HOUSTON, March 7, 2008 (PRIME NEWSWIRE) -- The Ensemble Theatre will proudly present Phillip Hayes Dean's classic presentation of "Sty of the Blind Pig" which is depicted in the 1950's just prior to the civil rights movement. A "Blind Pig" was a house of ill repute, where women, whiskey and food were sold; however, the play speaks to the possibility of coming out of a corner, not continuing to be boxed in and willing to step out into a world and be immersed in "color".
Playwright Phillip Hayes Dean was born on the Southside of Chicago in the historic Ida B. Wells housing project, the eldest of a brother and sister. He grew up watching neighborhood stage shows that booked Black actors on regional and national tours. When he was six, his uncle took him to see a show. He was fascinated by the stage lights, particularly the red ones which for him represented his 'dream state'. Later, he performed in several community theater productions throughout Chicago's Southside. As an adult he quickly secured acting roles in Wisteria Trees (Broadway 1958) and Waiting for Godot (1959) and played in numerous Off-Broadway shows. His written works are Freeman (1974), the Broadway revival of Paul Robeson (1979) which won the Christopher Award, the Owl Killer and The Sty of the Blind Pig (1971) which won the Hull Warner Award (1971) and the Drama Desk Award (1971). Dean also directed several plays and his favorite was The Maids in the mid-1960's in New York's Equity Library Theatre. In 1995, Dean left New York and moved to California where he's done some teaching and script critiquing. Later this year, he plans to write a profile of Sidney Poitier.
The production is directed by the Ensemble's Artistic Director, Eileen J. Morris, who acknowledges that the previous migration to Chicago packed in black folk providing them an opportunity to explore new beginnings and to create family ties and traditions in another part of the country. Morris says, "Phillip Hayes Dean's play, The Sty of the Blind Pig, is about families; it's about a mother and daughter caught up in the exactness of their world fighting to explore a difference; it's about the energy of the universe changing and placing someone in a particular time and place; the everyday realties of life -- the world view, connecting feelings, their attitudes, our stories and how we accept the diversity of those everyday factors. Flavored with enriching Negro spirituals, "Sty" is the story of how change can affect us in so many different ways."
Featured actors include: Deborah Oliver Artis, Wayne DeHart, Timothy Jackson and Cheray Dawn Josiah.
Preview dates are Saturday, March 15th @ 8:00 p.m.; Sunday, March 16th @ 3:00 p.m. and Wednesday, March 19th @ 7:30 p.m. Opening Night is Thursday, March 20th at 7:30 p.m. at The Ensemble Theatre located at 3535 Main St. "Sty of the Black Pig" is generously supported by Continental Airlines, Texas Commission on the Arts and the Houston Arts Alliance. It is rated PG-13.
"STY OF THE BLIND PIG"
Written by Phillip Hayes Dean
March 20th - April 13, 2008
Performance Times
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Previews: Saturday March 15th 8:00 pm
Sunday March 16th 3:00 pm
Wednesday March 19th 7:30 pm
Production Thursdays 7:30 pm
Run: Fridays 8:00 pm
Saturdays 2:00 pm Matinee & 8:00 pm
Sundays 3:00 pm Matinee
For ticket information and groups sales, call the Box Office at (713) 520-0055.
The Ensemble Theatre was founded in 1976 by the late George Hawkins to preserve African American artistic expression and enlighten, entertain and enrich a diverse community. Thirty years later, the theatre has evolved from a touring company operating from the trunk of Mr. Hawkins' car to become one of Houston's finest historical cultural institutions. The Ensemble is one of the only professional theatres in the region dedicated to the production of works portraying the African American experience, the oldest and largest professional African American theatre in the Southwest, and holds the distinction of being one of the nation's largest African American theatres owning and operating its facility and producing in-house. The Ensemble Theatre has fulfilled and surpassed the vision of its founder and continues to expand and create innovative programs to bring African American theatre to a myriad of audiences. The programs and operations of The Ensemble Theatre benefit a multi-cultural audience that is diverse in age, income, ethnicity and culture and its core audience is African American (70%). The Ensemble produces a Mainstage Season of six contemporary and classic works devoted to the portrayal of the African American experience by local and national playwrights and artists. The Ensemble's Performing Arts Education program provides educational workshops, Artist-in-Residence experiences and live performances for students both off-site and at the Theatre; and the Young Performers Program offers intensive summer training for children ages 7 to 17 encompassing instruction in all disciplines of the theatre arts. Through its varied programs, The Ensemble projects to benefit an audience and artistic constituency that may potentially exceed 150,000 people annually.
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