SEGAL TALK: New York City on Monday 13 April 2020
Channel: HowlRound Theatre Commons
Date: 13/04/2020

The Martin E. Segal Theatre Center presents SEGAL TALKS: Keith Adkins (The New Black Fest) with Dennis A. Allen II, France-Luce Benson, Lisa Strum (NYC, USA) livestreaming on the global, commons-based, peer-produced HowlRound TV network at howlround.tv on Monday 13 April 2020 at 9 a.m. PDT (San Francisco, UTC-7) / 11 a.m. CDT (Chicago, UTC-5) / 12 p.m. EDT (New York, UTC-4) / 5 p.m. BST (London, UTC+1).

Join us for an update on the situation for theatre artists in New York City.

Bios

Keith Adkins is a playwright and screenwriter, and artistic director at The New Black Fest. His plays include SWEET HOME (MPAACT Theater, Chicago), SUGAR AND NEEDLES (Epic Theater), THE FINAL DAYS OF NEGRO-VILLE, THE DANGEROUS, a commission at The Public Theater, SAFE HOUSE, a commission honoring August Wilson @ Alliance Theater (Goodman Theater New Stages), FAREWELL MISS COTTON (Black Dahlia Theater), PITBULLS (Bay Area Playwrights Festival), THE LAST SAINT ON SUGAR HILL (MPAACT Theater), ON THE HILLS OF BLACK AMERICA. Awards: Gateway Commission from Obie Award-winning Epic Theater, Contemporary Theatre/Hansberry Project Commission, New Professional Theater Playwright Award, Kesselring Fellowship nomination, Richard Sherwood Distinguished Emerging Theater Artist Award, Van Lier Fellowship with NYTW and Sloan Science Foundation Playwriting Grant.

Dennis A. Allen II is from Hempstead, New York. He is a published and award winning Playwright; some or his accomplishments include; the first recipient of Atlantic Theater Company's Launch Commission; a alum of the National Black Theatre's I Am Soul Playwright Residency and Clubbed Thumb's Early Career Writer's Group. Dennis is an Associate Producer of The New Black Fest. He is an adjunct professor at Laguardia Community College and Montclair State University, and received his MFA from Mac Wellman's Brooklyn College Playwriting program.

France-Luce Benson is a playwright and arts educator. She was named “Someone to Watch ” in 2019 by American Theatre magazine. She is a recipient of a Miranda Foundation grant for her play Detained, an Alfred P. Sloan Foundation New Play Commission for her play The Devil’s Salt, and a Princess Grace Award runner up for Boat People. Additional honors include: Zoetrope Grand Prize for Caroline’s Wedding; Dramatists Guild Fellow 2016-17, Sam French OOB Festival Winner, NNPN Award for Best Play, and three time Kilroy List Honorable Mention. Residencies include Djerassi, the Camargo Foundation in France, and Instituto Sacatar in Bahia, Brazil. Her plays have had productions, workshops, and readings at The Playwrights Center, Oregon Shakespeare Festival, City Theatre of Miami, Global Black Voices in London, The Lark, The Billy Holiday Theatre, and Ensemble Studio Theatre of New York, where she is a company member. Benson has been published by Sam French and Routledge Press. She is currently the Community Engagement Coordinator for The Fountain Theatre in Los Angeles.

Lisa Strum is an award winning and nominated actress, playwright and director. Her solo play SHE GON’ LEARN was presented at The New Black Fest at the Lark in 2016 and she has since worked as one of the Associate Producers with the Festival. While practicing shelter in place, Lisa has reignited her passion for cooking, baking, making signature cocktails and watching Democracy Now. Lisa looks forward to sharing space with her community and family again after this crisis has slowed down. Praise and Appreciation to all of our Essential Workers!

About Segal Talks

The Martin E. Segal Theatre Center is proud to announce the third weekly line-up of its new global series, SEGAL TALKS. New York, US, and international theatre artists, curators, researchers and academics will talk daily for one hour with Segal Center’s director, Frank Hentschker, about life and art in the Time of Corona and speak about challenges, sorrows, and hopes for the new Weltzustand— the State of the World.

The newly introduced SEGAL TALKS is in English, ad-free and will be live-streaming on howlround.tv, on the Segal Center Facebook page, as well as on the Segal Center YouTube Channel. Each session will be archived on both platforms, HowlRoundand the YouTube Channel, and will raise money for a theatre artist or a company. In collaboration with HowlRound Theatre Commons, based at Emerson College.

Viewers can submit questions during the live streaming at: SegalTalks@gmail.com

https://howlround.com/happenings/livestreaming-segal-talks-keith-adkins-new-black-fest-dennis-allen-ii-france-luce-benson