Events

“RUN, MOURNER, RUN,” by Tarell Alvin McCraney to Debut Oct. 30, 2010. The premiere will take place on Saturday, October 30, with the reception at 7:15 p.m. and performance at 8 p.m. at the Adrienne Theater. “Run, Mourner, Run” is the story of Dean Williams, who finds himself caught between the two richest men in a rural Carolina town. The choice he makes will destroy lives–maybe even his own. Directed by Matt Pfeiffer and written by Tarell Alvin McCraney, the drama is adapted from Randall Kenan’s critically acclaimed “Let the Dead Bury Their Dead,” a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award and named a New York Times Notable Book. This collaboration with Flashpoint Theatre Company marks The Brothers’ Network’s most ambitious event yet. "The Brothers’ Network is taking bold steps to lead the conversation on race as interpreted through arts and culture,” says R. Eric Thomas, playwright and board member of The Brothers’ Network. “McCraney is poised to become one of our most important voices, if he so chooses.  By helping to bring him to Flashpoint, we hope to spark new ideas and enrich the dialogue amongst artists and thinkers in Philadelphia." The premiere is also unique in that it features Tarell Alvin McCraney, America’s most promising gay black playwright, adapting work from Randall Kenan, America’s preeminent gay black author. Both award-winning writers are making their indelible mark on the literary landscape. Tarell Alvin McCraney is a fast rising star in American theater as both an actor and a playwright. A Miami native and Yale Drama School graduate, McCraney caused an international sensation in 2007 when New York’s Public Theatre and London’s Young Vic mounted nearly simultaneous productions of “The Brothers Size,” one of the plays in his Brother/Sister Plays trilogy – written as a Yale MFA class project. “The Brothers Size” played to sold-out houses in New York and earned McCraney an Olivier Award nomination in London and the first New York Times Outstanding Playwright Award in 2009. A member of Teo Castellanos’ D-Projects dance/theater ensemble in his native Miami, the openly gay McCraney spent 2008 as the RSC/Warwick International Playwright in Residence at the Royal Shakespeare Company and became the 43d member of Chicago’s storied Steppenwolf theatre ensemble this past April. His other works include “The Breach,” a play about Hurricane Katrina commissioned by New Orleans’ Southern Rep, and the Off-Broadway hit “Wig Out! A play on the KIDZ,” a semi-autobiographical play about coming to grips with one’s sexuality as a young man. JUST THE FACTS WHAT:            The Brothers’ Network and Flashpoint Theatre Present the Philadelphia Premiere of “Run, Mourner, Run” by Tarell Alvin McCraney WHEN:            October 30, 2010 Reception at 7:15 p.m., Performance at 8 p.m. WHERE:         Flashpoint Theatre Company Second Stage at the Adrienne 2030 Sansom Street, Philadelphia, Pa. TICKETS:     $20. Be sure to use the promo code Bronet when ordering by phone, online or in person. PHONE:          215-665-9720 WEBSITE:            http://www.flashpointtheatre.org/