Hi-Arts and National Black Theatre presents 'Blood At The Root'

NEW YORK - April 13, 2016 - PRLog -- On Tuesday, April 5^th  Hi-ARTS (Producing Artistic Director Kamilah Forbes) and Dr. Barbara Ann Teer's NATIONAL BLACK THEATRE officially announced their partnership to bring the award winning production Blood at the Root by Dominique Morisseau (author of NY TIMES CRITICS PICK Skeleton Crew and Sunset Baby) to the National Black Theatre beginning April 20, 2016 for a New York City Premiere. This is the first time the two arts institutions are collaborating on a full theatrical production.

Inspired by the incident that happened with the Jena Six in Louisiana in 2006, BLOOD AT THE ROOT follows a group of high school students desperately trying to define themselves while seeking to persevere amidst the relentless injustice happening in America. Using music, dance and poetry this ensemble driven piece weaves into stunning effect an impactful theatrical experience that ask us to explore the current state of student activism in the 21st century (i.e.: Black Lives Matter).

This contemporary award winning (2014 Holden Street Award Edinburgh Fringe Festival) production was originally commissioned by Penn State Center Stage, and has been met with universal acclaim being presented around the world in places such as Edinburgh, South Africa, and Australia.

This production will ignite powerful discussions, and the partnering organizations want to use this moment to galvanize the youth audience in NYC towards civic engagement. Consistent with the current climate in theater to engage young diverse audiences, we are pleased to announce a ticket subsidy program sponsored by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation that will enable us to provide affordable tickets for families and young audiences. To learn more about this please contact NBT's Box Office.

Every performance will allow audiences to interact with a dramaturgical lobby exhibition and digest the themes and ideas explored in the play with a post show talkback. In addition, Hi-ARTS has scheduled a symposium to take place at El Barrio's Artspace PS109 featuring some of the leading voices in the social and racial justice community. To further our engagement with the community, the ensemble has developed a comprehensive curriculum around the show available on our website and will facilitate student workshops while in NYC.

BLOOD AT THE ROOT runs April 20 - May 15. Performances are Monday, Thursday & Friday at 7:30pm; Saturday at 2pm & 7:30pm and Sunday at 4pm. NATIONAL BLACK THEATRE is located in the heart of Harlem at 2031-33 National Black Theatre Way (at the corner of 125th Street and Fifth Avenue. Regular ticket price is $25, available at 212 722 3800 or www.nationalblacktheatre.org. Group Sales are available. To learn more about this, please contact NBT's Box Office.

Press outlets can see the show Wednesday, April 20^th or Thursday, April 21^st at 7:30pm to include as an editoral, since no reviews are needed, instead editorials can be written to bring awareness to the issues that are discussed in the piece. Contact: Richard Pelzer at richard.wicg@gmail.com or Cherine Anderson at - cepanderson@yahoo.com