Arts and Entertainment

'Blood at the Root' to have New York City premiere

"Blood at the Root" premiered at Penn State in April 2014. Credit: Patrick Mansell / Penn State. Creative Commons

The international award-winning "Blood at the Root," which the School of Theatre commissioned for its master of fine arts (M.F.A.) acting class of 2014, will have its New York City premiere at the National Black Theatre, April 20–May 15. Written by Dominique Morisseau and directed by Steve Broadnax, head of the M.F.A. acting program, the play, inspired by the story of six black Louisiana teenagers charged with attempted murder, won the Kennedy Center’s Hip Hop Theater Creator Award and has been honored at the Adelaide Fringe Festival (Australia), Edinburgh Festival Fringe (Scotland) and Grahamstown Arts Festival (South Africa).

During the 2013–14 academic year, the M.F.A. actors took "Blood at the Root" to Penn State commonwealth campuses and have continued to perform the play nationally and internationally. For more on the play, see this 2014 feature story and this 2015 article on recent awards.

The New York City premiere of "Blood at the Root" is co-presented by the National Black Theatre and Hi-ARTS. For more information and tickets, visit http://www.nationalblacktheatre.org/#!blood-at-the-root/ryejq.

Last Updated March 23, 2016