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The city offers a FREE production of Plainfield playwright B.V. Marshall's play this Thursday at the Senior Center. |
A firearm is a silent character in "Incident at Willow Creek", a FREE play for the community being produced Thursday at the Plainfield Senior Center.
Plainfield Mayor Adrian O. Mapp has encouraged the production of this play by Plainfield's award-winning playwright B.V. Marshall as part of the city's community outreach effort.
With violence very much on everyone's mind (especially with the recent horrific attack on Jewish worshipers in their Pittsburgh synagogue), the play is a gripping take on a current issue that involves us all.
Verité, an African-American professor, is at a crossroads.
She’s smug about her neutral stance regarding guns, yet she obsesses over a recent gun incident that resulted in the killing of an innocent black man. She closely follows the story on TV and radio and is torn between the need to defend oneself and the need to comply with law enforcement.
At the same time, a student perplexes her with his own fixation on guns. He even offers to teach her how to shoot, and that conflicts with her sense of self. With her own college preparing for security risks, Verité is forced to confront her beliefs, her passive nature and her own physical safety.
B. V. Marshall, the playwright (known to many of us as "Ben"), is a longtime Plainfield resident and teaches at Middlesex County College.
Marshall’s work has been performed and developed at the HBO New Writers Workshop, Theatre for the New City (New York), Luna Stage, Playwrights Theatre of New Jersey, Interact Theatre in Philadelphia, WBEZ Chicago public radio, the Kennedy Center, the Warner International Playwrights Festival and the Berrie Center at Ramapo College.
Most recently, “Incident at Willow Creek” was awarded the Stanley Drama Award, a national competition that is judged by New York City's Wagner College, which is considered the premier university drama program in the country.
A reading of Marshall's “Five Husbands” was also presented as part of the city of Plainfield’s 2018 Gay Pride Celebration.
Some of his honors include fellowships from the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation, the Helene Wurlitzer Foundation, the National Endowment for the Humanities and four playwriting fellowships from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts.
His recent essay appears in the book, “What Does It Mean to be White in America?” He has directed numerous productions and readings, including the upcoming musical “Harlem Ladies Knittin’ ” and “Bitchin’ Society.”
As an associate professor at Middlesex County College, he specializes in African-American literature, creative writing and playwriting. The school recently named him its scholar of the year for his creative work.
This production has been mounted by the City of Plainfield.
Nat Singleton is the producer, and Danielle Tucker of M. PoWeR Arts is directing the production with an ensemble from her theater group including the following --
- Stage Manager - Myra McDonald
- Verite' Jackson - Onyx Keesha
- Maxwell Adams/Police Officer - Claudio Venancio
- Sophie Capella/Cashier/Nurse/Passerby - Sharon McGuire
- Ray Copeland/Brother/2nd Police Officer - Donell Stevens
The play starts at 6:00 PM sharp this Thursday (November 8), with the doors opening at 5:00 PM. The Plainfield Senior Center is at 400 East Front Street. Parking available in the street (and in the Bank of America lot). The Senior Center is ADA-accessible.
The playwright will be in attendance, and there will be a short Q&A afterward.
-- Dan Damon [ follow ]
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