Lorene Cary's MY GENERAL TUBMAN Extends At Arden Theatre Company

Noted author and scholar Lorene Cary, whose first novel, The Price of a Child, was selected in 2003 as the inaugural One Book, One Philadelphia, will be presenting the world premiere of her play, MY GENERAL TUBMAN, at Philadelphia's Arden Theatre Company. Due to popular demand, the work will now run at the Arden's Arcadia Stage through March 8,2020.

MY GENERAL TUBAN is a beautiful and exciting new play about the complex journey of Harriet Tubman and the impact she continues to have today. The world premiere production of MY GENERAL TUBMAN features Barrymore Award-winning performer Danielle Leneé as Harriet Tubman, and features Aaron Bell, Peter DeLaurier, Brandon Pierce, Damien J. Wallace, Bowman Wright, Dax Richardson, and Cheryl Williams. The company is directed by James Ijames.

"Several years ago, Lorene Cary told me that she was thinking about writing a play about Harriet Tubman, and I immediately told her that the Arden would love to commission her new work," said Artistic Director Terry Nolen. "Happily, Lorene agreed, and we have been honored to support this play's development under the auspices of our Independence Foundation New Play Showcase. Now, with an all-Philadelphia cast and an artistic team led by director James Ijames, we are thrilled to be premiering Lorene Cary's My General Tubman at the start of the new year."

Lorene Cary's recent memoir, Ladysitting: My Year with Nana at the End of Her Century, published by W.W. Norton Books, comes out in paper in June 2020.As a third-year resident in American Lyric Theater's Composer & Librettist Development Program, Cary wrote a libretto that takes off from Ladysitting. Composer Liliya Ugay set a lyrical score and produced her own recording. The one-act opera is titled The Gospel According to Nana.

Cary's non-fiction includes her best-selling memoir Black Ice. Novels include The Price of a Child, chosen as the first One Book One Philadelphia offering; Pride; and If Sons, Then Heirs. Cary has written scripts for videos at The President's House exhibit on Independence Mall in Philadelphia. She is author of the young-adult book FREE! Great Escapes from Slavery on the Underground Railroad. For 20 years, Cary has taught fiction and non-fiction at University of Pennsylvania; now she invites her students to publish on SafeKidsStories.com, which she created to focus on children's safety and wholeness. That project spawned #VotethatJawn, supporting youth registration, voting, and engagement.

Single tickets to MY GENERAL TUBMAN are currently on sale by visiting ardentheatre.org.