New Conservatory Theatre Center Announces World Premiere Adaptation Of Harrison David Rivers' INTERLUDE

In October, New Conservatory Theatre Center will celebrate 40 years of serving the Bay Area LGBTQ+ community and its long-awaited return to live performances with the inaugural production of their benchmark 21-22 Season, Interlude by Harrison David Rivers. A world premiere stage adaptation of the critically acclaimed radio play, Interlude is a gripping reflection of a gay Black man's experience during the transformative events of 2020, and tells a story of hope, healing, and the power of coming home.

Jesse Howard's life looks nothing like it used to. Forced by a national pandemic to return to his childhood home in Kansas with his Conservative parents, he finds himself standing still for the first time. As Jesse battles his writer's block in a country that no longer feels like home, his mother struggles to reach out to the son she never really knew. Adapted for the stage from NCTC's critically-acclaimed audio drama, Interlude is a personal and tender snapshot of one man's search for connection.

To ease our audiences back to being in the theatre, this is a performance with a small cast of just two people in the larger Decker theatre with limited seat capacity. All guests older than 12 years of age will be required to present proof of vaccination and wear masks while at the theatre. NCTC also requires all actors, staff, and volunteers to be fully vaccinated, and all front of house staff will be masked during performances. There are limited exemptions to vaccination requirements such as religious beliefs and qualifying medical reasons and those guests must present a negative COVID-19 test that was taken no more than 72 hours prior to the performance date. Lastly, while there will be an intermission, Mason's Bar will not be open during the run of Interlude. If we've learned anything in the last year, it is that the panoply of safety recommendations can shift rapidly and we will continue to shift alongside them as we prepare for opening our doors in October.

Interlude is the first show in NCTC's 40th anniversary season, which highlights a diverse array of playwrights and performers, exceptional transformative tales, and the type of groundbreaking theatre patrons have come to expect from NCTC. Since 1981, NCTC's mission has been to effect personal & societal growth, and bring enlightenment and change for youth, artists, and the queer & allied communities. NCTC has grown into a pillar of the local LGBTQ+ community, starting the nation's first theatre program to develop/present AIDS education productions for youth in 1986, and launching New Voices/New Work, a program which has expanded the canon of LGBTQ-themed plays since its inception in 2002, of which Interlude is the newest production.

Playing October 8 - November 7, 2021. Interlude's Opening Night is Saturday, October 16, 2021 at 8pm. Tickets are $25-55 and will be available starting in late August at nctcsf.org, by emailing boxoffice@nctcsf.org or by calling (415) 861-8972. Early access to tickets available now by subscribing at nctcsf.org/subscribe. Pay-what-you-wish tickets are available for preview performances, October 8 - 15, and can be reserved starting one week before the first performance through the box office.

Audiences can enjoy these special events during the run of the show:

• Low-cost Previews: Friday, Oct. 8- Friday, Oct. 15

• Opening Night will take place on Saturday, Oct. 16, 2021 at 8pm.

• Onstage Insight, Post-Show Discussion featuring the cast, and moderated by the director will take place after the performance on Sunday, Oct. 24 at 2pm.

• Additional special events to be announced!

Playwright Harrison David Rivers is the winner of the 2018 Relentless Award for The Bandaged Place. His other plays include When Last We Flew (GLAAD Media Award), Sweet (AUDELCO nomination), Where Storms Are Born (Berkshire Theatre Award nomination, Edgerton Foundation New Play Award), This Bitter Earth (NCTC World Premiere, MN Theatre Award for Exceptional New Work, Lavender Magazine citation for Outstanding New Playwriting), Five Points (MN Theatre Award for Exceptional New Work, BroadwayWorld Minneapolis Award for Best New Work, Lavender Magazine citation for Outstanding New Playwriting), and Broadbend, Arkansas (Broadway Black's Antonyo Award nomination for Best Book of a Musical, Times Square Chronicles citation for Best New Off-Broadway Musical and Outstanding Book of a Musical). Harrison was named a Runner-up for the 2018 Artist of the Year by the Star Tribune and a 2017 Artist of the Year by City Pages.

Director ShawnJ West is a California-based director and actor. West relocated to the Bay Area almost nine years ago after 16 years in Seattle, WA where he directed productions of the Seattle cult hit Sex In Seattle: Episodes 15, 16, 17 & 18 with SIS Productions; ReAct's production of WELL; and the 2009 West Coast premiere of Illyria and The Seven Year Itch with Redwood Theatre. His Bay Area directing credits include the Playwright Center San Francisco's shorts and showcase, the African American Shakespeare Company's production of Cinderella, A Soulful Christmas with Lorraine Hansberry Theatre as well as assistant director on Macbeth also with the African American Shakespeare Company.

The cast of Interlude includes Donald Ray Antoine (Jesse) and Jan Hunter (Sheryl). The Interlude creative team includes technical direction by Carlos Aceves, and production management & casting coordination by Stephanie Desnoyers.

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