NOT I and ROCKABY Are Coming to The Broadwater Black Box Theatre Directed & Performed By Jeni Jones
The performance will take place on May 10.
Samuel Beckett's NOT I and ROCKABY will return to Hollywood on May 10th for a Limited Engagement. The popular double bill, directed and performed by Jeni Jones, is to be presented by Plank Productions at The Broadwater Black Box Theatre in Hollywood, CA. This in demand rendition of NOT I is set to travel to Edinburgh, Scotland in June as part of the annual Beckett Society Conference, and then will make its way to New York for a Fall 2025 debut.
Jeni Jones is a multi-faceted artist who has worked in entertainment for 30 years, as a director, screenwriter, playwright, actor, dancer, rapper, producer, editor, martial artist, and radio host. She earned her BA in Theatre Directing & English Literature from Fordham University in NYC & her MFA in Directing for Film, Theatre, and Television from CalArts. As a Film Executive she has been credited for her creative contributions to numerous films. Credits on IMDB: imdb.me/jenijones
Jeni has previously directed Samuel Beckett's KRAPP'S LAST TAPE, WAITING FOR GODOT, NOT I, and ROCKABY. Her direction of the stage play WOMEN ON THE VERGE earned the production an NAACP Theatre Award. She directed the award-winning film CLUB RAT$, which was used to raise awareness for RAINN and has garnered multiple "Best Direction" Awards. As a rapper and hip-hop producer, Jeni's debut album GAHALLA is available on all platforms.
"It has been a lifelong dream and mission to liberate Beckett texts from the technical and psychological constraints often hindering performances and productions, so that this work may be shared in non-traditional settings with new audiences. In the future, Plank Productions aims for these pieces, as well as others, to be used for inclusive, educational, practical, theatrical public demonstrations. In the past, these two female-driven texts have proven challenging for performers and audiences alike. I enjoy a challenge," shares Jeni Jones, Producer and Owner of Plank Productions.
Beckett's seldom produced play NOT I delves into the depths of human consciousness, exploring themes of identity, isolation, justice, and existentialism. Set against the backdrop of darkness, the play is a roughly ten-minute rapid fire monologue spewed by "Mouth," who vehemently refuses to relinquish third person. Succinctly hailed as "overpowering" by The New York Times, Beckett's haunting piece ROCKABY charts a woman's journey back into life before she arrives at death.
The program includes a "Talk Back Session" moderated by world renowned Beckett scholar, Dr. Katherine Weiss, who is a widely published author in the field of Beckett studies, a Samuel Beckett Society member and active Board Member, and the Associate Dean of the College of Arts and Letters at California State University Los Angeles.
The cast includes Jeni Jones as "Mouth" with Kyle Jones in role of "Auditor" in NOT I. Ms. Jones will also play "Woman" and "Voice" in ROCKABY. Andy Nevarez joins the crew as Lighting Designer and Technical Director, David Reyes as Stage and House Manager, and Megan Stone as Associate Director.
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