Added performances are Dec. 10 at 7:30 PM; Dec. 11 at 7:30 PM; Dec. 12 at 8 PM; Dec. 13 at 8 PM; Dec. 14 at 7:30 PM.
Directed by Kate Whoriskey, Ruined, according to Goodman, "is the captivating story of Mama Nadi, the owner of a canteen who serves up everything from a cold beer and a warm meal — to the company of a woman. Through the eyes of this savvy businesswoman who both protects and profits from the women whose bodies have become battlegrounds, Nottage captures the constantly shifting allegiances and tragic absurdity that marks the civil war in the Democratic Republic of Congo."
Saidah Arrika Ekulona, a veteran of Nottage's Fabulation and Broadway's Well, plays Mama Nadi. The cast of Ruined is completed by Quincy Tyler Bernstine (Salima), Cherise Boothe (Josephine), Ali Amin Carter (Soldier #2), Chris Chalk (Jerome Kisembe), William Jackson Harper (Simon), Chiké Johnson (Fortune), Russell G. Jones (Christian), Simon Kashama (Soldier #1), Kevin Mambo (Commander Osembenga), Tom Mardirosian (Mr. Harari) and Condola Phyleia Rashad (Sophie).
Ruined is a co-production with Manhattan Theatre Club, where it will begin performances off-Broadway on Jan. 21, 2009 at New York City Center – Stage I.
The Goodman will present a free CONTEXT series panel event, "Tools of War: Violence against Women in African Conflicts" at 5 PM on Dec. 7 in the Owen Theatre. Tickets are free, but reservations are required. "Silence is being broken in places across Africa where women and aid officials are beginning to speak out against sexual violence as a tool of war," according to Goodman. "In the DRC, tens of thousands of women have been raped in the past few years and United Nations officials have called it the worst violence against women in the world. In a culture where rape more often brings shame than assistance to the victim, how are women finding safe ways to speak about their experiences?" Panelists Include Lynette Jackson, professor of gender studies and African studies at The University of Illinois at Chicago; Ngozi Udoye, CEO and president of African Women in America; and Prexy Nesbitt, speaker and educator on Africa, foreign policy and racism.
For more information, visit goodmantheatre.org.
