Cherry Lane Theatre Kicks-Off Mentor Project With THE MATURATION OF AN INCONVENIENT NEGRO (OR INEGRO)

Cherry Lane Theatre (Angelina Fiordellisi, Founder; Seri Lawrence, Artistic Director) is proud to kick-off its Obie Award-winning Mentor Project with this year's first production, The Maturation of an Inconvenient Negro (or iNegro) written by and starring Kareem M. Lucas, mentored by Craig 'muMs' Grant. The Maturation of an Inconvenient Negro is directed by David Mendizábal and will begin performances on Wednesday, February 20 and run through March 2 at the Cherry Lane Theatre (38 Commerce Street, NYC). Tickets are $25 ($60 for a three-show membership) and can be purchased by visiting cherrylanetheatre.org or by calling 866-811-4111.

This solo show of heightened poetry and raw self-reflection takes the audience on the subversive journey of a young Black man coming into himself, as he struggles to break free of what he holds onto most tightly. In iNegro - No one is safe. Nothing is sacred.

This marks the first show of three Mentor Project productions. Upcoming productions include three girls never learnt the way home, written by Matthew Paul Olmos and mentored by Taylor Mac (March 13 - 23, 2019) and The Climb written by C.A. Johnson and mentored by Martyna Majok (April 3 - 13, 2019). Casting and creative team TBA.

Creative team includes set design by Wilson Chin, costumes by Dede Ayite, lighting design by Cha See, sound design and composer Mauricio Escamilla, casting by Eisenberg/Beans Casting, general management by Mott/Fischer Productions and Kristy Bodall is the Production Stage Manager.

The Mentor Project, winner of an Obie Award for its dedication to helping early-career playwrights develop new work, each year partners an emerging author with a seasoned professional for a year of script work, rewrites, casting, rehearsals and a full production at Cherry Lane. Mentor Project is also the recipient of the James Kirkwood Award for American Playwrights.

This marks the 21st year if the Mentor Project which has helped develop works by playwrights such as Jocelyn Bioh, Sheila Callaghan, Sam Forman, Katori Hall, Rajiv Joseph, Antoinette Nwandu, Christopher Shinn, Jen Silverman, Bridgette Wimberly, and Anne Washburn,

One of the most renowned theatres in the country, Cherry Lane Theatre has produced a large succession of plays by leading writers from F. Scott Fitzgerald to Gertrude Stein, Samuel Beckett, Edward Albee and Harold Pinter. Cherry Lane Theatre was founded by Angelina Fiordellisi in 1996, and remains devoted to developing and producing new works for the stage. Seri Lawrence is Artistic Director, Reed Ridgley is Development Manager, Sangeeta Bhagat is Director of Individual and Corporate Giving, Lex Morton is Facility Manager, and Mary Geerlof is Director of Community Engagement.

Tickets are on sale now and can be purchased by visiting www.cherrylanetheatre.org or call OvationTix at 866 811 4111.