New Federal Theatre Will Relocate; 2011-12 Season Announced | Playbill

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News New Federal Theatre Will Relocate; 2011-12 Season Announced The New Federal Theatre, which recently celebrated its 40th anniversary, has announced its 2011-12 season as well as plans to relocate since its former space at the Abrons Arts Center has become unavailable.

Elaine Jackson's Puberty Rites, directed by Dean Irby, will kick off the season in October. In Puberty Rites, according to press notes, "an elemental heritage bonds two girls to an American heritage at the beginning of the 21st century. Keesha, from her struggling black world, and Vesna, from her white world of physical privilege, both face emotional poverty as they confront each other and their inherited past and future. Their personal secrets threaten to destroy them and their dreams."

In March 2012, NFT will present Court Martial at Fort Devens, written by Jeffrey Sweet and directed by Mary Beth Easley. In Court Martial at Fort Devens, "Jeffrey Sweet [has] uncovered this highly dramatic and true story of four Black women in the US Army (WACS) tried for mutiny during the last half of WWII. The women join the army to be trained as nurses (therefore bettering their lives) only to be relegated to cleaning latrines, mopping floors, and doing laundry. After refusing to perform these duties, they are court-martialed at Fort Devens as a consequence of refusing to perform commands during wartime."

The company's third production, scheduled for May 2012, has not yet been announced.

Founded by Woodie King, Jr. in 1970, New Federal Theatre has produced full seasons with an average of four plays per year and totaling 280 productions to date. NFT has brought minority actors, directors and designers to national attention. NFT alumni who were recently seen on Broadway include Debbie Allen, Phylicia Rashad and Shauneille Perry (Cat on a Hot Tin Roof); S. Epatha Merkerson (Come Back Little Sheba); Laurence Fishburne (Thurgood); Morgan Freeman (The Country Girl); and Denzel Washington (Fences).

For more information and to make a tax-deductible donation for new performance space rental for NFT's upcoming presentations, visit www.newfederaltheatre.org.

 
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