WHAT: A Brothers’ Network special event – a performance and discussion of “Joe Turner’s Come and Gone” by August Wilson
WHEN: Sunday, Jan. 22, 2012, at 3 p.m.
WHERE: Plays and Players Theater, 1714 Delancey Place, Philadelphia
The Brothers Network introduces its newest community partner, Plays & Players Theater, celebrating its 100th anniversary with August Wilson’s “Joe Turner’s Come and Gone,” the first of two plays this season to look back at life 100 years ago.
In the same beautiful historic theater at 1714 Delancey Place lives a newly reinvented professional theater company dedicated to Philadelphia’s talented emerging artists. Don’t miss this opportunity to see some of the most talented African-American local actors tackle one of the greatest plays by one of the greatest story tellers of the 20th century!
It’s 1911, and as emancipated slaves flood north in search of employment and a chance to start over, Seth and Bertha Holly’s boarding house in Pittsburgh offers a new place to call home in this drama by the multiple Pulitzer Prize-winning author of “The Piano Lesson,” “Seven Guitars” and “Fences.” When an angry and lost man arrives looking for his wife, forcibly removed from him years ago when he was captured and put in a chain gang by a man named Joe Turner, these once strangers are forced to confront their own demons and to come together to help him find his way.
Starring Kash Goins, Damien Wallace, James Tolbert, Cherie Jazmyn, Jamal Douglas, Candace Thomas, Mlé Chester, Bob Weick, Lauryn Jones, Brett Gray, and Erin Stewart.
Directed by Daniel Student
TWO CHANCES TO SAVE!
Join us January 22 for a Brothers’ Network Special Event. See “Joe Turner’s Come and Gone” at 3 p.m. and stay for a talkback with the show’s cast, led by local actor Johnny Hobbs, Jr. and local playwright Quinn D. Eli, as they discuss the play, the continued relevance of August Wilson’s work, and the challenges and opportunities for African-American theater in Philadelphia today.
Tickets only $18 (a savings of $7 off the regular price!) when you use the code BroNet to order tickets for this performance only.
Can’t make the 22nd? Use the code BROTHERS to save $5 off a regular price ticket for the run of the show (Jan. 19-Feb. 4) when purchasing at www.playsandplayers.org or by calling 800-595-4TIX .
About the Guest Speakers
Johnnie Hobbs, Jr. is a product of the School District of Philadelphia. He is proud of his thirty-plus-years’ affiliation with the nationally recognized Freedom Theatre and played key roles in many of its most critically acclaimed productions. Most notably he has appeared in “Black Nativity” and “Black Picture Show.” The three-time Barrymore nominee has also starred in “Simply Heavenly” with Melba Moore and Zooman and the Los Angeles premiere of “The Sign” with Virginia Capers. Mr. Hobbs has enjoyed much critical success with the works of August Wilson. He distinguished himself in such plays as “Fences,” “Joe Turner’s Come and Gone” and “Two Trains Running,” with the last under the direction of Walter Dallas, setting box office records for attendance at the Philadelphia Drama Guild. Noteworthy film credits include principal roles in “The In Crowd,” “Twelve Monkeys,” “Snipes,” “Up Close and Personal,” “Rocky Balboa” and most recently “Cover,” directed by Bill Duke. Entering his 29th year, Mr. Hobbs is a tenured associate professor in the theater department at the University of the Arts in Philadelphia, where he received the Mary Lou Beitzel Award for Distinguished Teaching in 1996. He is also the chairman of the Advisory Board for the University of the Arts’ Academic Achievement Program and the advisor to the African-American Student Union and the African Diaspora Collective.
Quinn D. Eli teaches English, creative writing, and theater at the Community College of Philadelphia. He is also a former PDC Playwright-in-Residence at Plays & Players Theatre. Two of his short plays, “Small Portions” and “Running Amok,” appear in the 2010 and 2011 editions of Best American Ten-Minute Plays. Longer plays include “Hazardous,” produced last year at Society Hill Playhouse; “The Sex Tape Play,” developed by Philadelphia Theatre Workshop; and “Hot Black/Asian Action,” a satire about sexual and racial stereotypes that premiered at the New York International Fringe Festival. He is a member of Philadelphia Dramatists Center and InterAct Theatre’s Playwrights Forum.
