George And Carr To Appear In Topdog/Underdog 5/21

Since the sold out reading of Topdog/Underdog in the 2009 Step Into The Future Season, Nashville has awaited the full out production of the play. The Amun Ra Theatre (ART) is happy to announce that the wait is over, and the cause is worthwhile.

Topdog/Underdog will be presented on May 21st at the Tennessee Performing Arts Center in the James K. Polk Theater, Starring Dr. Jeff Obafemi carr, the Founder and Artistic Director of ART and Former NFL-star Eddie George. Curtain is at 7:30 p.m.

Topdog/Underdog, a Pulitzer Prize-winning play written by Suzan-Lori Parks is a darkly comic fable of brotherly love and family identity. The play tells the story of Lincoln (carr), a retired master of the 3-card street hustle, and Booth (George), a master thief, two brothers who share a lifetime of hard times, played out and explored in a one-room apartment that is their field of unrealized dreams. Haunted by a past of abandonment and struggles, the brothers are forced to confront the shattering reality of their future.

George and carr have collaborated magically in years past. When Hurricane Katrina struck New Orleans, the two organized a benefit that sent supplies to the region and re-located a family of 21 people to Nashville; Two productions of James WelDon Johnson's God's Trombones funded ARTs summer Youth Performing ARTs Academy, and the one-two personality punch of carr and George helped construct Amun Ra's current performance facility on Clifton Avenue in North Nashville over a 3-day weekend in October of 2008. carr, who only weeks ago, returned from Port-Au-Prince, Haiti, where he helped erect temporary shelter for the Gradec Orphanage, believes the dynamic duo can do it again, this time by tackling one of the most thought-provoking works of drama written in modern times with an extraordinary and ambitious cause: Proceeds from the show and the after-event will benefit Art To Africa 2010, an initiative of the theatre to send youth from its Performing ARTs Academy to Ghana, West Africa this summer to help build a performance space and launch an arts program at the House of Champions Orphanage.

"It's no secret that I like to think big," says carr about the scope of both the art itself and the resulting mission. "Luckily, I can dream out loud with people like Eddie George, who has a ton of well-deserved fans all over the world, but particularly in Nashville, where he is truly a legend. I think what is really going to trip everyone out with this play, however, is that you'll see no trace of ‘Eddie George the Football Player.' He has totally submersed himself in the character of Booth, and I guarantee, his performance will leave you talking for years to come. He is becoming a truly fine actor within his own right."

"My experience in acting has been growing over the past few years," said George recently. "Going through the process has given me confidence that I can go 'all in' and pull off the challenging role of Booth. In the beginning of my acting journey, it was about finding myself and seeing what talents I have, then learning the process. Having been through it, working with at least two great acting coaches and working on myself outside of what I was taught, I feel I'm prepared to take a giant step. I've learned, through it all, that it's the actor's job to tell the truth of the story and be honest with it. I'm looking forward to exploring Booth in that space, where and how it's going to be presented."

An added bonus for the evening will be an event called A Royal Allure following the performance. The event, which kicks off at 9 p.m., will feature a Jazz Band, Silent Auction, Cash Bar, and an evening of old school dancing kicked off by a live guest performance by the Grammy-award nominated, American Music Award recipient female R&B group SWV (Sisters With Voices), of which George's wife, Tamara "Taj" Johnson-George, is a member. George will join forces with the entertainment after the play by displaying his growing skills and reputation as a DeeJay. Joining Eddie on the "Wheels of Steel" will be WQQK's most popular radio Personality, Kenny Smoov.

Tickets, ranging from $22.50 to $100, are now on sale and may be purchased at www.tpac.org/shows, at the TPAC Box Office (Downtown or at Davis-Kidd Booksellers in The Mall at Green Hills), or by calling 615/782-4040. Please note that the TPAC website is a dot org website. For more information regarding the play and after event, call 329-iact(4228). The Play starts at 7:30 p.m., A Royal Allure starts at 9:00 p.m.

ABOUT ART TO AFRICA

ART To Africa is an initiative of the Youth Performing ARTs Academy of Amun Ra Theatre, designed to provide arts-based service learning opportunities that will broaden the perspective of youth, many of whom haven't traveled far beyond their own zip codes.

From July 15-28th, 2010, ARTs Youth and Staff will travel to the House of Champions Orphanage, located on the outskirts of Accra, Ghana. There they will participate in a cultural exchange with the youth while building a physical addition onto the facility, resulting in a permanent performance space that will be launched with a joint performance by ART and Village young people that will feature music, drama, dance, and visual art. 

ABOUT AMUN RA THEATRE

Amun Ra Theatre is a not-for-profit, 501 (c)(3), professional performing arts ensemble. Founded by film and stage actor Jeff Obafemi carr ("The Second Chance"), the company's mission is to expose audiences to the wealth of African-American culture through dance, music, drama and spoken word. To learn more about Amun Ra Theatre, visit www.theamunratheatre.org.