Hermitage Artist Retreat To Host Readings From NYC Playwrights

Hermitage Artist Retreat has announced that its first community program event for 2011-2012 will feature work by playwrights and artists-in-residence Tracey Scott Wilson and D. Rubin Green. For this special evening, the Hermitage is partnering with Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe (WBTT). The evening's program will include a reading by local actors of an abbreviated version of Wilson's script, Buzzer and Green reading from his own work. Discussion of these New York City writers' provocative subject matter and a Q&A session will follow. The event takes place from 5:30-6:30 pm on Monday, October 10, 2011, at WBTT's theater, 1646 10th Way, Sarasota. A nominal $5 fee covers the use of the theater. Seating is limited and reservations are recommended. They can be made by calling WBTT box office at 941-366-1505.

"What a great way to kickoff the season," remarked Bruce E. Rodgers, executive director of the Hermitage. "Tracey Wilson's work has been produced by The Public Theater in New York City, as well as other places around the country. Dennis is a highly respected film and theater artist, writer and educator. They represent the fine quality artistry, which we serve at the Hermitage. We look forward to sharing them with our community."

Among Wilson's many productions are The Good Negro and The Story at The Public Theater/NYSF; Order My Steps for Cornerstone Theater's Black Faith/AIDS project in Los Angeles; Exhibit #9 produced in New York City by New Perspectives Theatre and Theatre Outrageous; Leader Of The People produced at New Georges Theatre; two ten-minute plays produced at the Guthrie Theatre, Minneapolis; and a ten-minute play produced at Actors Theatre of Louisville. Tracey has had readings at the New York Theatre Workshop, New Georges Theatre, The Public Theatre and Soho Theatre Writers Centre in London. She earned two Van Lier Fellowships from the New York Theatre Workshop, a residency at Sundance Ucross and Sundance Theatre Laboratory, is the winner of the 2001 Helen Merrill Emerging Playwright Award, the 2003 AT&T Onstage Award, the 2004 Whiting Award, the 2004 Kesserling Prize, the 2007 Weissberger Playwriting Award as well as the 2007 Time Warner Storytelling Fellowship. Ms. Wilson holds a Master's degree in English Literature from Temple University.

As an actor, Green's most recent work is in the film August the First, directed by Lanre Olabisi, where he plays the lead role of Dipo, the estranged Nigerian father. In 2007, August the First traveled to over 25 national and international film festivals including South by Southwest (SXSW), Karlovy Vari, Philadelphia Int'l Film Festival, UrbanWorld, and the MoMA (Museum of Modern Art, NYC). The year culminated in six festival awards for best feature and an IFP Gotham Award nomination.

His work as a writer includes: screenplays-most recently Wappingers Falls, a re-telling of the Tawana Brawley scandal of the late 1980's; poetry and essays published in various anthologies and magazines including Brother to Brother, Changing Men Magazine, and The Columbia Anthology of Gay Literature; and performance and solo theater works, Bling What and Fringe Society, performed in New York, Chicago, and Minneapolis. D. Rubin Green is a graduate of the Yale School of Drama, Yale University.

"WBTT is proud and honored to be collaborating with the Hermitage again, and present these two talented and prolific playwrights at our theater" remarked Nate Jacobs, WBTT artistic director. "It is among our goals to give opportunity to accomplished, as well as new playwrights, so they can debut new work. We are delighted."

The Hermitage is a not-for-profit artist retreat located at 6660 Manasota Key Road in Englewood. It brings mid-career painters, sculptors, writers, playwrights, poets, composers and other artists from all over the world for extended stays on its 8.5-acre campus. Each artist is asked to contribute two services to the community during their stay. So far, Hermitage artists have touched over 7,500 Gulf Coast community children and adults with their unique and inspiring programs. For more information about the beach reading or The Hermitage Artist Retreat, call 941-475-2098 or visit the website at www.HermitageArtistRetreat.org.