Black Lives, Black Words (BLBW), a Chicago-based activist theater company that provides local black creatives with an artistic platform, is partnering with Writers Theatre to co-produce Ride Share, a timely story about an African-American living in corporate America that gets let go during the pandemic, becomes an Uber driver and struggles mentally with his sanity while trying to pay bills and keep up with life’s obstacles during the pandemic. The play will be filmed at a Los Angeles studio and will be available for streaming exclusively as part of the Writers Theatre 2020-2021 Season from June 9th – July 11th.
The solo virtual play, written and directed by Black Lives, Black Words award-winning Co-Founders Reginald Edmund and Simeilia Hodge-Dallaway, stars Chicago Native Kamal Bolden as the lead actor, who recently won an Obie award and has a history with Goodman Theatre. "Ride Share” is inspired by a series of Facebook posts Edmund shared about his personal experience of losing his current job and forced to pivot during the pandemic, which was then turned into a Zoom play that caught the attention of Writers Theatre Artistic Director, Michael Halberstam. An excerpt from the play below:
Marcus has a new wife, a comfortable job and everything seems to be falling into place – until his honeymoon is interrupted by an email from work, laying him off. To make ends meet, he becomes a ride share driver, shuttling passengers from all walks of life to and from parties, brunches and meetings. The passengers range from silly, to seductive – to downright scary. But as long as Marcus keeps his radio on and his wits about him, there’s nothing he can’t handle…right?
Black Lives Black Words provides theatre artists of color the opportunity to have their voice heard, raw and unfiltered, to speak honest truth about the issues that take place in their communities. The activist organization realizes that every voice, experience and narrative is essential to bridging connection and creating societal change. For a team of 35 international artists, it is a true testimony to how an artistically determined group can convey a meaningful message. The company is led by Founder and Managing Curating Producer Reginald Edmund and Co-founder, Executive Producer and Creative Director Simeilia Hodge-Dallaway, who has been listed for three consecutive years in the Stage Top 100 Power List. The two are married, a true power-couple that work together on nearly every project at BLBW.
“The pandemic we are all experiencing has taken a collective mental and physical toll on the world,” said playwright Reginald Edmund. “As the writer of Ride Share, I felt it was important to showcase a narrative that expresses the personal turmoil the pandemic has brought to many. With Bolden’s power of acting, I hope this brings comfort to others with shared experiences and brings light to mental health during this time.”
Ride Share will be virtually accessible for viewing June 9 - July 11, 2021. Tickets go on sale May 12, 2021.
All digital programing will be available to Classic Subscribers at no additional charge. "Pay As You Go" and "Up Front" Members can apply any of their four $35 Member tickets to Ride Share, The Last Match, Pearl's Rollin' With the Blues and Maurice in any combination that you'd like. Don't forget—if you want to see more, your Membership includes unlimited additional guest tickets for only $40! For more information visit https://www.writerstheatre.org/ride-share.
ABOUT KAMAL BOLDEN
Regional Theatre: Father Comes From The Wars Parts 1, 2, & 3 (Goodman Theatre), Reparations (Billie Holiday Theatre), Hands Up (National Black Theatre), Man in the Ring, Jitney, The Misanthrope, Home (Court Theatre), Detroit 67 (Northlight Theatre), The Elaborate Entrance of Chad Deity, We Are Proud to Present…(Victory Gardens Theatre), Short Shakes: Romeo & Juliet (Chicago Shakespeare), Hit The Wall (The Inconvenience), The Island (Remy Bumppo), Jackie and Me, Bud Not Buddy (Chicago Children’s Theatre), Coriolanus (Nashville Shakespeare) Immediate Family (Mark Taper Forum). Off Broadway: The Opponent (A Red Orchid Theatre, 59e59 Theatre). Film: Keys to the City, Ravers, Elvis & Nixon, The Night Before, Moments Before Tomorrow, Consumed. Television: The Resident (FOX), Chicago Fire (NBC), Insecure (HBO), NCIS (CBS), Rosewood (FOX), Major Crimes (TNT), Law & Order SVU (NBC), Betrayal (ABC), Low Winter Sun (AMC), Public Housing Unit (pilot), Lights Out (FX), Crisis (NBC), Boss (Starz). Education: Bradley University - B.S Business Administration-Entrepreneurship, British American Drama Academy.
ABOUT REGINALD EDMUND
Reginald Edmund is currently the Founder and Managing Curating Producer for Black Lives Black Words International Project. Inspired by #BlackLivesMatter, this project gives voice to some of the most contemporary political black writers from both the US, Canada, and the UK, asking them to explore the question 'Do Black Lives Matter today?'. In addition, he is a Resident Playwright at Tamasha Theatre in London, England and an Alumni Resident Playwright at Chicago Dramatists Theatre, an Artistic Associate at Pegasus Theatre-Chicago, and an Artistic Patriot at Merrimack Repertory Theatre, he was also a ‘10-‘11 Many Voice Fellow with the Playwrights’ Center. His play Southbridge was runner up for the Kennedy Center’s Lorraine Hansberry and Rosa Parks National Playwriting Awards, winner of the Southern Playwrights’ Competition, the Black Theatre Alliance Award for Best New Play, the Edgerton Foundation New American Play Award, and Kennedy Center's 2020 Citizen Artist Award.
ABOUT SIMEILIA HODGE-DALLAWAY
Founder and CEO of Artistic Directors of the Future (www.adofthefuture.com) and Co-founder, Executive Producer and Creative Director at Black Lives, Black Words International Project, Simeilia Hodge-Dallaway has been listed three consecutive years in the Stage Top 100 Power List and last year was named in the London Evening Standard The Progress 1000: London's most influential people 2018 - Performance: Theatre.
She is also the Founder/CEO of Beyond The Canon (www.beyondthecanon.com), former troubleshooter and Manager of the National Theatre's Black Play Archive, Editor of the first monologue anthology for Black Plays inspired by black British Plays: The Oberon Book of Monologues for Black Actors: Classical and Contemporary Speeches from Black British Plays which was followed by a second monologue anthology published by Bloomsbury Methuen Drama: Audition Speeches for Black, South Asian and Middle Eastern Actors, interim Associate Producer at Theatre Royal Stratford East and former Trustee at the Directors Guild of Great Britain and Company of Angels Theatre Company. She also worked nationally and internationally as a theatre director, producer, dramaturg, teacher/guest lecturer, audience development consultant. Simeilia is currently a member of the editorial team for the Backpages Selection of the Contemporary Theatre Review (Routledge/UK) and Curatorial Consultant to the Manchester International Festival.
ABOUT BLACK LIVES, BLACK WORDS
Black Lives, Black Words is an international initiative that provides local creatives with an artistic platform across various art forms to respond to social injustices that impact on underrepresented communities, in particular- people of color and women.
BLBW uniquely merges arts and activism to empower artists of color and women to view themselves as leaders, global citizens and ambassadors for change. By working in partnership with leading theatres, culturally diverse organizations and academia, BLBW has provided opportunities to artists and leaders from a wide range of ages, ethnicities, experiences and socio-economic backgrounds.
Since its conception in 2015, our work has spread both nationally and internationally through forging strong relationships with organizations, such as; The Guthrie (Minneapolis), Buddies in Bad Times (Canada), Obsidian Theatre (Canada), Victory Gardens (Chicago), Bush Theatre (London), Black Ensemble (Chicago), as well as academia, including; Rose Bruford (London), Northwestern University (Chicago) and Western Michigan (Kalamazoo).
Black Lives, Black Words International Project premiered at the Greenhouse Theatre in Chicago in 2015 and was heralded as “It’s a hopeful performance that comes from a place of love and optimism” by The Resident Magazine (UK).
For more information, please visit: www.blacklivesblackwords.org
ABOUT WRITERS THEATRE
For 29 years, Writers Theatre has captivated Chicagoland audiences with inventive interpretations of classic work, a bold approach to contemporary theatre and a dedication to creating the most intimate theatrical experience possible. Under the artistic leadership of Michael Halberstam and the executive leadership of Kathryn M. Lipuma, Writers Theatre has grown to become a major Chicagoland cultural destination with a national reputation for excellence, being called the top regional theatre in the nation by The Wall Street Journal. The company, which plays to a sold-out and discerning audience of more than 60,000 patrons each season, has garnered critical praise for the consistent high quality and intimacy of its artistry—providing the finest interpretations of both classic and contemporary theatre in its two intensely intimate venues. In February 2016, Writers Theatre opened a new, state-of-the-art facility. This established the company's first permanent home—a new theatre center in downtown Glencoe, designed by the award-winning, internationally renowned Studio Gang Architects, led by Founder and Design Principal Jeanne Gang, FAIA, in collaboration with Theatre Consultant Auerbach Pollock Friedlander. The new facility has allowed the Theatre to continue to grow to accommodate its audience, while maintaining its trademark intimacy. The new facility resonates with and complements the Theatre’s neighboring Glencoe community, adding tremendous value to Chicagoland and helping to establish the North Shore as a premier cultural destination.
Find Writers Theatre on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/WritersTheatre, follow @WritersTheatre on Twitter or @Writers_Theatre on Instagram. For more information, visit www.writerstheatre.org.