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New York, NY, April 01, 2012 “I grew up in Harlem. I was living here when nobody else wanted to be here. I was living here when every other building was a crack house. Where were they then? They started fixing up stuff, want to raise the rent, move us out, and move all these White people in. No! I grew up here. This is my block,” protests Shay-Shay, a Harlem native in the new play Dream Deferred.

Written and directed by the award-winning playwright Marcus Dargan, Dream Deferred puts a spotlight on racial tensions and social action, as African- American residents of an apartment building in Harlem struggle against the looming commercial dominance of a newly built condominium, just across the street.

The play Dream Deferred is drawn from Dargan’s conversations and observations of Harlem residents. “There was a buzz building around Harlem at the turn of the 21st century. People were noticing distinct changes and were openly vocalizing them, but the sense of fear and loss had not settled in quite yet. I simply listened. I had begun to mentally record what I heard people say and the things I watched people do. They began to cumulatively inspire me to create this work. My play is a historical document, artistically expressed to reflect the experiences of a people who may someday vanish from Harlem’s landscape without having had their final stories told. This play represents the beginning of their untimely end.”

Dargan was born in the South Bronx, but he was also raised in Harlem where family members lived and went to church, he went to middle school, and his uncle owned a retail store. “I now live in one of two apartment buildings in West Harlem that four generations of my family have lived in. This is our home. This is our 40 acres,” says Dargan. “When I noticed that White people were paying $350,000 to move into these same buildings, I took a long hard look at the historical track record of European colonization. And, I came to realize what the fate of my family and all Harlem natives would be.”

Drawing from the Black Arts Movement of the 1970’s, Dargan finds inspiration for his bold, unrelenting, confrontational, and authentic style of playwriting. “For every peacemaker, there has always been a rabble rouser, as duality has always played a significant role in African American culture, including Black Theatre. Amiri Baraka and Ed Bullins laid it out in plain English on the stage; in high contrast to the well-made plays of Lorraine Hansberry and August Wilson. Today, Black Theatre has evolved into an assimilated hybrid of commercial living room dramas and musicals. As a Black artist, I seek to fill a void that revives the spirit of a natural Black aesthetic, while maintaining high dramaturgical values. And, I want to rouse a whole lot of rabbles in the process.”

Marcus Dargan is a recipient of the Jacob A. Weiser Playwright Award and was last seen in the role created by Ken Page in Ain’t Misbehavin’ with the Harlem Repertory Theatre, garnering five AUDELCO Award nominations. Dargan is the author of the play Antichrist Lament, which received workshop performances at the Manhattan Theatre Source PlayGround Development Series, Nuyorican Poet’s Cafe, and NuAFrikan Theatre NuWorks series.

Dream Deferred will run 13 performances from April 19-29, 2012 at the 133rd Street Arts Center located at 308 West 133rd Street, Harlem, New York. The cast features Richard Mays, and Johnnie Mae, an OOBR Award winning actress and two-time recipient of the AUDELCO Award. The ensemble will include Bisa Dawes, Shannon Harris, Donald Paul, Eddie K. Robinson, and Curtis Williams. Performances are at 7:00 PM on Tuesday – Saturday evenings, with matinee performances on Wednesday and Saturday at 2:00 PM, and Sunday at 3:00 PM. General tickets are $20 at the door and are available at the 133rd Street Arts Center box office one hour before curtain or by calling the box office at 347-855-7281. Advance online tickets are $18 for adults, and $15 for seniors, students, and artists at http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/232872.

For complete ticket and schedule information, visit http://www.nuafrikantheatre.org/dream-deferred/.

Press materials are available at http://www.nuafrikantheatre.org/press.

NuAFrikan Theatre
Jajmi Robinson
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Contact
www.nuafrikantheatre.org