King Hedley II
 |
The Play"I see a deeper spiritual reading, often overlooked. The general disintegration of Hedley's Hill District community results from the spiritual absence of African ancestors. A rite of passage and sacrifice is needed before the spirit can return and the community reborn." - Paul Carter Harrison |
Playwright August Wilson’s modern tragedy “King Hedley II” will open the 2006-07 season for the University of Louisville’s African American Theatre Program on Oct. 25-29.
The play, to be staged at Thrust Theater at Floyd and Warnock streets, will be performed at 8 p.m. with an additional 3 p.m. Sunday matinee. A special performance will be shown to area high school students at 9:30 a.m. Oct. 27.
“King Hedley II, set in Pittsburgh Hill District in the mid-eighties, is the story of a black man’s return home from prison eager to construct a new and productive life. He is met with the many challenges that confront the survival of young black men; minimal job opportunities, drive-by-shootings, teen-age pregnancy and a general disintegration of his Hill District community resulting from the spiritual absence of African ancestors. King Hedley II finds himself at the center of a blood ritual necessary for the revival of the spiritual Ancestor that will bring harmony and revitalization to the community.
Internationally known playwright and author Paul Carter Harrison, now professor emeritus at Columbia College Chicago will direct. Harrison, who wrote the Obie Award play, “The Great MacDaddy,” in 1973, also taught at Howard University when Tony-winner Phylicia Rashad and Fame’s Debbie Allen were among his students.
“The play is timely for Louisville,” said Lundeana Thomas , director of U of L’s African American Theatre Program. “It touches on black crime but is also a play of passion about the identity crisis faced by African Americans.”
Ticket prices are $10 for the general public, $9 for U of L employees and senior citizens and $7 for students. Call the box office at 502-852-6814 for reservations or group ticket prices.
For more information, call Thomas at 502-852-8442.
The Players
Demos Franklin (Elmore) is a second-year MFA student in Performance. Past UofL productions include The Winter’s Tale, In the Blood and The Face of Emmett Till. Other productions include: A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Great Expectations, Angel City, Comedy of Errors, and Keep Hedz’ Ringin’. He is a graduate of the California State University at San Bernadino, where he was nominated for the Irene Ryan Award.
Robert O’Bryan Greene (King), from Laurens, SC, is a third-year MFA student in Performance and a member of the UofL Repertory Company. He earned his BA in Drama Education at South Carolina State University. Past UofL productions include A Winter’s Tale, In the Blood,The Face of Emmett Till, School Play, Seven Stops to Freedom, and All in the Timing. Other credits include: A Raisin in the Sun, TheMighty Gents, Blues for an Alabama Sky, Church Fight, Church Fight 2, Before It Hits Home, and Mufaro’s Beautiful Daughters. This is his thesis performance.
Clyde Tyrone Harper (Stool Pigeon), from Detroit, MI, has acted in or directed numerous productions. He has been nominated for “Excellence in the Arts” awards by The Detroit Free Press for Best Supporting Actor in August Wilson’s Two Trains Running and for Best Director for Shakin’ the Mess Outta Misery. He worked with playwright Ron Milner on Jazz Set and toured nationally in Milner’s Don’t Get God Started. He directed Ruben Santiago-Hudson in Home by Samm-Art Williams at the Studio Playhouse. Last year, he performed Reverened D at UofL for In the Blood.
Mary Audrey Holt (Tonya), from Louisville, KY, is a second-year MFA student in Performance and a member of the UofL Repertory Company. She earned her BS in Theatre Arts from UofL. Past productions include A Winter’s Tale,Night Sky,A Midsummer Night’s Dream, TheTrojan Women, and Black Nativity. Productions outside the university include Romeo & Juliet: A RockOpera at the LaMama Theatre in New York and the original production of YouShouldn’t Have Told at the American Theatre of the Arts in New York.
Kamilah Lee Long (Ruby), from Montgomery, AL, earned her MFA in Performance and a Certificate in African American Theatre from UofL. Past UofL productions include In the Blood, Blue Vein Society, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Steal Away, Wombman Wars, Middle Passage: A Ritual of Healing, Brown Silk and Magenta Sunsets, Black Nativity, For Colored Girls…, and The Trojan Women. She recently completed a summer workshop at the Circle in the Square Theatre in New York.
Andre` Dwayne Mulligan (Mister ), from Louisville, KY, earned his BA degree in Political Science and History from UofL. This is his debut performance here.
Charles A. Nasby (Scenic Design) is the Scenery Technician for the Theatre Arts Department and recently earned his BFA degree in Theatre Arts at UofL. Recent scene designs include School Play for the Repertory Company performance in Perm, Russia and Steal Away for the African American Theatre Programs performance at the 2005 National Black Theatre Festival.
Paul J. Wilson (Costume Design) is a third-year MFA student in Design. Previous UofL Costume designs include Medea and assistant costume designer for Woman in Mind. His scene designs include: Buddy: The Buddy Holly Story (Merry-Go-Round Playhouse), Associate scene design: Beauty and the Beast (Merry-Go-Round Playhouse), Co-Scene design Crazy For You (Merry-Go-Round Playhouse), All in the Timing (UofL), The Tender Land (UofL School of Music), The Beggar’s Opera (UofL School of Music), ‘night Mother (UofL), Little Footsteps (SUNY Oswego)
Michael F. Hottois ( Lighting Design) recently designed Blithe Spirit, The Winter’s Tale, In the Blood, A Doll House, The Face of Emmett Till, Night Sky, Home, School Play, The Night Thoreau Spent in Jail, The Threepenny Opera, Stop Kiss, and Trane: Beyond the Blues. Last summer he designed Brigadoon and George M! for the Merry-Go-Round Playhouse in New York. His credits as a scenic artist include the films Boris and Natasha and Closetland, as well as Soul of the Game for HBO. Professor Hottois teaches scenic design, scene painting, lighting design, and design for film.
Garry Brown (Sound Design ) is the Production Manager and the Director of Undergraduate Studies for the UofL Theatre Arts Department. Recent sound designs include Blithe Spirit, In the Blood, The Face of Emmett Till, Home, Bee-Luther-Hatchee, Troilus and Cressida, and Middle Passage: A Healing Ritual.
Raven J. Railey (Stage Manager), from Morro Bay, CA, is a third-year MFA student in Performance. Past UofL productions include In the Blood, The Face of Emmett Till, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Boston Marriage, No Exit, and A Fallen Angel. Railey studied acting at San Francisco State University. She also performed with the Central Coast Shakespeare Festival for six seasons and performed five seasons with the Centerpoint Theatre Group, both out of San Luis Obispo, CA.
Janelle Hunnicutt (Assistant Stage Manager), from Spartanburg, SC, is a first-year MFA student in Performance. She most recently performed in the African American Theatre Program production of Lift Every Voice and Sing as Queen Esther for the Louisville NAACP Conference. She has also stage managed and directed at Berea College.
J.T. Smith III (Assistant Sound Designer), from Louisville, KY, is a senior Theatre Arts major. He was an assistant stage manager for the The Face of Emmitt Till. He has also performed at the Comedy Caravan and with Walden Theatre.
The Director
Paul Carter Harrison (Director) is a New York native and award-winning playwright and director, most notably, of The Great MacDaddy and Tabernacle. Among the plays he has helped conceive and develop for the New York stage are Melvin Van Peebles's Ain't Supposed to Die A Natural Death, and Marcia Leslie's The Trial of One Short-Sighted Black Woman vs Mammy Louise and Safreeta Mae. He is the author of a book of seminal essays, The Drama of Nommo, that identifies the African retention in the aesthetics of Black Theatre. He has also served as editor of several books including a collection of defining essays, Black Theatre: Ritual Performance in the African Diaspora, and the play anthologies, Kuntu Drama, Totem Voices, and Classical Plays of the Negro Ensemble Company. A Professor Emeritus at Columbia College Chicago, he continues to serve Chicago's ETA Theatre as principal dramaturg.
The Stage
Thrust Theatre
2314 S. Floyd Street
Louisville, KY 40292
This U of L Theatre Arts Productions will be performed on the intimate stage of the Thrust Theatre. Built in 1992 and seating 164 patrons, the Thrust offers a variety of staging opportunities and interaction with the audience.
The building housing the theatre is also the location of the Department's main office, faculty offices, classrooms and rehearsal rooms, and the costume shop.
The Thrust Theatre is located in the HPES/Studio Arts building on the corner of Warnock and Floyd, catty-corner from McDonald’s. Metered street parking is available on Floyd St. Free parking is available in university lots located along Floyd St. after 7:30 p.m. weekdays and all day on weekends.
Click here Map of Thrust Theatre
The Ticket
Box Office
HPES / Studio Arts Building
Corner of Floyd and Warnock Streets
Office Hours
Monday - Friday
10am - 3pm
(502) 852-6814
Ticket Price
General Public - $10
Students - $7
Senior Citizens - $9
U of L Faculty/Staff - $9
Season Tickets - $30.00-$45.00 (Order Form) [DOC]
Additional Information
To make ticket reservations, please contact the Box Office Manager, Debbie Hudson, at 852-6814. Accepted methods of payment include Visa & Mastercard.