Another curtain is rising in the Philadelphia area.
At the Bristol Riverside Theatre, their 35th anniversary season is continuing on with the production of Tony Nominee Dominique Morriseau’s timely play about four Detroit auto workers, ‘Skeleton Crew.’ The play, which first premiered at Atlantic Theatre Company in New York in 2016 is the third installment to her Detroit Project—a three play cycle that includes Paradise Blue and Detroit ‘67—and is officially on stage now through Nov. 21.
“We saw this play in New York and immediately thought this would be the perfect play to bring to Bristol,” said BRT Producing Director Ken Kaissar in a statement. “The characters in this play are not only hardworking, they are also very caring and they think of each other as family. They are a tight knit community, and that’s exactly how we think of Bristol, a tight knit community. So we thought our audience would really connect with and appreciate this play.”
The official description for ‘Skeleton Crew’ reads: Four Detroit auto workers panic as rumors that their factory is closing circulate through the tight-knit work community. With their futures unknown, each of the workers must make difficult choices about loyalty to each other, the company, and themselves. In this timely play by MacArthur Foundation “Genius Grant” recipient Dominique Morisseau, who also spent three seasons as a co-producer of Showtime’s ‘Shameless’, audiences go back to the start of the Great Recession where one of the last auto stamping plants in Detroit is on shaky ground. Each of the workers has to make choices on how to move forward. Shanita has to decide how she’ll support herself and her unborn child, Faye has to decide how and where she’ll live, and Dez has to figure out how to make his ambitious dreams a reality. Power dynamics shift as their manager Reggie is torn between doing right by his work family, and by the red tape in his office. This powerful and tense play showcases the families we make at work and how we bring each other through the hard times when dynamics shift.
What also sets this production—directed by Cameron Knight, the new head of the BFA Acting Program at Rutgers University—apart is the fact that everyone involved in the show is making their BRT debut. As the release states, having Knight at the helm of a BRT show has been something Kaissar wanted to happen. Years ago, Kaissar met Knight when Knight taught in North Carolina and Kaissar shadowed one of his acting Shakespeare classes. Kaissar noticed how Knight worked with actors and was impressed. He wanted to work with Knight and ‘Skeleton Crew’ opened the door for it. Knight’s cast includes Malik Childs (a Detroit native) as Dez, Lisa Strum as Faye, Joell Well as Shanita and Marquis Wood as Reggie.
“He was amazing with the actors,” said Kaissar in a statement. “The work he got from them was just beautiful, and I thought, I’ve got to work with this director someday. So when we needed a director for ‘Skeleton Crew’ he was an obvious choice. Cameron taught at my Alma Mater, Carnegie Mellon, and now he is the new Head of BFA Acting at Rutgers University. They are definitely lucky to have a teacher of his caliber teaching there, and we are so fortunate to have him in Bristol working on this show.”
This new production continues to showcase the flourishing arts making a comeback in the Philadelphia area.
“We love having audiences back in our space. This time they can expect a very intelligent and beautifully written script by Dominique Morisseau filled with lots of heart,” finished Kaissar. “The four-person acting ensemble is incredible, and this is a chance to see top-notch acting up close and personal. The play is a wonderful comment on the resilience of the human spirit. The struggles are real and relatable, and watching the characters navigate their predicaments is ultimately very uplifting and inspiring.”
Subscriptions for the 2021-22 season are still available starting at $124. Single tickets are also on sale starting at $43. For information on the Bristol Riverside Theatre (120 Radcliffe St, Bristol.) visit brtstage.org
