Harlem Drama Studio Will Offer Free Reading of Joe Turner’s Come and Gone; Casting Announced
Harlem Drama Studio, a non-profit arts organization producing multicultural theatre in and around Harlem, will present a free reading of August Wilson’s Joe Turner’s Come and Gone Oct. 6 at 1 PM.
The cast will include Nambi E. Kelley, Roz Davis, Charleigh Parker, Allie Woods, Kelly Taffe and Leon Fleischer.
Joe Turner, according to previous production notes, “tells the story of Herald Loomis who, after serving seven years hard labor, has journeyed North with his young daughter and arrives at a Pittsburgh boarding house filled with memorable characters who aid him in his search for his inner freedom.”
Each play in late playwright August Wilson’s Century Cycle documents a decade in the history of African-American culture during the 20th century, beginning with Gem of the Ocean, 1904; through Broadway’s recent Radio Golf, 1997. The majority of Wilson’s plays are set in the Pittsburgh Hill District where the playwright was born and raised.
Wilson won the Tony Award for Fences, as well as the Pulitzer Prize for Fences and The Piano Lesson. All of Wilson’s plays were Tony-nominated for Best Play, with the exception of Jitney, which played Off-Broadway, and won an Olivier for its London production. Wilson is the first African-American playwright to have a Broadway theatre in his name. The playwright died of liver cancer in October 2005, shortly after finishing rewrites on what would be his last play, Radio Golf, the final chapter in his ten-play legacy.
The original production of Joe Turner’s Come and Gone premiered on Broadway March 18, 1988, at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre, running for 105 performances. Under the direction of Lloyd Richards, the production earned Tony nominations for Best Play, Best Director, Best Featured Actor and took the Best Featured Actress Tony Award for L. Scott Caldwell.
The upcoming reading will be held at the 125th Street New York Public Library in the Reading Room at 224 East 125th Street. Although the reading is free, seating is limited. For more information or reservations, call (212) 502-6642 or visit www.harlemdrama.org.