As the country gears up for an intense presidential election, issues like race, gender, class and age creep into the national conversation. On Saturday, October 22, at The Billie Holiday Theatre, Playwright Richard Wesley, under the direction of Walter Dallas, will debut "AUTUMN," a timely political drama that explores the conflicts that arise when aspirations collide across generational, racial and gender divides marking sharply different political agendas against the needs of the people.
The Center for Arts & Culture of Bedford Stuyvesant Restoration Corporation is the presenting organization for the play's New York premiere, which will take place at the Kumble Theater at Long Island University (as the Billie Holiday Theatre remains under construction for renovations).
[perfectpullquote align="right" cite="" link="" color="" class="" size=""]"This cast is a director's dream. They all bring a wealth of experience to the table and I am excited to see how each of them tell this critical and crucial story."[/perfectpullquote]
Wesley said, the concept of AUTUMN was in the works for more than 20 years as he quietly observed the evolution of Black politicians against a changing political landscape.
Bringing AUTUMN to life is a cast of stage, television and film heavy-weights, including Jerome Preston Bates (Seven Guitars, Stickfly, Peeples), Terria Joseph (Empire, Cornerstone), Brent Langdon (House of Cards, The Program), Dorian Missick (Southland, Deliver Me From Evil, Zoe Ever After), Count Stovall (A Streetcar Named Desire, Driving Miss Daisy, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof), Pauletta Washington (Beloved, The Watsons Go to Birmingham) and newcomer playwright and actor, Lekethia Dalcoe.
"This cast is a director's dream," said Dallas. "They all bring a wealth of experience to the table and I am excited to see how each of them tell this critical and crucial story."
Part of RestorationART's 2016 Project Protest: Silence Is Not an Option Series, AUTUMN also is one part of a larger conversation around theater, politics, community and activism promulgated by Restoration for the past 50 years.
A pre-show panel discussion will be held on the Oct. 22 opening night premier, from 6:30pm — 7:30pm. Invited panelists include Colvin Grannum, president of Bedford Stuyvesant Restoration Corporation; New York City Public Advocate Letitia James; and Playwright Richard Wesley. This conversation hopes to inspire participants to get involved with local issues and matters affecting their community by voting.
AUTUMN has a limited, two-week run, through Sunday, November 6, 2016. So get your tickets now! For more information on AUTUMN, go here. To purchase tickets, go here.
