FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Utah Contemporary Theatre, the Nation’s Only Free Professional Theatre Company, Presents  “Neglect,” by Sharyn Rothstein

Salt Lake City, Utah – October 28, 2010 – Utah Contemporary Theatre, the nation’s only all free professional theatre company, opens its 2010-2011 season with Sharyn Rothstein’s “Neglect.” This is the third play presented by Utah Contemporary Theatre since the company’s decision in January 2010 to offer all of its productions for free.

“Neglect” was given its first showing in Utah by UCT as a free reading during the Edward Lewis Black Theatre Festival in February of 2010. The success of this reading prompted Utah Contemporary Theatre to mount a full production with the same cast and director: Yolanda Wood as Rose and Carleton Bluford as Joseph, with Anne Stewart Mark directing. Synopsis as follows:

Rose Ann Hayes is an elderly African-American woman. Her once middle-class Chicago neighborhood has become rundown and overrun with street thugs. Living alone, she has become afraid to even leave her apartment long enough to retrieve her daily mail. Joseph is a young, unemployed, African-American man who lives in the same neighborhood. During the 1995 Chicago heat wave that left over 700 Chicago residents dead, the two are thrown together by circumstance and desperation. Through its depiction of two marginalized Black communities – the elderly and the unemployed young – Neglect acts as a powerful examination of fear, loneliness, and the desperation that comes of impossible circumstances.

Utah Contemporary Theatre is the nation’s only all free professional theater company, relying on grants, donations, and creative fundraising to guarantee that theater is accessible to anyone and everyone. The 2010-2011 season, consisting of three plays and four readings, focuses on the environmental politics and humanity’s role as self-appointed stewards of the Earth. The organization’s website is www.utahcontemporarytheatre.org.  “Neglect” will run from November 11-20 at the Rose Wagner Studio Theatre, located at 138 West 300 South in Salt Lake City. Admission, as always, is free; reservations available online at utahcontemporarytheatre.org or by calling 801.886.3019.

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CONTACT:

Salt Lake Tribune – August 17, 2010 : Utah Contemporary Theatre: Staging an over-the-moon story

City Weekly – August 30, 2010 : Theater Review: Donna Orbits the Moon

11/13/10 : Read the Salt Lake Tribune’s review of “Neglect”