RUINED, currently in previews at Manhattan Theatre Club, is featured on today's edition of NPR's "Tell Me More."
In the interview which also features clips from the play, Nottage and Ekulona discuss the ongoing violence against women that takes place in the Democratic Republic of Congo, where RUINED is set, and bringing the play to the stage.
The Manhattan Theatre Club's (Lynne Meadow, Artistic Director; Barry Grove, Executive Producer) and Goodman Theatre's (Robert Falls, Artistic Director; Roche Schulfer, Executive Director) co-production of RUINED, written by Lynn Nottage and directed by Kate Whoriskey, will open Tuesday, February 10 at MTC at New York City Center - Stage I (131 West 55th Street).
In addition to Ekulona, RUINED also features Quincy Tyler Bernstine (The Misanthrope at NYTW), Cherise Boothe (King Hedley II at Signature), Chris Chalk (MTC's Defiance), William Jackson Harper (Queens Boulevard), Chiké Johnson (The Crucible at Steppenwolf), Russell Gebert Jones (Our Lady of 121st Street), Simon Shabantu Kashama (Ruined at the Goodman), two-time Emmyâ Award winner Kevin Mambo ("The Guiding Light"), Tom Mardirosian (Wonderful Town, HBO's "Oz"), Ron McBee (The Colored Museum) and Condola Rashad (Pearl at The Kennedy Center).
To hear playwright Lynn Nottage and actress Saidah Arrika Ekulona discuss the play and the timely issues it explores, CLICK HERE: http://www.npr.org/templates/player/mediaPlayer.html?action=1&t=1&islist=false&id=99725901&m=99725890
RUINED played an extended engagement at the Goodman's Owen Theatre where it opened to rave reviews for Nottage's play, the ensemble cast, and director Kate Whoriskey.
From Lynn Nottage, the Obie Award-winning author of such plays as Fabulation and Intimate Apparel and director Kate Whoriskey (The Piano Teacher, Fabulation), comes this haunting, probing work about the resilience of the human spirit during times of war. Set in a small mining town in Democratic Republic of Congo, this powerful play follows Mama Nadi (Ekulona), a shrewd businesswoman in a land torn apart by civil war. But is she protecting or profiting by the women she shelters? How far will she go to survive? Can a price be placed on a human life?
The creative team for RUINED includes: Derek McLane (scenic design), Paul Tazewell (costume design), Peter Kaczorowski (lighting design), Rob Milburn and Michael Bodeen (sound design and music direction), Dominic Kanza (original music), Randy Duncan (movement director).
Under the leadership of Artistic Director Lynne Meadow and Executive Producer Barry Grove, MTC has become one of the country's most prominent and prestigious theatre companies. MTC productions have earned a total of 16 Tony Awards and five Pulitzer Prizes, an accomplishment unparalleled by a New York theatrical institution. Renowned MTC productions include Top Girls; From Up Here; Come Back, Little Sheba; The Receptionist; LoveMusik; Blackbird; Translations; Shining City; Rabbit Hole; Doubt; Proof; The Tale of the Allergist's Wife; Kimberly Akimbo; Love! Valour! Compassion!; Sylvia; Four Dogs and a Bone; Putting It Together; Lips Together, Teeth Apart; Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune; Crimes of the Heart; and Ain't Misbehavin'.
This season, MTC's Broadway stage was renamed the Samuel J. Friedman Theatre (261 West 47th Street). The landmarked theatre has been the institution's home on Broadway since 2003 and was rehabilitated by MTC following a two-year, $35 million capital campaign. In addition, MTC operates two theatres at New York City Center (131 West 55th Street), its Off-Broadway home since 1984.
For more information on Manhattan Theatre Club, please visit www.ManhattanTheatreClub.com.
Via New York City Center Box Office (131 West 55th Street), CityTix® (212-581-1212) and www.nycitycenter.org: Single tickets for all Manhattan Theatre Club productions at New York City Center are available by calling CityTix® at (212) 581-1212. Tickets are $75.00. Group and student rates are also available. For group ticket information, call (212) 399-3000 x 4132. Student tickets are $25 and will be on sale for all performances based on availability on the day of the performance, up to one hour before showtime. Call (212) 581-1212 for further information. MTC at New York City Center is accessible to people with disabilities and is equipped with a hearing augmentation system.
