The Guthrie Theater Announces Cast for IN THE RED AND BROWN WATER

Pillsbury House Theatre, in a co-production with The Mount Curve Company and presented by the Guthrie Theater, today announced complete casting for the area premiere of Tarell Alvin McCraney's In the Red and Brown Water, May 12 - June 5, 2011, in the Dowling Studio at the Guthrie. Christiana Clark leads the cast as Oya, a young woman from the Louisiana projects whose path to a promising adulthood comes to a devastating crossroad. Obie Award-winner Marion McClinton directs the all-star cast, which also includes Ansa Akyea (Shango), Nathan Barlow (The Egungun), Aimee K. Bryant (Shun), John Catron (O Li Roon), Celeste Jones (Nia), Gavin Lawrence (Elegba), Greta Oglesby (Aunt Elegua), Sonja Parks (Mama Moja) and James A. Williams (Ogun Size).

The first play in McCraney's critically acclaimed trilogy The Brother/Sister Plays, In the Red and Brown Water tells the story Oya (Clark), a charismatic high school track star, who hopes to use her speed as a ticket out of the Louisiana bayou. Fate intervenes as the teenager makes a life-defining decision to defer an athletic scholarship in order to care for her ailing mother, Mama Moja (Parks). When her mother dies and Oya (named after the Yoruba god of wind) finds the scholarship is no longer available, she is left to grapple with the consequences of this missed opportunity. Having lost her dream, her family and identity, Oya finds herself entangled with two men - the gentle Ogun (Williams) and the seductive Shango (Akyea). Oya's choices take her on a journey that leads to a powerful gesture of grief and sacrifice.

Lusciously theatrical and boldly original, In the Red and Brown Water draws on folk tales and Federico García Lorca's "Yerma" to create a piece The New York Times called "a universal story of triumph, defeat, loss, love, abandonment, compromise, jealousy, infidelity, betrayal and horrific self-sacrifice." Lyrically weaving together elements of urban contemporary realism with West African mysticism, McCraney creates an experience that is at once joyous and challenging, raucous and raw, and brazenly beautiful.

Only 30 years old and already one of the most exciting and important new voices in the contemporary American theater, McCraney has won numerous awards (2007 Paula Vogel Playwriting Award from the Vineyard Theater, 2007 Whiting Writing Award, National Endowment for the Arts Outstanding New American Play Selection), and was lauded by the The New York Times as an "astonishing young dramatist." He holds a B.F.A. in acting from DePaul University and graduated from the playwriting program at the Yale School of Drama in 2007.

In the Red and Brown Water marks the first Minnesota production of his works, which include the acclaimed Wig Out! (a look at his experiences as a gay Black man) and The Breach (a play on the Katrina tragedy in New Orleans).

Pillsbury House Theatre and Mount Curve Productions recently announced that they will produce the other two parts of McCraney's trilogy The Brother/Sister Plays during Pillsbury House Theatre's 2012 season.

The artistic team also includes Tony Award-winner David Gallo (Scenic Designer), 2010 Ivey Emerging Artist Award recipient Kalere A. Payton (Costume Designer), Mike Wangen (Lighting Designer), C. Andrew Mayer (Sound Designer) and Julia Gallagher (Stage Manager).

In the Red and Brown Water previews May 12, opens May 13 and continues through June 5, 2011, in the Dowling Studio. Single tickets start at $18 and are now on sale through the Guthrie Box Office at 612.377.2224, toll-free 877.44.STAGE, 612.225.6244 (Group Sales) and online at www.guthrietheater.org.

PILLSBURY HOUSE THEATRE's mission is to create challenging theater to inspire choice, change and connection. Now in its 19th year, Pillsbury House Theatre is proud to be a professional theater unlike any other. In partnership with Pillsbury United Communities, one of the largest human services organizations in Minnesota, and housed within the Pillsbury House Neighborhood Center, serving a diverse socio-economic population, Pillsbury House Theatre demonstrates that the highest quality art is an integral part of all healthy communities. www.pillsburyhousetheatre.org

THE MOUNT CURVE COMPANY was formed by Frances Wilkinson, a Minneapolis-based philanthropist, film and theater producer. Ms. Wilkinson has supported or invested in theatrical work including The Kushner Celebration, Edgardo Mine, God of Carnage (Guthrie Theater), In Darfur, Why Torture is Wrong (The Public Theater), Passing Strange (Broadway), Five Fingers of Funk (Children's Theater Company), Detroit (Steppenwolf Theater Company). In addition, Ms. Wilkinson was executive producer of the film, With or Without You and has supported the TPT documentary, Slavery By Another Name, airing on HBO in 2012. Ms. Wilkinson has served on the Boards of Directors of the Guthrie Theater, Theater de la Jeune Lune and IFP.

The GUTHRIE THEATER (Joe Dowling, Director) was founded by Sir Tyrone Guthrie in 1963 and is an American center for theater performance, production, education and professional training. The Tony Award-winning Guthrie Theater is dedicated to producing the great works of dramatic literature, developing the work of contemporary playwrights and cultivating the next generation of theater artists. With annual attendance of nearly 500,000 people, the Guthrie Theater presents a mix of classic plays and contemporary work on its three stages. Under the artistic leadership of Joe Dowling since 1995, the Guthrie continues to set a national standard for excellence in theatrical production and performance. In 2006, the Guthrie opened its new home on the banks of the Mississippi River in Minneapolis. Designed by Pritzker Prize-winning architect Jean Nouvel, the Guthrie Theater houses three state-of-the-art stages, production facilities, classrooms and dramatic public lobbies. www.guthrietheater.org.

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