The Classical Theatre of Harlem presents
Uptown Shakespeare in the Park
MACBETH
Directed by Carl Cofield, Choreographed by Tiffany Rea-Fisher
featuring Ty Jones, Roslyn Ruff, and Elisa Monte Dance
Preview Performances
Friday, July 8, 2016, at 8:30 p.m. &
Saturday, July 9, 2016, at 8 p.m.
Opening Night
Sunday, July 10, 2016, at 8 p.m.
Performances
July 12 – 31, 2016 Tuesday–Sunday, at 8 p.m (Fridays at 8:30 p.m.)
Richard Rodgers Amphitheater in Marcus Garvey Park, NYC
May 26, 2016/New York, NY— The Classical Theatre of Harlem (CTH) (Ty Jones, Producing Artistic Director; David Roberts, Managing Director), will present Macbeth as its annual free Uptown Shakespeare in the Park production. The free, family-friendly production of William Shakespeare’s classic, directed by Carl Cofield, and featuring CTH Producing Artistic Director, Ty Jones as the titular antihero, will run from July 10 through 31 with preview performances July 8 and 9 at the Richard Rodgers Amphitheater in Marcus Garvey Park. The production, framed to reflect the diverse culture and interests of the CTH audience, will be informed by Ethiopia during the time of Haile Selassie (Ethiopia’s regent from 1916 to 1930 and Emperor of Ethiopia from 1930 to 1974). With this production, CTH enters into a unique collaboration with Elisa Monte Dance, whose artistic director, Tiffany Rea-Fisher, will serve as choreographer. During the run of the production, CTH will feature one pre-show performance by students of CTH’s educational program, Project Classics, in collaboration with The Dream Center. CTH’s Uptown Shakespeare in the Park continues to be presented in association with City Parks Foundation’s SummerStage festival.
This production will reunite Roslyn Ruff and Ty Jones as Macbeth and Lady Macbeth, who last performed the roles for CTH ten years ago. Also in the cast are Afia Abusham, Ryan Alvarado, Emannuel Brown, Brandon Carter, Jason Delane, Avon Haughton, Anthony Vaughn Merchant, Andrea Patterson, and Gil Polk. The ensemble will be joined by company members of Elisa Monte Dance. The creative team is rounded out by Shayshahn MacPherson (music direction), Christopher and Justin Swader (scenic design), Rachel Dozier-Ezell (costume design), Alan C. Edwards (lighting design), John McKenna (sound design), Katherine Freer (projection design), Emannuel Brown (fight direction), Haylee Scott (stage management), and Rachael Harris (production management).
TICKETING INFORMATION & PERFORMANCE DETAILS
The Classical Theatre of Harlem’s Uptown Shakespeare in the Park production of Macbeth
Saturday, July 30 – CTH’s Project Classics Shakespeare Intensive Presentation
ABOUT THE ARTISTS
A New York-based director and actor. He directed the award-winning world premiere of One Night In Miami (Huffington Post best of L.A. 2013, N.A.A.C.P., L.A. Drama Critics Circle and others) for Rogue Machine Theater. NYC directing credits include The Seven by Will Power at the Connelly Theatre, The Tuskegee Airman Project for CUNY York College, Hello, I’m Eve by Rebecca Nichloson, The Bear, and others. He assisted Molly Smith in the world premiere of Camp David by Laurence Wright at Arena Stage. He also assisted Kent Gash on Langston In Harlem at Urban Stages. As an actor, his work has been seen at The Manhattan Theater Club (Ruined), Berkeley Rep, Alliance, Arena Stage, The Shakespeare Theater, Intiman, Actors Theater of Louisville, Shakespeare Santa Cruz, Milwaukee Rep, Alabama Shakespeare, The McCarter, The Acting Company, The Studio Theatre and many others. www.carlcofield.com
Under his leadership, CTH artistic programming has grown in scope and recognition. Mr. Jones initiated the acclaimedUptown Meets DowntownTM program – comprising strategic partnerships with downtown theaters designed to build artistic bridges between communities. He led the inaugural CTHUptown Shakespeare in the Park, bringing free, outdoor, professional theatre to Harlem’s Marcus Garvey Park for an unprecedented extended run. CTH produces Future Classics and Playwrights’ Playground, two reading series which aid emerging playwrights in developing their work. Artistic Credits. Broadway: ENRON; Judgment at Nuremberg; Julius Caesar; Henry IV; CTH: The Blacks: A Clown Show; Macbeth;Emancipation: Chronicles of the Nat Turner Rebellion. Regional: Hamlet, American Shakespeare Theatre Company; Six Degrees of Separation, Baltimore Center Stage/MSC; Fences, Guthrie; One Night in Miami…, Rogue Machine. Film/TV: Annie, Tower Heist, The Taking of Pelham123, Redacted,Elementary, Smash, and currently recurring on POWER. Mr. Jones received his MFA from the University of Delaware’s Professional Theatre Training Program, where he was the recipient of the Presidential Citation for Outstanding Achievement Award. He was named “One of 25 to Watch” in TIME OUT magazine. Ty is an NAACP, AUDLECO, OBIE, and LADCC award recipient.
Tiffany Rea-Fisher is the newly appointed Artistic Director of the New York City-based internationally acclaimed modern dance company Elisa Monte Dance, where she was a principal dancer until 2010. She was named Dance Magazine’s “On the Rise” person in the August 2007 issue for her performance during the company’s 2006 season at The Joyce Theater. As a choreographer Tiffany has had the pleasure of creating numerous pieces for the company. Most notably Tiffany has had her work performed for the Duke and Duchess of Luxembourg. Tiffany’s work extends well beyond the stage. She has created work for the Qlm, fashion, and music industries. In 2012, Rea-Fisher was chosen to create a new work for the Louis Vuitton / Reconstruction 3.0 Life is a Journey project. In 2015, she choreographed Transcendence, a dance Qlm, for the Paola Hernández 2015 fashion week runway show. Paola and Tiffany are currently collaborating on a live fashion, dance Qlm event for Paola’s winter 2016 line.Roslyn Ruff (Lady Macbeth)
Broadway: All The Way, Romeo & Juliet, Fences. Off-Broadway: select credits include Familiar (Playwrights Horizons), Scenes from a Marriage (NYTW), The Piano Lesson (Signature Theater – 2013 Lucille Lortel Award, Drama League nomination), Macbeth (TFANA), Seven Guitars (Signature – 2007 Obie Award) The Cherry Orchard (Classical Theatre of Harlem), Pudd’nhead Wilson (The Acting Company). Regional credits includes work at Two River Theatre, Berkeley Rep, Long Wharf, The Kennedy Center, Indiana Rep, Old Globe, Alliance Theatre, McCarter Theatre, ART, Yale Rep. Film: The Help, Salt, Life During Wartime, Rachel Getting Married. TV: Madame Secretary, The Family, Doubt, Elementary, American Odyssey, Masters of Sex, The Big C.
ABOUT THE CLASSICAL THEATRE OF HARLEM
The Classical Theatre of Harlem (CTH) is an American theatre company that tells stories as seen through the lens of the African diaspora and does work that honors the cultural legacy of the neighborhood in which it was founded. CTH combines original adaptations, music, and dance to present great classics of world literature as well as contemporary works that will stand the test of time while being truly reflective of the diversity of ideas and racial tapestry that is America. Since its founding in 1999, CTH has presented works ranging from traditional classical playwrights (Anton Chekhov, Euripides and William Shakespeare), to established 20th-century playwrights (August Wilson, Langston Hughes and Jean Genet) to new plays by emerging playwrights. CTH also proudly provides theater-based training and live theater experiences to Harlem youth and their families through its arts education program, Project Classics. The organization engages new audiences, provides artistic development of new work, and gives exposure to emerging playwrights with its three free reading series: Future Classics, Playwrights’ Playground, and Revisited Classics. For more information about CTH visit www.cthnyc.org. Connect with CTH on Twitter (@classicalharlem), Instagram (@classicalharlem), and Facebook (CTH Facebook).
Major support for CTH provided by Axe-Houghton Foundation, The Braugher Family, Casement Fund, City Parks Foundation, Coalition of Theatres of Color, The Columbus Foundation, ConEdison, Douglas & Paige Armentrout, Ford Foundation, Google, Harlem Community Development Corporation, Howard Gilman Foundation, Jarvis & Constance Doctorow Family Foundation, L & N Andreas Foundation, Luther & Deborah Ragin, National Endowment for the Arts, New York Community Trust, NYC Department of Cultural Affairs, NYC Department of Parks & Recreation, The Office of Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer, The Office of NYC Councilmember Inez Dickens, The Office of NYC Councilmember Mark Levine, Puffin Foundation West, Robert & Mercedes Eichholz Foundation, SHS Foundation, and Upper Manhattan Empowerment Zone.
ABOUT ELISA MONTE DANCE
Elisa Monte Dance (EMD), founded in 1981, bridges cultural barriers through the universal language of dance. From its earliest recognition on the world stage in 1982 as “Best Company” at the International Dance Festival of Paris, the company has succeeded for more than three decades. The company is widely recognized for its highly athletic and sensual style, as well as its technical and physical acuity, exploring a multitude of topics and themes.
The company has performed in over 40 countries on 5 continents. Elisa Monte Dance has also appeared in several major dance festivals among them, the Brooklyn Academy of Music’s Next Wave Festival, Jacob’s Pillow, The Spoleto Festival both in the US and Umbria, Italy, Lincoln Center’s Out of Doors to Steps ’98 Switzerland, and participated in Weimar, Germany’s 1999 Cultural Capital activities. Elisa Monte Dance has been featured on television networks through Europe, Asia, and the Caribbean, and the company was highlighted on Metro Arts on PBS Channel 13 as part of the station’s Dance Month celebrating accomplished New York City-based choreographers. Elisa Monte Dance celebrates diversity through its work, artists, and staff. The company’s artists hail from all corners of the globe, including the Caribbean, Europe, and across the United States.
EMD’s mission is to bridge cultural barriers through the universal language of dance. The company’s work emphasizes three main objectives: Train and maintain a corps of professional dancers of multi-ethnic origin, capable of meeting the artistic and physical demands of the choreography; Educate individuals in the art of movement and in appreciation of live dance performance; and Collaborate with distinguished artists across other disciplines. www.elisamontedance.org
ABOUT SUMMERSTAGE
SummerStage, a program of City Parks Foundation, is New York’s largest free performing arts festival. SummerStage annually presents over 115 free performances in sixteen parks throughout the five boroughs. With performances ranging from American pop, Latin and world music to dance, spoken word and theater, SummerStage fills a vital niche in New York City’s summer arts festival landscape. Since its inception thirty-one years ago, more than six million people from New York City and around the world have enjoyed SummerStage. SummerStage is presented by Capital One Bank.
