Professional Theatre Examines NCAA Student Athlete Scandal With World Premiere

Playhouse on the Square, in partnership with Friends of Facing History and Ourselves, Sedgwick, and super sponsor Dr. Thomas Ratliff, is proud to present the World Premier winner of the 2016 NewWorks@TheWorks Playwriting competition. This is the final installation of the POTS@TheWorks series for the 2017-2018 season.

Tracy is an African American Professor in the midst of a tenure fight. Rajon is a star basketball player, negotiating the challenges of freshman year and his court prowess. When Rajon is accused of plagiarism and faced with expulsion, Coach Pari comes to his rescue, reminding Tracy that the school is run on athletic money, not on anything she hopes to achieve in the classroom.

Lisa Williams makes her return to the Memphis Theatre stage as Tracy. While Roman Kyle, last seen as Avery in The Circuit Playhouse's production of The Flick, stars as Rajon. John Maness and Kim Sanders round out the cast. Jaclyn Suffel (Victory Blues) is director of this new work written by Gino Dilorio.

Dilorio, is Theatre Program Director at Clark University in Worcester, MA. Gino's plays have had productions at theatres all over the US including New Jersey Rep, Arclight Theatre, Urban Stages, and the Virginia Stage Company. He has won a number of awards for his writing including the E. Desmond Lee Playwriting Prize (Reparation) and the Julie Harris Award (Darwin at Down). He also received the BBC International Playwriting Prize for his work (Dead Ringer). Gino is a proud member of the Dramatists Guild.

The NewWorks@TheWorks Playwriting Competition provides an outlet for new playwrights to showcase their work and have a chance to see their play produced on a professional level. Two works are chosen annually to receive a cash prize and fully mounted productions.

Performances will run Thursday - Saturday 8:00 pm curtain and with 2:00 pm curtain on Sunday. For tickets, call the Box Office at (901) 726-4656 or visit our website www.playhouseonthesquare.org. Group rates are also available.

Pay What You Can Night is July 19, 2018