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Chase Cargill and Matthew Hancock star in THIS BITTER EARTH.
THE ROAD THEATRE COMPANY
Presents the First show of its 2021 Season…
THIS BITTER EARTH
Written by Harrison David Rivers
Directed by Gregg T. Daniel
Virtual Season opens March 26th
Recorded Live Performances streaming at 5:00pm PST / 8:00pm EST & 8:00 pm PST / 11:00pm EST
RECORDED LIVE PERFORMANCES STREAMING MARCH 26th – APRIL 30th, 2021
“Take care of your blessings.” – Essex Hemphill
March 22, 2021…North Hollywood, CA…THE ROAD THEATRE COMPANY and Taylor Gilbert, Founding Artistic Director together with Sam Anderson, Artistic Director, are thrilled to present the first show of their 2021 season, THIS BITTER EARTH, written by Harrison David Rivers and directed by Gregg T. Daniel. Recorded live performances will begin streaming on Friday March 26th at 5:00pm PST/8:00 EST, and run through Friday, April 30th. This is much more than a Zoom reading — THIS BITTER EARTH is a fully-realized stage production, recorded on four cameras at The Road Theatre Company’s Magnolia stage, guaranteeing every ticketholder the best seat in the house!
Jesse, an introspective black playwright, finds his choices called into question when his boyfriend, Neil, a white Black Lives Matter activist, calls him out for his political apathy. As passions and priorities collide, this couple is forced to reckon with issues of race, class and the bravery it takes to love out loud.
From Director Gregg T. Daniel: “This is a play of love and loss during the age of the Black Lives Matter movement. It is such a wonderful affirmation of humanity. And, unfortunately, the last four years, we’ve been treated to such insensitivity to people of color, to women, to the LGBTQ community… we’ve had such disrespect and hostility towards them. So to find a play that humanizes, that remembers that we’re all the same people – that we want to love, we want to grow, we want a nurturing relationship… It’s so human. It’s a part of the human condition. Harrison David Rivers speaks so eloquently in this play of what it’s like to love and to lose, but to learn to love.”
ABOUT THE CREATIVE TEAM & CAST
HARRISON DAVID RIVERS (Playwright) Plays include: When We Last Flew; Broadbend, Arkansas; the bandaged place; Where Storms Are Born; Five Points. Harrison David Rivers is the winner of the 2018 relentless Award, a GLAAD Media Award winner, and a McKnight Fellow, among many other accolades. Harrison’s musical Broadbend, Arkansas premiered Off-Broadway in 2019, and productions of his work across the country continue to solidify his as a compassionate voice for change.
GREGG T. DANIEL (Director) Founder/Artistic Director of Lower Depth Theatre Ensemble and a faculty member at the USC School of Dramatic Arts. Previously directed Mariana’s Trench at the 2011 Summer Playwright’s Festival at The Road. Other credits include West Coast premieres of Tearrance Arvelle Chisolm’s,Br’er Cotton (Lower Depth Theatre Ensemble), Mfoniso Udofia’s, Her Portmanteau (Boston Court Pasadena), Lorraine Hansberry’s Les Blancs (Rogue Machine theatre, Ovation-nominated, Best Director), and Home by Samm Art Williams (International City Theatre).
He is a recipient of the 2016 NAACP Best Director award for the International City Theatre’s production of Fences by August Wilson (nominated L.A. Drama Critics Circle, Ovation, and StageScene LA awards.) He is an accomplished actor with over 100 appearances in television and film roles.
THIS BITTER EARTH will feature Matthew Hancock as Jesse and Chase Cargill as Neil.
Producers
Ray Paolantonio, Judith Moreland
Associate Producer
Blake Young-Fountain
Production Manager
Emily Jerez
Associate Director
Darryl Johnson
Designers
Brian Graves / Set Designer
Derrick McDaniel / Lighting Designer
Yasmine El-Tayeb / Sound Designer
Mary Jane Miller / Costume Designer
Nicholas Santiago / Projection Designer
Assistant to the Director
Christina Carlisi
Stage Manager
Maurie Gonzalez
Other Crew
Christine Joëlle / Property Coordinator
Carly D. Weckstein / Intimacy Coordinator
Ken Merckx / Fight Director
Christina Carlisi / Choreographer
Dor Gvirtsman / Social Media Producer
SCHEDULE & PRICING
THIS BITTER EARTH will open on Friday March 26th, 2021 and will be streaming at select dates and times through Friday, April 30th.
Friday, March 26th
5:00pm PST/8:00 EST & 8:00pm PST/11:00 EST
Saturday, March 27th
5:00pm PST/8:00 EST & 8:00pm PST/11:00 EST
Sunday, March 28th
7:00pm PST/10:00 EST
Friday, April 9th
5:00pm PST/8:00 EST & 8:00pm PST/11:00 EST
Saturday, April 10th
5:00pm PST/8:00 EST & 8:00pm PST/11:00 EST
Sunday, April 11th
7:00pm PST/10:00 EST
Friday, April 16th (Open Captioning)
8:00pm PST/11:00 EST
Saturday, April 17th (Open Captioning)
8:00pm PST/11:00 EST
Sunday, April 18th (Open Captioning)
5:00pm PST/8:00 EST
Friday, April 23rd
5:00pm PST/8:00 EST & 8:00pm PST/11:00 EST
Saturday, April 24th
5:00pm PST/8:00 EST & 8:00pm PST/11:00 EST
Friday, April 30th
8:00pm PST / 11:00 EST
Tickets are priced at $25 per Household Viewer. Special group rates are available for community centers, educators, and university groups. For any ticketing questions, please reach out at [email protected], call (818) 761-8838, or visit www.RoadTheatre.org to purchase tickets online.
Follow The Road: For more information about ticketing additional show dates, see the links below. More information will be unveiled throughout the season!
www.facebook.com/roadtheatre
www.instagram.com/roadtheatre
www.twitter.com/roadtheatre
www.youtube.com/roadtheatrecompany
