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KUNTU
REPERTORY THEATRE PRESENTS
AMONG THE BEST Pittsburgh Crawfords the Homestead Grays Directed by Talvin Wilks SHOWING MAY 28 THRU JUNE 13, 2009 |
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Kuntu Repertory Theatre’s 2008-2009 season is dedicated to the works of Kuntu’s late playwright-in-residence Rob Penny and his rich exploration of African American life in Pittsburgh. Kuntu’s Founder and Producing Artistic Director Vernell A. Lillie says she is thrilled to devote an entire season to Penny’s plays. She notes, “as a playwright, poet, novelist, short story writer, and literary critic, Penny carved out a vision of Black life that often is ignored and denied. He sought not to replicate the men, women, and children on the streets of Pittsburgh but to examine the unique forces, the strength, and the determination that allowed each to live, to love, and to grow in a complex society that can deny the need for humanity for all.” AMONG THE BEST The University of Pittsburgh's Kuntu Repertory Theatre brings to an end its season of plays by the late playwright Rob Penny with “Among the Best: The Pittsburgh Crawfords and the Homestead Grays,” based on two famous Negro League baseball teams. The play runs May 28 through June 13 in the Seventh-Floor Auditorium of Alumni Hall, 4227 Fifth Ave., Oakland. Penny was Kuntu's playwright-in-residence for many years and an associate professor of Africana Studies. Performances are Thursdays through Saturdays at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 4 p.m. A matinee is scheduled for 1 p.m. Saturday, June 6, and 11 a.m. Thursday, June 11. The story tells the tale of some of the most talented baseball players in the Negro League-Josh Gibson, Satchel Paige, Cool Papa Bell, Buck Leonard, and Ted “Double Duty” Radcliffe. When these legendary athletes return to Greenlee Field in Pittsburgh's Hill District, they contemplate the impact Jackie Robinson and the integration of the Major Leagues had throughout their careers. The stories of their struggle parallel the disappointment experienced by a young girl, Kemiya, who has been rejected by a local male baseball team. Attendees at the May 30 performance will be treated to a preshow reception at 7 p.m. in the lobby of the Seventh-Floor Auditorium. Photos, uniforms, and other memorabilia from the Crawfords and Grays will be on display, and former Crawford pitcher and outfielder Ted Toles will sign autographs. Some of the items will be for sale, with proceeds benefiting the Josh Gibson Foundation. Sean Gibson, the foundation's president and great-grandson of the legendary catcher Josh Gibson, has helped coordinate the event. He will be in attendance, and other former players' friends and families also are expected to attend. Among the Best will be directed by Talvin Wilks, a New York City-based playwright, director, and dramaturg, whose works include “Tod, the Boy, Tod; The Trial of Uncle S/M; The Life In Between; and American Triptych.” He has been a guest director and lecturer at SUNY/Stony Brook, Antioch College, Princeton University, and Howard University. He was an associate professor of theater at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst and has served as the interim artistic director for New WORLD Theater. Admission to “Among the Best” is $20 for adults; $14 for Pitt faculty and staff; $13 for senior citizens, students, and children ages 4-18; and $5 for all Pitt students with a valid ID. May 28 and 29 are Dollar Nights for Pitt students. Groups of 10 or more receive a 25 percent discount. For more information, call 412-624-7298 or visit www.kuntu.org. For more information on the Josh Gibson Foundation, call 412-771-6949 or visit www.joshgibson.org Among
the Best This show runs May 28 through June 13, 2009 in the 7th Floor Auditorium of Alumni Hall. Performances are 8:00 PM from Thursday to Saturday, with Sunday matinees at 4:00 PM.
Regular ticket price: $20 each, Early Bird season pass: $60, (before October 17, 08) Regular
Season Pass:
$70. Call 412-624-7298 for more information. Tickets can be purchased by cash, check or credit card. Kuntu Administrative
Offices 412-624-7298 LOCATION
OF EVENT: FOR DIRECTIONS AND PARKING CLICK HERE
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