News Release
March 12, 2010
CHAPEL HILL – PlayMakers Repertory Company will present “I Have Before Me a Remarkable Document Given to Me by a Young Lady From Rwanda” March 24-28 at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
The play is the eloquent tale of a Rwandan refugee attempting to write a book recollecting her country’s genocide. When she seeks guidance from a burned-out poet-novelist, their relationship becomes a hopeful exploration of bridging cultural gaps.
The playwright, Sonja Linden, was inspired by actual experiences of young refugees living in the United Kingdom.
CurtainUp of Los Angeles calls “Young Lady From Rwanda” a “story of beauty escaping tragedy.” “Buy, beg or steal a ticket to this play!” said The Times of London.
PlayMakers, UNC’s professional theater in residence, wraps up its 2009-2010 PRC² second-stage series with the production. PRC² performances are coupled with engaging artist-audience post-show discussions.
Shows will be at 8 p.m. nightly and 2 p.m. on March 28 in the Elizabeth Price Kenan Theatre in the Center for Dramatic Art on Country Club Road. Tickets are $24 to $32, available at www.playmakersrep.org or (919) 962-PLAY (7529).
On March 25 at 3 p.m., PlayMakers and UNC’s Sonja Haynes Stone Center for Black Culture and History will present a discussion with Raelle Myrick-Hodges, who will direct the play. The free public program will be at the center, on South Road at UNC.
Myrick-Hodges, artistic director of San Francisco’s Brava Theater Center, will discuss her career, her vision for the future of American theater and working on “Young Lady From Rwanda” for PlayMakers.
Myrick-Hodges directed Suzan-Lori Parks’ “Topdog/Underdog” for PlayMakers in 2008. She was assistant director for the original production of Parks’ “Topdog/Underdog” and The Public Theater revival of “Mother Courage” starring Meryl Streep, presented in New York’s Central Park.
She has worked at the Magic Theatre in San Francisco, Berkeley Repertory Theatre in Berkeley, Calif., and the Mark Taper Forum in Los Angeles. Myrick-Hodges co-founded the Azuka Theatre in Philadelphia.
Based in UNC’s College of Arts and Sciences, PlayMakers is the Carolinas’ premiere resident professional theater company. The Drama League of New York has named PlayMakers one of the best regional theaters in America.
Subscription packages are available for PlayMakers’ 2010-2011 season. For the lowest subscription prices, new and renewing subscribers can take advantage of PlayMakers’ early-bird discount rates through May 7. For more on the season, visit http://uncnews.unc.edu/content/view/3357/66/..
PlayMakers contact: Connie Mahan, (919) 428-1744, cmahan@email.unc.edu