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Black Rep Presents World Premiere of The Etymology of Bird

PROVIDENCE, RI: The final play of Black Rep's 2007-2008 Theater Season is the world premiere of The Etymology of Bird, a contemporary urban love story by Zakiyyah Alexander, directed by Black Rep's Associate Director Megan Sandberg-Zakian. The show opens in previews April 10th and runs through May 18th at The Providence Black Repertory Company (276 Westminster Street).

The Etymology of Bird takes place in present day Brooklyn, during a long, hot nyc summer. B-Boys, fly girls, and MCs mix with merengue, salsa, and dancehall; it's hot as an oven, and love is in the air.  The summer is just like any other until a new cop arrives in the neighborhood, setting in motion a series of events that will change everything.

"The idea for The Etymology of Bird began several years ago when I came across an article that dealt with the murder of Timothy Stansbury Jr.," explains Alexander, a Brooklyn native. "He was a teenager accidentally shot by a housing cop while opening the door to the roof of his housing project in Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn. The article was small and there wasn't so much information on the case, but it stuck with me... For me the issue was not just about a senseless murder, it was the fact that this sort of situation seems to happen again and again... It also occurred to me that the news only seems to cover the outer boroughs of NYC, and to report on black youth, when a tragedy occurs – especially a violent tragedy. This play was in response to these thoughts. It's a story much bigger than Brooklyn. It's a love story that is interrupted as two teenagers come of age. It's a story that goes beyond simply telling the story and asks, what is our responsibility?"

"Black Rep is thrilled to present the first production of this exciting new play," says Artistic Director Donald W. King. "The tale of the innocent black youth cut down in his prime is, tragically, a familiar one. Just as hip-hop music samples old songs to create a new one, Etymology creates a new way of telling this familiar tale by referencing and sampling everything from Shakespeare to Spike Lee to
the six o'clock news."

Given Black Rep's commitment to telling stories that create dialogue in our community, the play is a natural fit. Alexander continues, "I think Black Rep understands that a production must use visceral metaphor and provocative imagery to sensitize us to the things we've become desensitized to; the experience of watching the play should be all about the senses, which is the complete opposite of the anaesthetized way it is told in the news. It's an added benefit to have the opportunity to collaborate with a theater like Black Rep that has such a strong connection and sense of responsibility to the community it serves."

Zakiyyah Alexander was raised in Brooklyn and currently lives in Hells Kitchen, NYC. She is a graduate of the Yale School of Drama whose plays have been produced or developed by many theaters including The Bay Area Playwrights Festival, the Humana Festival, Hartford Stage, the Hip Hop Theater Festival, Vineyard Theater, the Women's Project, La Mama Theatre, and the Market Theater in Johannesburg, South Africa. She is a resident member of New Dramatists and the Dramatists Guild and Partial Comfort Productions, and the recipient of many awards, including: Stellar Network Award, the Theodore Ward Prize, Jackson Phelan Award, Drama League New Directors/New Works, New Professional Theatre Playwriting Award, Young Playwrights Inc. She is currently working on commissions from The Philadelphia Theater Company, Second Stage Theater, and the Children's Theater Company.

Single Tickets:
$20 general
$10 students/seniors
Every Sunday is Pay-What-You-Can
Tickets may be purchased through Arttix RI (www.arttixri.com,  401-621-6123)

Group rates and student/senior matinees are available! For information, contact the Black Rep Box Office at 401-351-0353 x2, or boxoffice@blackrep.org