HOUSTON, Jan. 11, 2010 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Ensemble Theatre kicks off the third production of its 2009-2010 Majestic Treasures Season with "American Menu" by Texas playwright Don Wilson Glenn, with an opening night and media reception February 4, 2010, 6:30PM at 3535 Main St, Houston, TX 77002.
"American Menu" takes audiences back to May 1968, shortly after the murder of Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. and a month before the assassination of Robert F. Kennedy. Five Black kitchen workers at a segregated lunch counter are forced to engage in painful self-examination brought about by yet another senseless death in their town. Through passionate conversations, these women face the realities of life on the cusp of change. Jammed in a hot, airless room they must battle prejudice, poverty, ignorance and each other as they search for inspiration. Yet in the midst of this seemingly endless time, they manage to find humor that helps bridge the gaps and reconnects them to their sense of humanity.
"This is a story about people wanting to be relevant... wanting their lives to matter," says Eileen J. Morris, Ensemble Artistic Director and Director for "American Menu." "It all happens during a time of separate but equal, where the ideal American Menu of justice, peace, and humanity was different according to your race and gender."
It's no mistake this play was set in Livingston, Texas. Playwright Don Wilson Glenn is a native Texan still residing in Livingston, Texas and he's a University of Houston alumni. He expresses his gratitude for being able to share his work with the people who influence him through his life's journey.
"I feel blessed that God has directed the journey of this play and my life to be shared with family, friends, and fellow artists that felt compelled to support these words, as brother James Baldwin called them -- those who are simply witnesses, I thank you and thank you again," says Glenn.
Previews: January 30, 31, and Feb. 3; Show Run:
February 4 - February 28, 2010
Performances: Thursdays: 7:30p.m.; Fridays: 8:00p.m.;
Saturdays: 2:00p.m. and 8:00p.m.; and Sundays: 3:00p.m.
For tickets and seating availability call: 713-520-0055
or visit: www.ensemblehouston.com
The Ensemble Theatre's 2009-2010 Season is sponsored in part by grants from the City of Houston through the Houston Arts Alliance and Texas Commission on the Arts. Continental Airlines is the exclusive airline sponsor for The Ensemble Theatre. This production was generously underwritten by Shell Oil Company.
The Ensemble Theatre was founded in 1976 by the late George Hawkins to preserve African American artistic expression and to enlighten, entertain, and enrich a diverse community. The theatre is known as the only professional theatre in its region dedicated to the production of works portraying the African American experience. In addition to being the oldest and largest professional African American theatre in the Southwest, it also holds the distinction of being one of the nation's largest African American theatres that owns and operates its facility with an in-house production team. Board President Emeritus Audrey Lawson led the capital campaign for The Ensemble's $4.5 million building renovations that concluded in 1997.
The Ensemble Theatre produces a main stage season of contemporary and classic works devoted to the portrayal of the African American experience by local and national playwrights and artists. The theatre's Performing Arts Education program provides educational workshops, Artist-in-Residence experiences and live performances for students both off-site and at the theatre. Through its varied programs, The Ensemble Theatre benefits an audience and artistic constituency of approximately 65,000 people annually.