personal path through grief and toward each other.

As the second offering in the IPRS, NITC is pleased to introduce the playwriting of Houston's own, RHETT MARTINEZ. With tongue-in-cheek, he delivers a satirical look at the consequences of U.S. and UN military intervention in any volatile Latin-American country. Set in an abandoned, once grand hotel in an ever-changing dictatorship, the play follows the efforts of a Haberdasher, a displaced Queen and a pseudo Bellhop as they try to maintain a sense of normalcy in the chaos-until an American intervenes.

The IPRS closes with the Pulitzer-winning, Tony-nominated playwright, AYAD AKHTAR, whose work is like a hot knife through butter. In "The Who and the What," a comedic drama, he gets to the deepest questions about identity as a Pakistani father and his two American daughters grapple with an inter-generational culture clash over the power that stories wield and who controls how they are told.

Play readings have always been an integral part of developing new work for the stage and for introducing theater audiences to cutting edge work. Play readings, performed by actors, allow audiences a chance to experience works as vital participants to the playwright's process and to expand the dialog around new, under represented, and emerging work.

SCHEDULE:

Friday, May 13, 8pm-

THE MOJO AND THE SAYSO by Aishah Rahman, directed by Dianne K. Webb

with Renee Van Nifterik, Brandon Morgan, Kendrick Lattimore, & Caleb Fields

Andraes Hunt, Narrator

Includes a post-show talkback with the director and cast

Saturday, May 14, 4pm-

THREE ON A MATCH by Rhett Martinez, directed by Dianne K. Webb

with Gabriel Regojo, Lisa Villegas, Clarity Welch & Benjamin McLaughlin

Andraes Hunt, Narrator

Includes a post-show talkback with the playwright, director and cast

Saturday, May 14, 8pm-

THE WHO & THE WHAT by Ayad Akhtar, directed by Dianne K. Webb

with Deeba Ashraf, Karthik Chander, Hanin Allahalih & James Monaghan

Andraes Hunt, Narrator

Includes a post-show talkback with the director and cast

All performances at the MATCH (3400 Main St, Houston, TX 77002). All performances include ASL interpreters and assistive listening devices for our deaf and hard-of-hearing audience members. Tickets to the IPRS are now on sale and are listed as pay-what-you-can, with a suggested price of $15. Tickets can be ordered online by phone (713-521-4533) or online: Friday May 13, 8pm: The Mojo and the Sayso; Saturday May 14, 4pm: Three on a Match; and Saturday May 14, 8pm: The Who and the What.

Founded in 2014 by Artistic Director, Dianne K. Webb and Managing Director, Tayyba Kanwal, NITC focuses on underrepresented voices and derivation of new works. With bold initiatives such as ReadFest Houston and the Intercultural Play Reading Series, NITC will engage, elevate, and expand the Houston theater scene through its programming, collaborations with existing theater companies, professional development opportunities for actors and directors and educational opportunities for the larger Houston community. For more, visit NextIterationTheater.com.