East Lynne Theater Company Presents AFTERMATH

East Lynne Theater Company presents a reading of the one-act play "Aftermath" by Mary P. Burrill for free, due to support from The New Jersey Theatre Alliance's "Stages Festival."

"Aftermath" was first published in April 1919 in Max Eastman's periodical, "Liberator" before it was produced by the Krigwa Players in The Little Theater Competition (performing alongside plays by Eugene O'Neill and Susan Glaspell) in 1928. It tells the story of a Black soldier, who was awarded the French War Cross for his bravery in WWI, only to return home to discover that his father has been lynched.

Mary P. Burrill was not only a playwright, educator, and activist, but was the first Black graduate of Emerson College. Her partner of twenty-five years, Lucy Diggs Slowe, was appointed the first Dean of Women at Howard University. The Slowe-Burrill house in Washington D.C. was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2020 for "its significance to African American and LGBT history."

"Aftermath" premieres on Wednesday, April 6 at 8:00 PM on ELTC's YouTube Channel https://www.tinyurl.com/ELTCYouTube and is available through Saturday, April 9 at midnight. Direct link to video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WjfzHZlmIkw It can be viewed directly on a flat screen TV, but if viewing it on a computer, ELTC recommends connecting the computer to the TV with an HDMI cable so it can be seen on a larger screen. Closed Caption is available on YouTube. April 6 was the day in 1917, that the United States entered World War I. April 9 is the anniversary in 1865 of General Lee's surrender to General Grant, signifying the end of the Civil War.

The talented cast are all new to ELTC. Marie Louise Guinier, Emerald Rose Sullivan, and Anthony Goss have performed at Metropolitan Playhouse and at other theaters in NYC and regionally. Guinier was in the film "Strive" with Danny Glover, and Sullivan appeared in "FBI: Most Wanted" and "Gotham." Goss is currently performing Off-Broadway in "Gong Lum's Legacy." Brandon Dion Gregory's credits include performing at Classical Theatre of Harlem, Syracuse Stage and Baltimore Center Stage. Television credits include "Homeland" and "Resurrection." Alexa Kent was recently in RWS Entertainment's "I Love Christmas Movies" and graduated from Pace University. Leo Ebanks has been performing mostly in California at The Old Globe, Moonlight Stage Productions, and Onstage Playhouse in musicals such as "Spring Awakening" and Shakespeare's "As You Like It."

For more information about "Aftermath," visit https://www.eastlynnetheater.org/aftermath.html.