DETROIT '67 World Premiere to Begin Previews at The Public Theater, 2/26

The Public Theater will begin previews for the world premiere of DETROIT '67, a Public Lab production by Dominique Morisseau, on Tuesday, February 26. Directed by Kwame Kwei-Armah, DETROIT '67 will run through Sunday, March 17 in The Public's Shiva Theater, with an official press opening on Tuesday, March 12.

It's 1967 in Detroit and Motown music gets the party started. Chelle and her brother Lank transform their basement into an after-hours joint to make ends meet. But when a mysterious woman winds her way into their lives, the siblings clash over much more than family business. As their pent-up feelings erupt, so does their city, and the flames of the '67 Detroit riots engulf them all. DETROIT '67 is presented in association with the Classical Theatre of Harlem.
The complete cast of DETROIT '67 features De'Adre Aziza (Bunny), Francois Battiste (Lank), Brandon J. Dirden (Sly), Samantha Soule (Caroline), and Michelle Wilson (Chelle).

DETROIT '67 features scenic design by Neil Patel, costume design by Emilio Esosa, lighting design by Colin Young, and sound design by Shane Rettig.

Single tickets, priced at $15, are on sale now and can be purchased by calling (212) 967-7555, www.publictheater.org, or in person at The Public Theater box office at 425 Lafayette Street. The Library at The Public will also be open nightly for food and drink, beginning at 5:30 p.m., and Joe's Pub will continue to offer some of the best music in the city.

DOMINIQUE MORISSEAU (Playwright), a writer and actress, is a recent alumni of the 2011 Public Theater Emerging Writers Group, the Women's Project Playwrights Lab, and a 2011-2012 Lark Playwrights Workshop fellow. In September 2012, her play Sunset Baby had its world premiere at the Gate Theater in London, UK. Dominique's inaugural play, Follow Me To Nellie's, was developed at the 2010 O'Neill National Playwrights Conference and produced at Premiere Stages in July 2011. Her produced one-acts include: Third Grade (FTT Festival), Black at Michigan (Cherry Lane Studio/DUTF), Socks, Roses Are Played Out and Love and Nappiness (Center Stage, ATH). Dominique's commissions include: love.lies.liberation (The New Group), Bumrush (Hip Hop Theater Festival) and The Masterpiece (Harlem9/HSA). Dominique is currently developing a 3-play cycle on her hometown of Detroit, entitled "The Detroit Projects". The first play in the series, Detroit '67, was developed at The Public Theater and was a finalist for the 2011 O'Neill National Playwrights Conference. The second play in the series, Paradise Blue, was developed June 2011 at the Voice and Vision Retreat, the Hansberry Project at ACT in Seattle, and at Dartmouth with New York Theatre Workshop. Her work has also been published in NY Times bestseller- "Chicken Soup for the African American Soul". Dominique is a Jane Chambers Playwriting Award Honoree, a two-time NAACP Image Award recipient, a runner-up for the 2011 Princess Grace Award, a recipient of the Elizabeth George commission from South Coast Rep, a commendation from the Primus Prize by the American Theatre Critics Association, and the 2012 PoNY (Playwrights of New York) Fellow.

Kwame Kwei-Armah (Director) is Artistic Director of Baltimore Centerstage and Chancellor of the University of the Arts London. He has served as Writer in Residence for the Old Vic and BBC Radio. Amongst his many plays, Elmina's Kitchen, Fix Up, and Statement of Regret premiered at the Royal National Theatre of Great Britain, with Elmina's Kitchen transferring to London's West End, making him the first Black British playwright to have that honor. Kwame was awarded an OBE from Queen Elizabeth II on her Jubilee Honours List for Services to Drama. His other awards include the Olivier Award, BAFTA nominations, Evening Standard Charles Wintor Award, Screen Nation Award, 100 Black Men of Britain Public Figure Award, GPA Man of the year, and the RECON Local Community Leadership Award. He also served as a Good Will Ambassador for Trade for Christian Aid (2003-2008). He is currently on the board of TCG and serves on the Steinberg Playwright Award Advisory Committee. Plays he has directed at Centerstage include Things of Dry Hours, The Whipping Man, Enemy of the People, and The Mountaintop. At the Tricycle Theatre he has directed Let There be Love, and Seize the Day. He also directed the opening ceremony of the World Festival of Black Arts and Culture in Dakar, Senegal.

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