 New York Classical Theatre in association with Voza Rivers/New Heritage Theatre Group and David Heron's Sure Thing Productions will present a staged reading production of David Stallings' new play Leonora at the Williams Institutional CME Church in Harlem on Monday June 3 at 7pm.
Leonora is inspired by Henrik Ibsen's 1879 classic drama A Doll's House and is based on a concept by Antonio Miniño, who also directs the reading. Full casting for the production will be announced shortly. Leonora is set in the Caribbean island of Jamaica in late 1951. Four months after catastrophic Hurricane Charlie all but destroys the island, Leonora Hartell, a Jamaican woman of color is heedlessly celebrating Christmas with her aristocratic British husband Tristan and their children. Groomed from a young age to marry into a white family, she has become accustomed to living a sheltered life. However, the unexpected arrival of several figures from her past, including her childhood friend Kalisa, sets in motion a series of events that will force her to confront her present and her future. The staged reading of Leonora is another program in New York Classical Theatre's 'Diversifying The Classics' series, which aims to focus attention on little known classic plays or plays with classical roots that expand the canon from a cultural immigrant perspective. The last reading in the series was The Widow of Valencia by Lope de Vega in December 2018. According to Artistic Director Stephen Burdman, "Our 'Diversifying the Classics' series has become central to our mission at New York Classical. The plays we explore in this series are an essential part of expanding the theatrical experience for existing patrons and creating new and diverse audiences for the classics as well. We are very happy to be working with Voza Rivers and The New Heritage Theatre Group and our guest Producer David Heron of Sure Thing Productions to bring Leonora to Harlem." The staged reading production of Leonora is sponsored by New York City Council Member Bill Perkins and the NYC Council Cultural Immigrant Initiative. The Williams Institutional CME Church is located at 2239 Adam Clayton Powell Jr Boulevard at 132nd Street, New York, NY, 10027. Admission to the reading is free. Reservations can be made at nyclassical.org/Leonora Comments are closed.
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