59E59 Theaters will host the New York premiere of acclaimed novelist Walter Mosley’s first full length play LIFT, directed by Marshall Jones, III. Produced by Crossroads Theatre, LIFT begins performances on Friday, October 17 for a limited engagement through Sunday, November 30. Opening Night is Tuesday, October 28 at 7 PM. The performance schedule is Tuesday – Thursday at 7 PM; Friday at 8 PM; Saturday at 2 PM & 8 PM; Sunday at 3 PM & 7 PM. Single tickets are $70 ($49 for 59E59 Members). To purchase tickets, call Ticket Central at (212) 279-4200 or visit www.59e59.org.
Biko Eisen-Martin and MaameYaa Boafo in Crossroads’ production of Walter Mosley’s LIFT
In LIFT, two ambitious co-workers meet for the first time when a catastrophic event traps them in a skyscraper elevator. In the darkness, Theodore “Big Time” Southmore and Tina Pardon form an intimate bond, sharing their deepest fears and darkest secrets, touching on issues of race, culture, and class.
LIFT received its world premiere at New Brunswick, New Jersey’s Tony Award-winning Crossroads Theatre Company in April, where TalkinBroadway praised its “jolting power,” calling it “a suspense play of unusual substance and relevance.”
The cast features Biko Eisen-Martin as Theodore “Big Time” Southmore, MaameYaa Boafo as Tina Pardon, Shavonna Banks as Noni Tariq, and Martin Kushner as John Thomas Resterly.
The design team includes Andrei Onegin (scenic design); Rocco DiSanti (lighting design and projections); Anne E. Grosz (costume design); and Toussaint Hunt (sound design). The production stage manager is Karen Parlato.
MaameYaa Boafo
MaameYaa Boafo (Tina Pardon) hails from Ghana, West Africa and was raised in Europe and East Africa before moving to the States for college. After obtaining a double Bachelor’s in Broadcast Journalism and French at Hood College in Frederick, Maryland, MaameYaa was then awarded the Levin Scholarship from Rutgers University, and received her MFA in Acting from the Mason Gross School of the Arts. Favorite roles include Ophelia in Hamlet, the Courtesan in Comedy of Errors and she recently originated the role of Biftu in Antu Yacob’s Mourning Sun as well as Akosua in Cori Thomas’ Akosua means Sunday. Since making her on-screen acting debut in 2012 in the award winning indie film Asa as the title role, MaameYaa stars as Nana Yaa in the web series, “An African City,” and as Cassie on “Thru25″ web series. She appears in the short New York I Love You, by Iquo B Essien, Tied & True, A Frieze Film & UKS Co-Production as well as national and international commercials. She was was also featured in the documentary Black is Beautiful and stars in a music video for musician ABIAH, which she also co-directed. As a print model MaameYaa has worked with photographers such as Matt Furman, Jamel Toppin, Hannan Saleh , J.Quazi King and Baron Claiborne and models for uber-pop women’s brand, Rue107. MaameYaa is currently finishing her first screenplay to be filmed later in the year.
Walter Mosley. Photo by Lia Chang
Walter Mosley (playwright), the author of more than three dozen books, is perhaps best known for his best-selling crime fiction, including the popular Easy Rawlins series. Devil in a Blue Dress was made into the 1995 film starring Denzel Washington as Rawlins. Mosley’s work has been translated into 23 languages and includes literary fiction, science fiction, political monographs, and a young adult novel. His short fiction has been widely published and his nonfiction has appeared in The New York Times Magazine and The Nation. His many awards include an O. Henry Award, Grammy, and PEN America’s Lifetime Achievement Award. Mosley’s plays include the one-act White Lilies, which was produced at Crossroads in 2013. LIFT is his first full-length play, and the first play of his to arrive in NYC.
Marshall Jones, III (director) makes his NYC directorial debut by collaborating once again with gifted writer and master storyteller Walter Mosley. Last year, Marshall made his Crossroads Theatre directorial debut with Walter Mosley’s one-act play White Lilies. Over the years, he has developed and directed numerous stage readings by a cadre of young and experienced playwrights. He has more than 25 years of experience in a wide variety of key executive positions at some of New York City’s most reputable institutions including the Apollo Theater (General Manager), Madison Square Garden (Associate Producer), Radio City Music Hall (Producer), and Disney On Broadway’s The Lion King. He is currently an Associate Professor at Rutgers University, as well as the Director of the Rutgers Summer Acting Conservatory for High School Students, a unique residency program where students from around the country studying acting for 4-week of intense training. ?He earned a BA in Theater Arts from Rutgers University and an MA in Arts Management from New York University. He serves on the Board of Directors of the Theater Communications Group (TCG) and was appointed by the Governor as a Commissioner of the NJ Public Broadcasting Authority.
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Crafting a Career
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Lia Chang is an actor, a performance and fine art botanical photographer, and an award-winning multi-platform journalist. Lia starred as Carole Barbara in Lorey Hayes’ Power Play at the 2013 National Black Theatre Festival in Winston-Salem, N.C., with Pauletta Pearson Washington, Roscoe Orman, and made her jazz vocalist debut in Rome Neal’s Banana Puddin’ Jazz “LADY” at the Nuyorican Poets Cafe in New York. She is profiled in Jade Magazine.
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