Alter Theatre presents "Rose in America" by Michelle Carter Jun 2 - Jul 3

Rose in America by Michelle Carter.

Three Black Ph.D. students attempt to reclaim their own history from a white savior play about the Civil Rights Movement’s Selma March...and have to deal with the complications of a surprisingly still-alive white playwright. A quasi-realistic, semi-serious comedy about sidekicks, interpretative dance, and the collision of four generations of activists. 

An AlterLab world premiere commission 

June 2nd-June 19th in San Francisco 
A.C.T. Costume Shop Theater 
1117 Market Street (at 7th), San Francisco 

June 22nd-July 3rd 
1554 Fourth Street (between E & F Streets), San Rafael 
Pay-what-you-can: June 3rd & June 24th 

Tickets: http://www.altertheater.org/rose-in-america

Michelle Carter is a two-time recipient of the PEN USA Award in Drama.  She has also received the Susan Glaspell Award, the Ebell Playwright Prize, the PEN West Award, Backstage West's Garland Award, a Susan Smith Blackburn Prize nomination, and a Kesselring Prize nomination.  She's held residencies at Berkeley Repertory Theater (Ground Floor), the Donmar Warehouse in London, the Cite Internationale des Arts in Paris, and the Fine Arts Work Center, Provincetown.  Her plays have been produced and developed at Playwrights Horizons, Moscow Art Theater, Centenary Stage Company, Kirk Douglas Theatre, Asolo Repertory Theatre, Clurman Theatre, Abingdon Theatre, Shotgun Players, Aurora Theatre, the Magic Theatre, Symmetry Theatre, Just Theater, Crowded Fire, AlterTheater, the Women's Playwriting Festival, the Unplugged Festival, the New York Summer Play Festival, Grimeborn Opera Festival in London, and the New Work Festival in L.A.  Music theater and dance theater projects include: DREAMSPIEL, a Ukulele Opera (libretto, lyrics) with the Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain: Arcola Theatre, London.  AFTER ALL, Part I, Yerba Buena Center for the Arts (Erika Chong Shuch, choreographer/director). THE LUCKY ONE (Shotgun Players).  She has published plays with Dramatic Publishing, many short stories and essays, and a novel with Penguin Books.   

Charles Dean a veteran Bay Area actor, made his AlterTheater debut as George in The Dead Girl and returned to play the Old Man in Fool for Love. In recent years, he has appeared at Aurora Theatre, as well as S.F. Playhouse, where he played Doolittle in the long-running production My Fair Lady. He was a company member and associate artist at Berkeley Rep for nearly 20 years, and he played in 80 productions, including The Tooth of Crime, and Long Day’s Journey Into Night. In 2008, he was seen on Broadway in a limited run of Irving Berlin’s White Christmas as General Waverly. Other theatres he has worked with include A.C.T., The Old Globe-San Diego, Center Stage-Baltimore, The Alley Theatre, Dallas Theatre Center, Seattle Rep, Milwaukee Rep, The Alliance Theatre, and locally as well at San Jose Rep and California Shakespeare Festival. A recipient of several Bay Area Theatre Critic and Drama-Logue awards, he was honored in 2014 with the inaugural Charles Dean Award, endowed by the Robinson Family Fund for the Arts and administered by Berkeley Repertory Theatre, honoring and celebrating outstanding work by a Bay Area actor who has dedicated his or her career to Bay Area theatre. 

Nkechi Emeruwa is an actor, singer-songwriter, performance artist, dancer, writer and painter, and is delighted to be in her first production with AlterTheater! Her actor training began with Mesiner technique and evolved to include ensemble and physical theatre. Nkechi has performed nationally and internationally in commercials, TV, film and print and has toured the US with her music album “Soul Rock Butterfly." Some of the theatres and productions Nkechi has enjoyed performing with are Theatre Rhinoceros in The Call (J. Lowe) and Walk Like a Man (J. Fisher), Thrillpeddlers in The Untamed Stage (R. Blackwood), foolsFURY Theatre Company in Baden Powell Wars (S. Haskell) and Unheard of World (M. Haner), and Berkeley Playhouse in The Big Friendly Giant (J. Tracy) and Seussical, the Musical (K. Dooley). Before becoming an artist Nkechi earned a Bachelors of Science in Electrical Engineering from Stanford University and is currently pursuing a Masters of Fine Arts in Theatre-Performance Making from California Institute of Integral Studies, SF / University of Chichester, UK. www.nkechi.com/news

Dorian Lockett is thrilled to be in his first venture with Alter Theater. Dorian is an award winning actor who was born in Oakland, trained at Chabot College in Hayward and has been acting all over the Bay Area for fourteen years. You might have seen him in his last production which was The Grapes Of Wrath with The Ubuntu Theater Project in Oakland or you might want to see him again in his next project Slaughter City with The Stanford Repertory Theater

AeJay Mitchell is thrilled to be making his AlterTheater debut in this world premier production. A Louisiana native currently based in Oakland, he has performed with the San Francisco Playhouse (Dogfight), African American Shakespeare Company (Colored Museum, X-tigone, Much Ado About Nothing), Berkeley Playhouse (The Wiz, Music Man, Guys and Dolls), Broadway by the Bay (Dreamgirls, Caberet), amongst others. He serves as company member for African American Shakespeare Company, Bay Area Musicals, Black Artists Contemporary Cultural Experience, and Portrait Makers- an interdisciplinary music and dance collaborative.

Regina Victoria Fields is thrilled to be making her AlterTheater debut with Rose in America. Regina graduated from Santa Clara University cum laude with double majors in Theatre Arts and Religious Studies, and has also trained at the Gaiety School of Acting and the British American Drama Academy. A multidisciplinary artist who is passionate about community engagement and activism in the arts, she is currently serving as the Artistic Engagement Fellow at California Shakespeare theater where she will be assistant directing Fences this summer. Previous directing credits include Going to St. Ives with Aluminous Theater Collective and assistant directing Gem of the Ocean and Anne  Boleyn at Marin Theater Company.  As an actress, she has worked with companies across the Bay Area, including California Shakespeare Theater, Berkeley Repertory Theater, Bay Area Playwrights Festival, and African American Shakespeare Company. Miss Fields is a firm believer in the power of theatre as a tool of change. 

John Patrick Moore is thrilled to be a part of Rose in America with AlterTheater Ensemble. As an Artistic Associate with Central Works, he has directed or acted in over 12 world premieres including: Project Ahab, The Red Virgin, Richard the First, Reduction in Force, Midsummer/4, Shadow Crossing, The Mysterious Mr. Looney & The Duel. John’s New York credits include: Mr. Knightley in Emma the Musical (NYMF), Charles in Edward III (Hope Theatre Off-Broadway Premiere), King Richard in Richard II and Jacques in As You Like It (Expanded Art’s Free Shakespeare in the Park(ing) Lot).  In the Bay Area, he has also worked with Marin Theatre Company (River’s End, Beggar’s Holiday, Me and My Girl, Wonderful Town), The Magic Theatre (The 13 Hallucinations of Julio Rivera), 42nd Street Moon (The Boys From Syracuse & By Jupiter), CenterRep (Bingo), Bay Area Playwrights Festival and SF Playground. Member of Equity.  

Jayne Wenger is a director and dramaturg whose exclusive focus is on original material.  She has developed the emerging work of acclaimed playwrights nationwide and her work has been recognized with numerous awards. She is the past Artistic Director of Bay Area Playwrights Foundation and Women’s Ensemble in New York. Current projects include Bear by Deke Weaver and The Blues is a Woman by Pamela Rose. She is an alumna of Djerassi Resident Artist Program; a guest artist and advisory board member for The Last Frontier Theatre Conference in Valdez, Alaska; and a member of the Dramatists Guild, Literary Managers and Dramaturgs of the Americas, AlterTheater of San Rafael, and the League of Professional Theater Women.

The Cast & Crew 

Michelle Carter 

is a two-time recipient of the PEN USA Award in Drama.  She has also received the Susan Glaspell Award, the Ebell Playwright Prize, the PEN West Award, Backstage West's Garland Award, a Susan Smith Blackburn Prize nomination, and a Kesselring Prize nomination.  She's held residencies at Berkeley Repertory Theater (Ground Floor), the Donmar Warehouse in London, the Cite Internationale des Arts in Paris, and the Fine Arts Work Center, Provincetown.  Her plays have been produced and developed at Playwrights Horizons, Moscow Art Theater, Centenary Stage Company, Kirk Douglas Theatre, Asolo Repertory Theatre, Clurman Theatre, Abingdon Theatre, Shotgun Players, Aurora Theatre, the Magic Theatre, Symmetry Theatre, Just Theater, Crowded Fire, AlterTheater, the Women's Playwriting Festival, the Unplugged Festival, the New York Summer Play Festival, Grimeborn Opera Festival in London, and the New Work Festival in L.A.  Music theater and dance theater projects include: DREAMSPIEL, a Ukulele Opera (libretto, lyrics) with the Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain: Arcola Theatre, London.  AFTER ALL, Part I, Yerba Buena Center for the Arts (Erika Chong Shuch, choreographer/director). THE LUCKY ONE (Shotgun Players).  She has published plays with Dramatic Publishing, many short stories and essays, and a novel with Penguin Books.  

Charles Dean 

a veteran Bay Area actor, made his AlterTheater debut as George in The Dead Girl and returned to play the Old Man in Fool for Love. In recent years, he has appeared at Aurora Theatre, as well as S.F. Playhouse, where he played Doolittle in the long-running production My Fair Lady. He was a company member and associate artist at Berkeley Rep for nearly 20 years, and he played in 80 productions, including The Tooth of Crime, and Long Day’s Journey Into Night. In 2008, he was seen on Broadway in a limited run of Irving Berlin’s White Christmas as General Waverly. Other theatres he has worked with include A.C.T., The Old Globe-San Diego, Center Stage-Baltimore, The Alley Theatre, Dallas Theatre Center, Seattle Rep, Milwaukee Rep, The Alliance Theatre, and locally as well at San Jose Rep and California Shakespeare Festival. A recipient of several Bay Area Theatre Critic and Drama-Logue awards, he was honored in 2014 with the inaugural Charles Dean Award, endowed by the Robinson Family Fund for the Arts and administered by Berkeley Repertory Theatre, honoring and celebrating outstanding work by a Bay Area actor who has dedicated his or her career to Bay Area theatre. 

Rose in America 

by Michelle Carter 

​ 

Three Black Ph.D. students attempt to reclaim their own history from a white savior play about the Civil Rights Movement’s Selma March...and have to deal with the complications of a surprisingly still-alive white playwright. A quasi-realistic, semi-serious comedy about sidekicks, interpretative dance, and the collision of four generations of activists. 

An AlterLab world premiere commission 

June 2nd-June 19th in San Francisco 
A.C.T. Costume Shop Theater 
1117 Market Street (at 7th), San Francisco 

June 22nd-July 3rd 
1554 Fourth Street (between E & F Streets), San Rafael 

**behind United Liquors 

Pay-what-you-can: June 3rd & June 24th  

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Nkechi Emeruwa 

Regina Victoria Fields 

Regina Victoria Fields is thrilled to be making her AlterTheater debut with Rose in America. Regina graduated from Santa Clara University cum laude with double majors in Theatre Arts and Religious Studies, and has also trained at the Gaiety School of Acting and the British American Drama Academy. A multidisciplinary artist who is passionate about community engagement and activism in the arts, she is currently serving as the Artistic Engagement Fellow at California Shakespeare theater where she will be assistant directing Fences this summer. Previous directing credits include Going to St. Ives with Aluminous Theater Collective and assistant directing Gem of the Ocean and Anne  Boleyn at Marin Theater Company.  As an actress, she has worked with companies across the Bay Area, including California Shakespeare Theater, Berkeley Repertory Theater, Bay Area Playwrights Festival, and African American Shakespeare Company. Miss Fields is a firm believer in the power of theatre as a tool of change. 

Nkechi Emeruwa is an actor, singer-songwriter, performance artist, dancer, writer and painter, and is delighted to be in her first production with AlterTheater! Her actor training began with Mesiner technique and evolved to include ensemble and physical theatre. Nkechi has performed nationally and internationally in commercials, TV, film and print and has toured the US with her music album “Soul Rock Butterfly." Some of the theatres and productions Nkechi has enjoyed performing with are Theatre Rhinoceros in The Call (J. Lowe) and Walk Like a Man (J. Fisher), Thrillpeddlers in The Untamed Stage (R. Blackwood), foolsFURY Theatre Company in Baden Powell Wars (S. Haskell) and Unheard of World (M. Haner), and Berkeley Playhouse in The Big Friendly Giant (J. Tracy) and Seussical, the Musical (K. Dooley). Before becoming an artist Nkechi earned a Bachelors of Science in Electrical Engineering from Stanford University and is currently pursuing a Masters of Fine Arts in Theatre-Performance Making from California Institute of Integral Studies, SF / University of Chichester, UK. www.nkechi.com/news 

Dorian Lockett is thrilled to be in his first venture with Alter Theater. Dorian is an award winning actor who was born in Oakland, trained at Chabot College in Hayward and has been acting all over the Bay Area for fourteen years. You might have seen him in his last production which was The Grapes Of Wrath with The Ubuntu Theater Project in Oakland or you might want to see him again in his next project Slaughter City with The Stanford Repertory Theater. 

AeJay Mitchell is thrilled to be making his AlterTheater debut in this world premier production. A Louisiana native currently based in Oakland, he has performed with the San Francisco Playhouse (Dogfight), African American Shakespeare Company (Colored Museum, X-tigone, Much Ado About Nothing), Berkeley Playhouse (The Wiz, Music Man, Guys and Dolls), Broadway by the Bay (Dreamgirls, Caberet), amongst others. He serves as company member for African American Shakespeare Company, Bay Area Musicals, Black Artists Contemporary Cultural Experience, and Portrait Makers- an interdisciplinary music and dance collaborative. 

John Patrick Moore is thrilled to be a part of Rose in America with AlterTheater Ensemble. As an Artistic Associate with Central Works, he has directed or acted in over 12 world premieres including: Project Ahab, The Red Virgin, Richard the First, Reduction in Force, Midsummer/4, Shadow Crossing, The Mysterious Mr. Looney & The Duel. John’s New York credits include: Mr. Knightley in Emma the Musical (NYMF), Charles in Edward III (Hope Theatre Off-Broadway Premiere), King Richard in Richard II and Jacques in As You Like It (Expanded Art’s Free Shakespeare in the Park(ing) Lot).  In the Bay Area, he has also worked with Marin Theatre Company (River’s End, Beggar’s Holiday, Me and My Girl, Wonderful Town), The Magic Theatre (The 13 Hallucinations of Julio Rivera), 42nd Street Moon (The Boys From Syracuse & By Jupiter), CenterRep (Bingo), Bay Area Playwrights Festival and SF Playground. Member of Equity.   

Jayne Wenger is a director and dramaturg whose exclusive focus is on original material.  She has developed the emerging work of acclaimed playwrights nationwide and her work has been recognized with numerous awards. She is the past Artistic Director of Bay Area Playwrights Foundation and Women’s Ensemble in New York.  Current projects include Bear by Deke Weaver and The Blues is a Woman by Pamela Rose. She is an alumna of Djerassi Resident Artist Program; a guest artist and advisory board member for The Last Frontier Theatre Conference in Valdez, Alaska; and a member of the Dramatists Guild, Literary Managers and Dramaturgs of the Americas, AlterTheater of San Rafael, and the League of Professional Theater Women.   

Hands Ronkas was born and raised in Turkey, Hande Gokbas has always had a flair for the dramatic, even as a child. With the guidance of the Marin Actors' Workshop for the past thirteen years, Hande is certain she has found her true passion and calling in acting.  In this production of Rose in America, she plays the role, for the first time, of stage manager. She also has a degree in behavioral science from College of Marin.