THE SHINE CHALLENGE, 2024 at Nuyorican Poets Cafe

The Nuyorican Poets Café has extended the virtual showings of Ishmael Reed’s newest play, “The Shine Challenge, 2024.” The pre-recorded live reading is now available for purchase at Nuyorican.org, to view at your convenience through April 15th, 2024.

Directed by Carla Blank, the cast includes Jesse Bueno, Maurice Carlton, Caridad De La Luz, Roz Fox, Malika Iman, Emil Guillermo, Rome Neal, Ishmael Reed, Tennessee Reed, Laura Robards, Monisha Shiva, and Brian Simmons as Shine.

About the play: Like members of most ethnic groups, the purpose of our schooling was to have us fit into the Anglo mainstream. At home and on the playground, in the absence of books, other story-telling traditions were available, handed down through the generations as part of an oral tradition. However, there was a story-telling tradition that we kept from our parents because of the bad words. They were called “toasts” and “the dozens,” which had endless variations. "Sinking of the Titanic," heard by Langston Hughes on 8th Avenue, is one of the famous "toasts."

Mr. Reed has lengthened the 36 lines published by Hughes into a 100-page script in which he expands on the issues addressed in the original toast: race, class, immigration, engineering, and Edwardian morality. He puts Shine on trial in which he is not only the accused but acts as his own defense attorney. He called the play “The Shine Challenge, 2024,” because he expects that a future playwright will expand upon what he has accomplished. This reading does contain satirical humor, adult themes and language, and is recommended for an audience of 21 and over.

This virtual reading is available for viewing at your convenience from now through Monday, April 15th.. For information: visit nuyorican. org. and to purchase tickets: https://ci.ovationtix.com/35133