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Come Back to Me
By Jesse Cameron Alick
Limited Engagement at: THE CHERRY LANE THEATRE
38 Commerce Street (off of Seventh Avenue )
In the 2005 Downtown Urban Theatre Festival!
Thursday, June 23rd, 2005
Show at 8:00pm
Ticket Price: $20 in advance, $25 dollars at the door
FOR RESERVATIONS www.theatermania.com (212) 352-3101
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| Smokin' Word Productions is proud to present Jesse Cameron Alick's Come Back to Me, which is a one-act play about religion, secrets and communication in the African-American Family. Featuring the work of director Claudia Alick, hip-hop composer Belief, and actors David King, John Rankin, Kyana Brindle, Susan Stewart, and Sameerah Luqmaan-Harris, it follows an important day in the life of three siblings, Ryokan, Isis and Jude, and tracks the conversations that they have with one another over the telephone and contrasts them with the actual life that they are living. With a poetic arrangement that flows easily from amusing banter to sticky political debates, COME BACK TO ME combines different voices and personalities, weaving Buddhist and Christian prayers together and taking on the themes of mistaken conception, judgment and the true nature of unconditional love. |
 • About the Playwright
Jesse Cameron Alick is poet, playwright, actor and Zen master. Born and raised Buddhist high in the mountains of Montana he began writing poetry at the age of 6 and short plays at the age of 14. He skipped grades and like a good child genius, wrote short skits and plays for a number of theatre companies and moved to New York City when he was just barely 17 for acting school. He workshopped his plays "201" and "Come Back to Me" with WordShop where he was a founding member. He currently works as the Associate Artistic Director of Subjective Theatre Company who produced the 2003 production of his full length play “Sleep Awake”, a piece about disease, war, loss, growth and friendship in the 21 st century. Jesse's first book of poetry, called “How to Reach a State of No Wind in Just Under a Year”, was published by Smokin' Word Productions, also in 2003 whom he works with in the role of Associate Producer. Jesse also sits on the Board of Directors for Body Positive, one of the cities oldest community based HIV/AIDS organizations.
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 • About the Director
Claudia Alick, Artistic Director of Smokin Word, has many plays which have been seen on the stages of The Kennedy Center, Woolly Mammoth Theatre, LaMama ETC, 45 Bleeker, Chashama Experimental Theatre, New Perspectives Theatre, and PS 122 in the 2002 and 2003 NYC Hip Hop Theatre Festivals. Her play "6 Hits" won the audience award in the 2004 Downtown Urban Theatre Festival. Other performance credits include 2 seasons of the Peabody award winning series HBO's Def Poetry Jam the film “TerrorMarketers”, and features in the documentaries "WordJunky" (dir. Audrey Colcannon) and Ladies on the Mic's project on Women in hip-hop (dir. Jessica Habie). She is a full time graduate student at NYU. To find out more visit www.claudiaalick.com
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 • Kyana Brindle
Kyana Brindle is a writer and performer from New York. Her work has been featured at the Nuyorican Poets Café, Bowery Poetry Club, Soul Café, Milagro Theatre, Manhattan Theatre Club, Laila Lounge, Hampshire College , and other venues. Her one-woman show “Between Spaces” premiered at the Nuyorican Poets Café in June 2004, and ran at the Vamos Sembrar Garden on the Lower East Side. She is a featured artist in the upcoming documentary “Ladies on the Mic”. Kyana played the role of Terpsicore in Yolanda Kae Wilkinson's “A Musing” at Primary Stages in August 2004, and performed a segment of her current work-in-progress, “Displaced”, in WordShop's Script This! reading at the Actor's Institute in February 2005. Kyana is also a full-time graduate student at New York University , where she is working on her Master's degree in Psychology.
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John Rankin
John Rankin is a 2003 honors graduate from New York University's Tisch School. He is very proud and fortunate to be working on this production of Come Back To Me. His other stage credits include Trippin(Daniel Beaty; Spoken Works), Destiny, and Home Free; film credits The Ski Trip (Maurice Jamal). Thanks to Claudia
for the opportunity, to
the cast for being so great, and friends and family for your continued support.
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 • David King
David recently finished Geoffrey Gordon's Testiculations, based on the Central Park jogger case of 1989, at New Media Repertory Theatre. He also recently appeared in Soul Gone Home at the Langston Hughes Festival. He has performed in such productions as King Lear and Horace the Hustler at Aaron Davis Hall. He has been included in Minus One and Children of Muhammad as part of the Lower East Side Festival of the Arts at Theater for the New City. He has performed his poetry at venues throughout the city such as the Nuyorican Poets' Cafe, Bowery Poetry Club, Bar 13 and Sister's Uptown Bookstore. He also co-hosts a political talk-radio show on WHCR 90.3 FM every other Wednesday called "The LaB". He would like to thank Claudia for the opportunity, Aixa for her generosity and CCNY theatre for the love.
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 •Sameerah Luqmaan-Harris
Sameerah is thrilled to be a part of DUTF. Some favorite NYC credits include: Haunted (Abingdon Theatre), American Rubble (Neighborhood Playhouse), Fefu and Her Friends (The Culture Project @ 45 Bleecker), A Black Tale (Wow Café Theatre), BodyWork (78th Street Theatre Lab), and Descendants of Freedom, (HERE Arts Center) Big thanks to Claudia, friends and family for such incredible support, and Steve for being so lovely and amazing.
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 •Susan Stewart
Susan Stewart is a native New Yorker who grew up in a huge South
American family. With a BA in Drama, Theatre, and Media Studies from
Queens College, she has performed at SoHo Rep, The Kraine, The Looking
Glass, Todo con Nada ShowWorld, and other great off-off Broadway
houses. This production marks her Cherry Lane debut. Susan works often in the world of commercials and can currently be seen on a
national Verizon Wireless spot, HIP on Telemundo, and the Dept of
Health's "Quitters" campaign. For film clips, links, and updates
please check out www.SusanStewartNYC.com .
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• About the Composer
Los Angeles native Belief was raised on a variety of music, ranging from classic rock to reggae to jazz, and was influenced heavily by the production skills of DJ Premier, Timbaland and Dr. Dre in his early years. When he was only 17, he moved to New York City to pursue a career producing his own brand of Hip Hop and R&B music. “I wanted my sound to incorporate the New York experience,” he says of his relocation. “I believe that New York is still the center of the world as far as urban music and industry is concerned, and I wanted to be at the heart of it.”
Belief has worked with various Hip Hop and R&B artists in the New York area, and has several underground classics under his belt including Jean Grae's “Haters Anthem,” Murs' “Gods Work,” and “We Live (Belief Mix)” by C-Rayz Walz. He is ready to take on the world, and sees limitless possibility for his talent. “I envision myself infiltrating and influencing the mainstream music market. I want hits. Hopefully I'll be helping to inspire millions with meaningful music.”
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• About the Stage Manager
Jeffrey Whitted is delighted to be working with Smokin' Word Productions in showcasing some exciting new writers. A recent transplant from Texas, Jeffrey most recently worked with the Subjective Theatre Company in New York, after spending a year with The Galveston Island Musicals as a stage manager and director.
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• About DUTF
This years DownTown Urban Theatre Festival feature the work of Reg e Gaines (Tony Award Nominated), Cyndi Freeman, Alba Sanchez, Desi Moreno-Penson, Desmond Hall, Bill Fowkes, Imani Henry, James Gillard, Mel Nieves, Ebony Washington, Holly Bass, and Jesse Alick. The DUTF is presented by Creative Ammo, Inc and produced by Arcos Entertainment. www.arcos-ny.com |
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