[NEohioPAL] Karamu House Presents a Midwest Premier of A HOUSE WITH NO WALLS By Award Winning Playwright Thomas Gibbons, Opening January 23rd

[performingarts at karamu.com]

Karamu House Presents a Midwest Premier of A HOUSE WITH NO WALLS
By Award Winning Playwright Thomas Gibbons

Statement From Mr. Thomas Gibbons:

"A House With No Walls is the final play of a trilogy that also includes
Bee-luther-hatchee and Permanent Collection. I think of these plays as
different windows opening onto, and giving different perspectives on,
the same landscape: the contradictions and ambiguities of race in America.
The first play used the perspective of literature, the second the
perspective of art. A House With No Walls deals directly with history
itself and the question of what we choose to remember as a nation---and,
inescapably,what we choose to forget."

"Karamu is one of a few theatres that have produced all three plays. I’m
deeply honored and grateful to be part of Karamu’s work, and I thank
Terrence Spivey for his commitment to my writing. Most of all, I thank
Karamu’s audience for your attention. I hope you feel it’s rewarded."
- Playwright Thomas Gibbons, December 18, 2008


A HOUSE WITH NO WALLS (Drama-Midwest Premiere)
By Thomas Gibbons
Previews: January 21st & 22nd
Opens January 23 – February 15, 2009 (Arena)
Director: Terrence Spivey

Following on the extraordinary success of Gibbons' Bee-Luther-Hatchee
and Permanent Collection, A House With No Walls presents a conflict between
two African-Americans — Cadence Lane, rising star, in the world of
academia who has just published a startlingly conservative book and
SalifCamara, an ultra-liberal, Afrocentric political activist. The
battleground for these two opposing forces is the site of the new American
Museum of Liberty, which happens to be on the grounds of George
Washington's
Philadelphia home, including its slave quarters. This dramatic
controversy — inspired by real-life events in Philadelphia — serves as a
springboard for a volatile debate over whether or not African-Americans
should embrace the legacy of slavery as their primary identity or discard
this mantle of "victimhood."


CAST and CHARACTERS

Katrice Monee Headd
(Cadence Lane)
Katrice Monee Headd graduated Cum Laude from Kent State
University focusing on Theatre. She has appeared in
Karamu/Dobama's "Caroline, or Change," productions "Purlie
Victorious," "A Colored Funeral," "Permanent Collection,"
"The Colored Museum," and "The Fire Inside: Story and Poetry
of Nikki Giovanni" at Karamu. She also appeared in Porthouse
Theatre productions of "A Chorus Line" and "Side Show" at
Kent State's Stump Theatre. Ms. Headd was also honored at
Karamu's 2008 Hall of Fame Awards for "Rising Star."

Peter Lawson Jones
(Salif Camara)
While a law student at Harvard, Mr. Jones appeared
in Douglas Turner Wards's "Days of Absence,"
"Going a Buffalo," and Lonnie Elder's "Ceremonies
in Dark Old Men." He ended a twenty year hiatus from
the stage when he played Tyrone Washington in the
Karamu/Ensemble 2007/08 production of Pearl Cleage's
"Bourbon at the Border," and surprised critics with
his portrayal. He also participated in the 2005 stage
reading of "St. Lucy's Eyes with Ruby Dee and Bill
Cobbs, and 2006 reading of Mr. Gibbons earlier draft of
"A House With No Walls" as Salif Camara. His play "The
Family Line" was produced at Karamu in 2005.

Clyde Simon
(Park Ranger/Steve Gardner/George Washington)
Mr. Simon is Artistic Director of Convergence-
Continuum that has begun its eighth season at Liminis
Theatre in Tremont. He has been acting and directing
in New York, Chicago, Indonesia, Philippines and NE
Ohio. He has an MFA in Theatre at Kent State. Mr. Simon
has directed 22 productionsat his theatre. He appeared
in "Quills," "Each Day Dies With Sleep," "Tone Clusters,"
"Icarus," "A Murder of Crows," "Act a Lady," and "Freakshow."

Tony Zanoni
(Allen Rosen)
Mr. Zanoni attended Kent State University from 1990-1993. He
co-founded the improvisational group "Spontaneous Combustion
and toured the Midwest. He appeared in "Equus" as Alan Strang
and in "Marat Sade" at Center Country Black Box Theatre in State
College, PA. He started the LockJaw Studios, and independent film
endeavor winning several awards at the recent 48 Hour Film
Festival.

Calvin Lane
(Jacob Easton)
Mr. Lane stated acting at an early age at Karamu House while studying
arts and crafts. He had the priviledge to be part of two Broadway
musicals that toured Cleveland, one was "Porgy and Bess." He also
appeared as Walter Lee Younger in "Raisin in the Sun," and in
"Fences." He was recently of one-acts for Wake Up to Live Actors.

Taresa Willingham
(Oney Judge)
Ms. Willingham is a graduate of Baldwin-Wallace. She was recently
seen as a Radio in the Karamu/Dobama production of "Caroline, or
Change."She has also appeared in "Aida" at Beck Center and "Grease" at Cain
Park.

James Samer Hakim/Martin Parries
(Austin Judge)

James Samer Hakim
Mr. Hakim studied acting at Cuyahoga County Community College. He has
been acting for nine years.

Martin Parries
Mr. Parries is a multitalented student at John Hay High School. He is an
actor, singer, dancer, musician, magician, poet and gospel mime. He
stated at Karamu this season as Assistant Stage Manager for "Waitin' 2 End
Hell."Martin states "somethig great is happening at Karamu and I want to be
part of it."

Stacey Malone
(Understudy for Cadence Lane)
Ms. Malone studied acting at Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio.
While in the program, she played the lead role in the play "Between
Sisters." She also had a role in the film MVP, an official selection
in the 2004 Sundance Film Festival.

Keyana Vaughn
(Understudy
for Oney Judge)
Ms. Vaughn has a B.A. in Business Management and Communications. She
first appeared on stage at New West Theatre. She also appeared in
"The Antoine Fisher Story," and serves in her church on the praise
dance and worship ministry. She was recently in "Black Nativity" at
Karamu.


ARTISTIC TEAM

Terrence Spivey
(Director)
Mr. Spivey is a graduate with a B.A. Degree in Theatre at Prairie
View A&M University in Texas.He worked in New York close to twenty
years in indie films, soaps music videos and off off Broadway,in
addition to writing. His directorial debut was a one-man show at
Crossroads Theatre. As Artistic Director, he has directed two to three
shows a season at Karamu since 2003/04 season. Mr. Spivey was hired last
Fall as an adjunct professor at Kent State Theatre and Dance Dept.teaching
African American Theatre History. He has appeared in numerous local and
national magazines and will soon appear in the February 2009 issue of
American Theatre. He was recently invited to become a member of the
distinguished National Theatre Conference.

Geri Harris
(Stage Manager)
Ms. Harris has been one of the most consistent stage managers at Karamu
starting with the 2006/07 season of "King Hedley II". Since then, she
has stage managed "Black Nativity," "The Blacks: A Clown Show," the 2007
and 2008 Karamu House Hall of Fame Ceremonies.

Saidah Mitchell
(Assistant to Director and Stage Manager)
Ms. Mitchell is a company member of Dance Africa Dance. Her Karamu debut
was in 2006 production of "Dream on Monkey Mountain." She has since made
Karamu her home appearing in "A Colored Funeral," "Julius X," "The Fire
Inside: Story and Poetry of Nikki Giovanni" at 2007 Ingenuity Festival.
She was recently the female lead, Diane Jones, in the hit play "Waitin'
2 End Hell." She has also appeared in productions at Cleveland Public
Theatre and will soon be seen in Bianca Sams "Summer Nights and
Fireflies" directed by Tony Sias at the CPT Black Box series in January 2009.

Richard Morris Jr.
(Technical Director,Light/Sound Design)
Mr. Morris received his B.A. in Scenic and Lighting Design
from Kent State University. He has designed scenery, lighting and
sound design for over 80 produtions; "Caroline, or Change,"
"The Blacks: A Clown Show," "Holes," "Black Nativity," "Purlie
Victorious," "King Hedley II," "A Colored Funeral," "Gospel! Gospel!
Gospel!," and "Dream on Monkey Mountain" at Karamu, "The Bacchae," and "Mo
Pas Conin" at Cleveland Public Theatre, "The Rabbits Foot," "Later Life,"
and "Meetings on the Porch" at Ensemble and productions at Rabbit Run,
Weathervane Playhouse and Oberlin College. His most recent lighting
design was "Death of a Salesman with Avery Brooks at Oberlin.

John Konopka
(Set Designer)
Mr. Konopka studied at University of Montana with BFA in Scene Design.
His most recent set design was "Waitin' 2 End Hell." He was designer and
technical director for theatre at the Mount Garner, MA designing over 30
shows. Other recent productions at Karamu were "The Trial of One Short
Sighted Black Woman vs. Mammy Louise20and Safreeta Mae," "Permanent
Collection," "Bourbon at the Border," and "Julius X." He has also worked
as assistant Technical Director and Carpenter at Rabbit Run Theatre.

Harold Crawford
(Costumes)
Mr. Crawford attended Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising.
Following an apprentice program, he spent 7 years at Universal Studios.
Mr. Crawford has close to 35 years experience in the film industry. From
tv shows such as "Night Gallery" to 70's films as "Black Belt Jones" to
the hit tv show "Everybody Hates Chris." He has done it all. His first
stage production was the L.A. production of "Phantom of the Opera" with
Robert Guillaume. He has been costumer for Karamu since the 2006/07 season
production "Permanent Collection." His most recent was "Caroline, or
Change."

Prophet D. Seay
(Light Operator)
Mr. Seay attended CSA and studied acting at Karamu. He has been
scene shop assistant and light/sound operator for all Main Stage
shows since 2006/07 season.


Karamu House
2355 East 89th Street
Cleveland, OH 44106
216-795-7077
www.karamu.com