Spring 2021 ON THE BRINK Reading Series
Curated by Professor Saffron Henke
What have we learned from 2020? How do we as theatre artists respond to this moment?
These are multifaceted times we are facing, not just in terms of the political, social and cultural upheavals that 2020 brought upon us, but also the challenges the pandemic has brought to live performance as well. In response, this Spring, the Colorado State University Theatre Department will begin a series of readings of new works addressing the hot topic themes of our times – issues that have pushed our culture to the brink…and that reveal whole new worlds of possibilities. A collaboration of professional theatre artists, faculty members, current students and CSU alumni, On the Brink will explore works representing a variety of underrepresented voices and perspectives.
7:30pm-9:00pm Reading
9:00pm Facilitated post-reading discussion
Moderator: Saffron Henke
Director: Kyle Haden
Featured performers: See Below
Description:
In a not-at-all-distant future, all of the statues of colonizers and racists have come down and now two “black experts” must sort through a stack of recommendations and petitions to erect new statues to our best and blackest. But, what is the criteria for immortality? Join us for a production of this new crisp and heady, humorous and biting two hander about who stands forever.
Reading Link: Here
Playwright:
Idris Goodwin is an award winning scriptwriter, breakbeat poet, educator and director of The Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center at Colorado College. He was recently named a 2021 United States Artist Fellow. He’s created content for Nickelodeon, HBO Def Poetry, Sesame Street, NPR, BBC Radio, and the Discovery Channel. His plays include And In This Corner Cassius Clay, How We Got On, Hype Man and Jacked!
Director:
Kyle Haden is a director, educator, and Equity actor. He is in his sixth season as the artistic director of the Ashland New Plays Festival in Oregon, where he directed readings of Primary User, I Can Go, Hazardous Materials, and The Luckiest People for ANPF, as well as performing in readings of Go. Please. Go., Edward III, and Now This. During his tenure, over a dozen new plays from ANPF have gone on to have world premieres around the country, with three more scheduled for 2020.
As a director, Kyle has helmed various productions across the country, including the world premiere of Hazardous Materials (Creede Repertory Theatre), A Brief History of America (Hangar Theatre Company), Hamlet and The Winter’s Tale (Island Shakespeare Festival) and The Tens (Actor’s Theatre of Louisville). He was named a 2018 Drama League Directing Fellow, and is also a Senior Coordinating Producer with Black Lives, Black Words International Project.
As an actor, Kyle has performed at regional theaters nationwide, including the Oregon Shakespeare Festival (three seasons), Guthrie Theater, Shakespeare Theatre, Chicago Shakespeare Theater, Arizona Theater Company, Colorado Shakespeare Festival, City Theatre Company, Quantum Theatre, and Cleveland Play House, as well as various theaters in New York and Chicago. He most recently played Lt. Jack Ross in the Pittsburgh Public Theater’s production of A Few Good Men.
Kyle is an Assistant Professor of Acting at Carnegie Mellon University in his hometown of Pittsburgh, PA. BA: Wake Forest University, MFA: Columbia University.
Cast:
Playing Fiona Haysbert:
Safiya Harris was born and raised in Miami, FL. She is a proud graduate of Carnegie Mellon University, where she received a BFA in Musical Theatre/Acting. After school, she had the opportunity to perform with New Jersey Shakespeare in their fall production of “As You Like It”, leading the show as Rosalind. She’s been blessed to play roles such as Sally Bowles in Cabaret, Bunny in Detroit ’67 and perform in two off-broadway plays at the Ars Nova festival in New York City. She currently lives in LA pursuing her career in Music and TV/Film. You can check out her music on all streaming platforms. She’s very thankful for this opportunity and hopes you enjoy the performance.
Playing Chess:
Jason Sanford is a New York-based actor who is excited to work with an amazing group of artists. He earned his MFA from the University of Washington and has performed in productions across the U.S. He has played Hamlet and Othello at Island Shakespeare Festival (ISF) and performed with Shakespeare & Company, Shakespeare Santa Cruz, California Shakespeare Festival, Seattle Rep, and the Oregon Shakespeare Festival (School Tour). He is originally from San Diego, CA.