ABOUT ABANDON

Luella is alone – haunted by the ghost of her son. Joshua is alone – kicked out of his house by his brother. One winter night these two people collide. Luella is looking for redemption; Joshua is looking for family. By the next morning, these two lonely souls are meshed together into an American Family in its truest sense. A world premiere by Pulitzer Prize winning playwright James Ijames, Abandon is sometimes violent, sometimes healing; with a gossamer veil that separates the worlds of the living and the dead, and shame and acceptance.

Melanye Finister (Luella, she/her) is an artist and resident company member at People’s Light, a member of Wilma Hothouse, and an artistic advisory board member at PlayPenn. People’s Light: The Diary of Anne Frank, The Matchmaker, All My Sons, Fences, The Winter’s Tale, Seven Guitars, The Return of Don Quixote, Six Characters in Search of an Author, Something You Did, Fabulation, and The Member of the Wedding. Theatre Includes: Wilma Theater, Arden Theatre Company, Flashpoint Theatre Company, InterAct Theatre Company, Philadelphia Theatre Company, Venture Theatre, Temple Theaters and Walnut Street Theatre. Training: BFA, Carnegie Mellon University.

Brenson Thomas (Gabriel, he/him) is a Black and queer writer, actor, and theatre-maker. A graduate of Sarah Lawrence College’s MFA Theatre program, his plays include how i got over, or…red Kool-Aid stains on bubblegum lips; What We Lost & Never Knew; and How We Return, an upcoming commission for Constellation Stage & Screen in Bloomington, IN. Brenson also writes for TV/Film, most recently on Emmy Award winner Lena Waithe’s Twenties on BET. As a performer, Brenson has collaborated with Tony Award Winner Stew, Raja Feather Kelly, Lightning Rod Special in The Appointment (FringeArts/Next Door at NYTW; Barrymore Nominee for Outstanding Ensemble in a Musical), Arden Theatre Company in the world premiere of R. Eric Thomas’ Backing Track, and Into the Woods, and with 1812 Productions for This is the Week That Is: 2020, and the Wilma Theater. When he’s not hunched over his laptop crying about blank Google docs, Brenson enjoys long walks around his beloved Philly, doing bad accents, smashing patriarchal white supremacist structures, and Beyoncé.

FOR TICKETS AND INFORMATION: https://theatreexile.org/shows/abandon/

The Light

Written by Loy A. Webb
Directed by J. Paul Nicholas

Featuring: Ang(ela) Bey and Abdul Sesay

February 2, 2023 — February 26, 2023

“Explosive and Exquisite” – Stage Left

Not every marriage proposal goes as planned. What started as the happiest day of a loving couple’s lives quickly unravels when ground-shifting accusations from the past surface. What The New York Times calls “compelling” and “visceral”, The Light by Loy A. Webb is a real-time rollercoaster ride of laughter, romance, and despair that uncovers how the power of love can be a healing beacon of light.

ABOUT

Dr. Kimmika L. H. Williams-Witherspoon (Dramaturg) PhD (Cultural Anthropology), M.A. (Anthropology), MFA (Theater), Graduate Certificate) Women’s Studies, B.A. (Journalism); is an Associate Professor of Urban Theater and Community Engagement and President of the Faculty Senate at Temple University. Author of Through Smiles and Tears: The History of African American Theater (From Kemet to the Americas) (Lambert Academic Publishing, 2011); The Secret Messages in African American Theater: Hidden Meaning Embedded in Public Discourse” (Edwin Mellen Publishing, 2006), she has had over 34 productions of her plays, her stage credits include over 20 productions, 8 one-woman shows and she has performed poetry in over 120 national and international venues. A contributing poet to 44 anthologies, 11 books of poetry, 9 book chapters, 10 journal articles and 2 books on African American Theater.

FOR TICKETS AND INFORMATION: https://theatreexile.org

Today on the podcast, director Ozzie Jones drops in to talk about the production of “Pass Over”, written by Antionette Nwandu, co-produced by Theatre Exile and Theatre in the X. Here is my interview with Ozzie Jones.

Today on the podcast, playwright Jeremy Gable drops in to talk about the World Premiere of D-Pad at Theatre Exile. Directed by Brey Ann Barrett, the production follows a woman who struggles with relationships and isolates herself in the world of gaming. We also nerd out about the gaming world, its pros and cons and a near-future when we can share the same space again. Here is my interview with playwright Jeremy Gable.