News and Updates

My new play YOUNG NEGRESS STEPPING OUT OF THE RIVER AT DAWN will open for a limited-run production starting this coming week at Center Stage in Greenville, SC. It won their New Play Festival last year, and I'm very excited to get to work with them again. Tuesday, September 16, 2014 at 7:00pm Wednesday, September 17, 2014 at 7:00pm Tuesday, September 23, 2014 at 7:00pm Wednesday, September 24, 2014 at 7:00pm Sunday, September 28, 2014 at 7:00pm PRESS: Preview article in The Greenville News

I'm very glad to share that my new play YOUNG NEGRESS STEPPING OUT OF THE RIVER AT DAWN will have two limited-run productions this coming season. Center Stage (Greenville, SC) will present the play in September, 2014, as part of their inaugural "On the Fringe" series. The series examines edgier work and runs in rep with their mainstage production of Hands on a Hard Body book by Doug Wright, lyrics by Amanda Green, music by Trey Anastasio & Amanda Green. I'm honored to continue to work with Centre Stage after winning their New Play Festival in 2013. Mixed Blood Theatre (Minneapolis, MN) will present the play in May, 2015, as part of their 55454 series which examines the African and Muslim experience in America. I'll have the chance to workshop the play for two weeks, then it will enjoy a short weekend run. I'm thrilled to be working with Owiso Odera again, and collaborating with Aditi Kapil (director), Antu Jacob , and Irungu Mutu for the first t...

After an amazing week in Greenville, SC, I'm so happy that my new play YOUNG NEGRESS STEPPING OUT OF THE RIVER AT DAWN was chosen as the winner of the 2013 Centre Stage New Play Festival . Thanks very much to an amazing cast and director, Ahsha Daniels, who worked so hard to make this reading a challenging, enjoyable evening. We had an incredible audience response, and I was grateful for the chance to hear the play aloud, and learn more about this story.

I'm thrilled to announce that my new play YOUNG NEGRESS STEPPING OUT OF THE RIVER AT DAWN has been selected for the 2013 Centre Stage New Play Festival in Greenville, SC. As one of only three plays selected, I will enjoy a week of workshop, rehearsal, and a formal presentation. This story has been a labor of love since the very beginning, and I am so glad to have the chance to share it with new audiences.

This month I'm making a journey to Rwanda for a few weeks of theatrical research. I'm studying a wedding dress rental business in the town of Kibungo, sponsored by the Anglican Church in Rwanda, in hopes of writing a new play about it. The shop rents used wedding dresses - most donated by American church-goers - and has become a hub in a new micro-economy that includes cleaners, tailors, and delivery people. All focused on the growing popularity of weddings in Rwanda these days. I want to find out more. Follow me online, here, or on Twitter: @Deanomiter .