For Immediate Release: March 21, 2005
Media Contact: Keith Powell, Contemporary Stage Company, 302.658.7897 x3855

Tony and Emmy nominee Keith David ("Platoon", "Barbershop", "Jelly's Last Jam"), and Tony Award winner Richard Easton (Kenneth Branagh's "Henry V", "The Invention Of Love") are just some of the distinguished artists set to appear onstage this summer in Contemporary Stage Company's second season. Last year, Contemporary Stage's inaugural production of "Collected Stories" featured Oscar, Emmy, and Tony nominee Lynn Redgrave , and received two prestigious Barrymore Awards: Best Actress In A Play for Ms. Redgrave, and Best Supporting Actress in A Play for her co-star Karina Mackenzie.

"Last summer, right out the gate, Lynn Redgrave set our standards extremely high" said Producing Artistic Director Keith Powell "and I am overjoyed and relieved that we are able to meet those standards this summer with the caliber of artists involved in our 2005 season!"

The brainchild of Mr. Powell, the 25-year-old black actor/producer, Contemporary Stage Company is a multicultural summer theater company located in The Baby Grand Theater at The Grand Opera House in downtown Wilmington, Delaware. CSC's mission is to produce and promote plays representing the full spectrum of many cultures, often colorblind casting where appropriate.

This summer, Contemporary Stage's season will see two mainstage productions and a season bonus production. The mainstage season begins with "Restoring The Sun", a new work by Pulitzer Prize finalist Joe Sutton. The production features Tony Award Winner Richard Easton and will be directed by "Collected Stories" director Kent Paul. The season concludes with a re-imagining of the classic Tony Award winning comedy "The Fourposter" by Jan de Hartog, featuring popular film and theater actor Keith David and directed by Producing Artistic Director Keith Powell. In addition, CSC will present "30 Plays In 60 Minutes" by the Neo-Futurists, an audience-interactive bonus production that promises to be a crowd-pleaser.

"These three very different plays perfectly embody my passion and vision for Contemporary Stage," Powell said. "Restoring The Sun is a heart-pounding science thriller about following one's dreams at all costs; while The Fourposter, which originally starred Hume Cronyn and Jessica Tandy and is now being re-set during the Harlem renaissance, is a beautiful love story exploring that mysterious chemistry couples find in long-lasting relationships. And '30 Plays In 60 Minutes' is just a fun night out at the theater. All three further CSC's mission of developing and cultivating passionate theatergoers!"

"Restoring The Sun" will run from June 1st through June 12th. "The Fourposter" will run from July 6th through July 17th. Both plays will perform Wednesdays and Thursdays at 7pm, Fridays and Saturdays at 8pm, and Saturdays and Sundays at 2pm. "30 Plays In 60 Minutes" will perform from June 17th through June 26th, Fridays and Saturdays at 7pm and 9pm and Sundays at 2pm.

Season subscription are on sale now, and can be purchased by calling 1-800-37-GRAND. Subscription prices are: $46 for first week performances of all three shows, $61 for second week performances of all three shows. Subscribers get first priority seating for every show. $7 student rush tickets will be available the day of the performances.

ABOUT RESTORING THE SUN:
What if a car could run on a cupful of water? Or a whole town's electricity derived from a pond? Two scientists believe they have stumbled upon the discovery of the century in this sizzling new play by Pulitzer Prize nominee Joe Sutton. As the men race to be the first to announce their findings, a young female reporter begins to ask challenging questions. But are her motivations professional or personal? A heart-pounding and fast-paced East Coast premiere that explores our hopes and dreams for the future -- and what we will sacrifice to achieve them.

Distinguished Tony Award-winning actor Richard Easton will headline the cast of this new science thriller. Picking up the reins will be Kent Paul, director of last summer's "Collected Stories" with Lynn Redgrave. In fact, Mr. Paul will bring together the exact same production team that worked on "Collected Stories": Michael Schweikardt for sets, Nanzi Adzima for costumes, Matthew McCarthy for lights, and Robert Rees for original music.

"To draw Mr. Easton away from his very busy Broadway schedule is a real coup for us and the city of Wilmington. It speaks to the power of the play and vitality of our theater." Powell says.

Mr. Easton's distinguished career spans television, film, and theater. For many years he was a company member in Kenneth Branagh's Renaissance Theatre Company, which led to prominent roles in two of Mr. Branagh's films: "Henry V" and "Dead Again". Other film and television credits include featured roles in "Finding Forester", "Fraiser", "L.A. Law" and the Emmy winning "Benjamin Franklin" (title role). On the stage, Mr. Easton is most recently known for his starring role in "The Invention Of Love" on Broadway, which garnered him the Tony, Drama Desk, and Outer Critics Awards for Best Actor In A Leading Role in 2001. Other Broadway credits include starring roles in the recently completed "The Rivals" and "Henry IV" (as King Henry), as well as "Noises Off", "Exit The King", "The Misanthrope", "Hamlet", "The Country Wife", and "School Of Scandal" with John Gielgud. In this area, he was last seen in "Every Good Boy Deserves Favor", a co-production between the Philadelphia Symphony Orchestra and The Wilma Theater.

Playwright Joe Sutton was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for his play "Voir Dire". His work has been seen around the country at such theaters as New York Theatre Workshop, Seattle Rep, the Old Globe, Arena Stage, and more. He was a winner of the FDG/CBS Playwriting award, was the recipient of playwriting fellowships from the New York Foundation for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Arts, and was for many years an active member of New Dramatists, which honored him with their annual Joe A. Callaway Award. Mr. Sutton collaborated with choreographer Karole Armitage on "The Predator's Ball", a project that had its premiere in Florence, Italy, before continuing on to the Brooklyn Academy of Music. More recently, Mr. Sutton collaborated with Everett Quinton of the Ridiculous Theatre on an updated version of the Hansel and Gretel story called "Hanky & Girlo". He also premiered his newest play, "The Third Army", at the Long Wharf Theatre in New Haven, Connecticut. Currently, Mr. Sutton is involved in commissions for the Ensemble Studio Theatre and the Seattle Children's Theatre.

ABOUT THE FOURPOSTER:
Once you find true love, how do you make it last? After 40 years of marital bliss, infidelity, children, incompatibility, old age, and simple joys, Michael and Agnes believe they have found the answer to a long-lasting relationship. Set around the fourposter bed that has seen it all, this bold re-imagining of the Tony Award-winning classic is sure to make audiences fall in love all over again.

Popular film and theater actor Keith David takes time out of his busy film schedule to star as Michael, one half of the marital duo made famous first by Hume Cronyn and Jessica Tandy (in their first Broadway play together) and later by Rex Harrison and Lilli Palmer (in the film version). Rehearsals begin just days after his latest film, "Mr. & Mrs. Smith", hits theaters nationwide. In the film, he stars alongside Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie and Angela Bassett.

"Keith David has got to be one of my favorite character actors working in film today. When I began casting for this project, he was at the top of my list and I was delighted that he accepted. He reminds me a lot of Rex Harrison, and I'm eager to see what he brings to the play."

"The Fourposter", which received 1952's Tony Award for Best Play, takes place in New York City in the early twentieth century. It was Powell's idea to relocate the play to Harlem during the renaissance. "Audiences who do not know ‘The Fourposter' will be enchanted by its writing," says Powell, "and audiences who do know the play will see it in a fresh new way. It's a win-win situation."

On the stage, David is best know for his Tony nominated turn opposite Gregory Hines in "Jelly's Last Jam". He also starred on Broadway as the lead in August Wilson's "Seven Guitars", and Off-Broadway as the title role in "Othello" at the New York Shakespeare Festival. On film, David is best known for his roles in "There's Something About Mary", "Barbershop", "Pitch Black" and it's sequel "The Chronicles Of Riddick", "Armageddon", "Platoon", and "The Quick And The Dead". He was nominated for an Emmy Award for his performance in "The Tiger Woods Story". Also a popular voice-over actor, David can be heard as the official voice for TNT, HBO, and The US Navy.

ABOUT 30 PLAYS IN 60 MINUTES (OR: TOO MUCH LIGHT MAKES THE BABY GO BLIND)
This year, Contemporary Stage will inaugurate its WideReach program, an educational outreach component of the company that will foster college apprentices to produce seven children's plays to 15,000 school children throughout the summer. The apprentices will also present "30 Plays In 60 Minutes" free to subscribers. This hilarious and exciting production has taken New York and Chicago by storm. 30 Plays (that's right, plays – not scenes or vignettes) are performed in a race against the clock. At times hysterical, heartbreaking, and exhilarating, you won't know what to expect next. In fact, the performers won't either – because the audience decides what order they'd like to see the plays in!

Single ticket buyers will pay a $3 reservation fee, and roll dice in the lobby to see what the extra charge is ($1-$6).

"I had the pleasure of performing this amazing production myself while an apprentice in college." Said Powell. "Never have I had more fun onstage or seen audiences have more fun watching. I'm so excited to present this production to Wilmington. I know it'll be a big hit."

The production, originally titled "Too Much Light Makes The Baby Go Blind", is the creation of The Neo-Futurists, a comedy troupe based out of Chicago who performs the 30 plays in New York and in their home city. It has been a hot theater event in those places for close to fifteen years. The Neo-Futurists are comprised of 40 plus members, and each has a hand in writing one of the thirty plays. "In college, I made the mistake of calling the plays ‘scenes'," says Powell, "I think I may have offended a few people. These aren't scenes, of course, but full and developed plays. They just happen to average two minutes in length."

The WideReach program is generously funded by MBNA Foundation.

ABOUT KEITH POWELL (PRODUCING ARTISTIC DIRECTOR)
Keith Powell attended St. Mark's High School in Wilmington before getting his Bachelor of Fine Arts degree at New York University's Tisch School Of The Arts. Producing credits include New York productions of "The Mouse That Roared," "Enter Pissarro," "Indra & Agni Collide," and a workshop of "Kidding Jane" with Ellen McLaughlin and William Charles Mitchell. Mr. Powell is the resident director for Equalogy, a professional touring company promoting social change, for which he directed two plays by August Schulenberg, "Four Hearts Changing" and "One Night." His other directing credits include "Dutchman," "Quality of Silence," "The Visit," and "Enter Pissarro." As an actor, Mr. Powell has appeared in numerous national network commercials, including a spokesperson spot for Starburst television and radio. Theater credits include "Romeo & Juliet" (The Shakespeare Theatre, Washington, DC ), "Kidding Jane" (Portland Stage Company), "Macbeth" (Pittsburgh Public Theater), "As Bees In Honey Drown" (Hangar Theater, Ithaca, NY), and "The French" (HB Playwrights Foundation, NYC) among others. Mr. Powell appeared on "The Guiding Light", "Law & Order" and recently played in a guest lead role on "Law & Order: Criminal Intent." Recent Delaware honors include Delaware Today's "40 Most Successful Delawareans Under 40", and an award donated to The Delaware English Speaking Union Shakespeare Competition. He is a member of Actors Equity Association and The Screen Actors Guild and splits his time between New York City and New Castle.

ABOUT CONTEMPORARY STAGE COMPANY
Contemporary Stage Company is the area's only summer professional Equity theater company. Boasting a unique mission, CSC is dedicated to building bridges between the many cultures of our community by producing contemporary classics with multicultural casts, or plays that specifically focus on cultural diversity. Under the leadership of Producing Artistic Director Keith Powell, CSC brings plays and artists from around the world to The Baby Grand Theater (at The Grand Opera House) every year.

For more information, contact Keith Powell at keith@contemporarystage.org or at 302-658-7897 ext. 3855.

Contemporary Stage Company receives generous support from Amtrak, AstraZeneca, Buccini/Pollin Group, Delaware Division Of The Arts, The Grand Opera House, HBO, JP Morgan Chase, and MBNA.

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