ADVISORY, April 5, 2012 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) --
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Who/What: |
The Ensemble Theatre celebrates its completion of the August Wilson 10-play cycle with the upcoming presentation of King Hedley II. Ensemble Theatre Artistic Director Eileen J. Morris will become one of two female directors who have directed eight plays of Wilson's entire cycle. | ||
| King Hedley II tells the story of a young man striving to make a difference in his world and those around him by planting seeds – seeds that will bring beauty to his environment and seeds that will ensure that his legacy can be carried on. | |||
| Set in 1985, King Hedley II follows the characters created by August Wilson in Seven Guitars, in which a group of friends give account of incidents they believe lead to the murder of a popular musician. The story concluded with Ruby, a flirty young woman who meets an angry Haitian man named Hedley while visiting her cousin. In order to subdue him from an angry rage, Ruby offers herself to him and leads him to believe the child she carries is conceived by him. King Hedley II tells a story of hope and forgiveness of the common man who bears both physical and emotional scars, yet still dreams. | |||
| When: | Previews: | Saturday, May 5, 2012: | 8:00 p.m. |
| Sunday, May 6, 2012: | 3:00 p.m. | ||
| Wednesday, May 9, 2012 | 7:30 p.m. | ||
| Show Run: | May 10 – June 3, 2012 | ||
| Thursdays: 7:30 p.m. | |||
| Fridays: 8:00 p.m. | |||
| Saturdays: 2:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m. | |||
| Sundays: 3:00 p.m. | |||
| ****Opening Night and Media Reception is Thursday, May 10, 2012 at 6:30 p.m. **** | |||
| Where: | The Ensemble Theatre | ||
| 3535 Main St. | |||
| Houston, TX 77002 | |||
| 713-520-0055 | |||
| www.ensemblehouston.com | |||
The Ensemble Theatre's 2011-2012 Season is sponsored in part by grants from the City of Houston through the Houston Arts Alliance. United Airlines is the exclusive airline sponsor for The Ensemble Theatre. This production is generously sponsored by CenterPoint Energy.
The Ensemble Theatre was founded in 1976 by the late George Hawkins to preserve African American artistic expression and to enlighten, entertain, and enrich a diverse community. Thirty-five years later, the theatre has evolved from a touring company operating from the trunk of Mr. Hawkins' car to being one of Houston's finest historical cultural institutions. The Ensemble is one of a few 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, it holds the distinction of being one of the nation's largest African American theatres owning and operating its facility and producing in-house. Board President Emeritus Audrey Lawson led the capital campaign for The Ensemble's $4.5 million building renovations that concluded in 1997. 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.