AWARD WINNING ACTRESS JOHNNIE MAE RETURNS TO THE STAGE IN
NUAFRIKAN THEATRE’S PRODUCTION OF DREAM DEFERRED
Dream Deferred, the Award Winning Play on Gentrification in Harlem
Runs through April 29, 2012
at the 133rd Street Arts Center
New York, NY, April 23, 2012 – Two-time AUDELCO Award winner Johnnie
Mae stars in Dream Deferred, the award winning play on gentrification in
Harlem. Johnnie Mae, well-known as Louanne, the notorious housemaid in the
HBO television drama Boardwalk Empire, is a seasoned stage actress who has
performed with the Classical Theatre of Harlem, New Federal Theatre,
National Black Theatre, and New Haarlem Arts Theatre. Dream Deferred
marks her debut with the emerging theatre company NuAFrikan Theatre.
Johnnie Mae won an AUDELCO Award for Best Supporting Actress in Why Old
Ladies Cry at Weddings and What Would Jesus Do?, and shared the OOBR
Award for best ensemble cast for Shakin’ the Mess Outta Misery. She was last
seen on stage in the New Haarlem Arts Theatre production of Blues for Mister
Charlie, and is frequently on television with appearances on The Big C, 30 Rock,
Louie, and all three incarnations of Law & Order.
In Dream Deferred, Johnnie Mae burns with the fervent fire of the Holy Ghost as
Mother Esther Jackson, and gives us the “tea” on her neighbors as the gossipy
Mrs. Thompson. “Working on Dream Deferred has been an educating &
empowering experience,” says Johnnie Mae. “I enjoy telling these wonderful,
rich narratives that are about Harlem. The stories are written so well; you will
feel a part of the story.”
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.
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 continues its run through
April 29, 2012 at the 133rd Street
Arts Center located at 308 West 133rd Street, Harlem, New York.
The ensemble cast includes Bisa Dawes, Shannon Harris, Donald Paul, Eddie K.
Robinson, and Curtis Williams, and features Richard Mays and Johnnie
Mae. Performances are at 7:00 PM on Tuesday – Saturday evenings, with a
matinee performance 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/
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