THE TONY AWARD-WINNING VINEYARD THEATRE EXTENDS COLMAN DOMINGO’S CRITICALLY ACCLAIMED PLAY A BOY AND HIS SOUL

Extended by 2 weeks — now through November 1st, 2009 “Mr. Domingo is a blazingly charismatic performer…he possesses a voice of remarkable range and dexterity,” – New York Times “commanding and endearing,” – New York Daily News “a marvelous 90-minute tragicomedy, which just happens to be told by one astonishing actor/dancer/singer,” – Newsday “No matter […]

Extended by 2 weeks — now through November 1st, 2009

Mr. Domingo is a blazingly charismatic performer…he possesses a voice
of remarkable range and dexterity,” – New York Times

commanding and endearing,” – New York Daily News

a marvelous 90-minute tragicomedy, which just happens to be told by
one astonishing actor/dancer/singer,” – Newsday

“No matter your own taste in music, by the end of this 90 minute
tour de force
, you too will feel the love,” – NY1 News The Tony Award-winning Vineyard Theatre (108 East 15th Street) will extend its critically acclaimed play A BOY AND HIS SOUL — written and performed by Colman Domingo – by 2 weeks, now until November 1; it was announced by Vineyard Theatre Artistic Director Douglas Aibel.

Directed by Tony Kelly, founding director of San Francisco’s acclaimed Thick Description Theater Company, A BOY AND HIS SOUL is a moving and hilarious play that explores the life-experiences of a young African-American man in 1970s and 80s Philadelphia, propelled by the beat of classic soul, smooth R&B, and disco. “A BOY AND HIS SOUL is a whirlwind trip via the phenomenal soul collection of a young, black inner-city gay boy and his complex family,” explains Mr. Domingo. “I look back on family situations that are inspired by the music, and vice-versa, to move forward, honor the past, deal with loss, celebrate city life, search my soul — and find myself in the music,” says the playwright and performer.

When A BOY AND HIS SOUL officially opened Off-Broadway at the Vineyard Theatre (108 East 15th Street) on September 24, critics roared that, “Mr. Domingo is a blazingly charismatic performer…he possesses a voice of remarkable range and dexterity,” The New York Times; that Mr. Domingo is “commanding and endearing,” – New York Daily News; that “Domingo, brings the same frantic energy to A BOY AND HIS SOUL that made his PASSING STRANGE performance so much fun,” – Variety; and that A BOY AND HIS SOUL is “a marvelous 90-minute tragicomedy, which just happens to be told by one astonishing actor/dancer/singer,” – Newsday.  Domingo was even likened to “a one-man ‘Dancing With the Stars'” by Back Stage; and NY1’s Roma Torre exclaimed “no matter your own taste in music, by the end of this 90 minute tour de force, you too will find the love…theatrical gold.”

Colman Domingo was seen on Broadway last season in the Tony Award-winning musical PASSING STRANGE – a performance which also earned him rave reviews, including having Charles Isherwood of The New York Times proclaim him “charismatic” and David Rooney of Variety state that he “delivers scene-stealing comic turns!”

Mr. Domingo reprised his PASSING STRANGE roles for the film version, directed by Spike Lee; he is also a regular on the hit Logo Network series “The Big Gay Sketch Show,” produced by Rosie O’Donnell. He appeared in the acclaimed world-premiere productions of Athol Fugard’s COMING HOME at Long Wharf Theatre and Leigh Fondakowski’s THE PEOPLE’S TEMPLE at the Berkeley Repertory Theatre, and was also in the acting company of Lisa Kron’s WELL on Broadway. In addition to a 2008 Obie Award for his work in PASSING STRANGE, Mr. Domingo received a San Francisco Bay Guardian Best Solo Performance Award for A BOY AND HIS SOUL at the Thick House in San Francisco. As a director, he helmed the Off-Broadway premieres of Lisa Ramirez’s EXIT CUCKOO and Lisa B. Thompson’s SINGLE BLACK FEMALE.

Tony Kelly directed the world premiere of A BOY AND HIS SOUL at the Thick House in San Francisco. Mr. Kelly is a co-founder of the Thick Description Theatre Company, which originated in New York before relocating to San Francisco in 1989. Notable productions Mr. Kelly has directed for Thick Description include the world and/or west coast premieres of Han Ong’s BACHELOR RAT, Karen Hartman’s ALICE: TALES OF A CURIOUS GIRL, David Greenspan’s JACK and 2 SAMUEL 11, ETC, Octavio Solis’ SANTOS & SANTOS and among many others, Suzan Lori-Parks’ THE AMERICAN PLAY.

Creative team for A BOY AND HIS SOUL is as follows: Choreographer – Ken Roberson (AVENUE Q – both on Broadway and Off-Broadway at the Vineyard Theatre); Set Design – Rachel Hauck (Vineyard Theatre’s WHERE DO WE LIVE and FOURTH SISTER); Costume Design – OBIE Award-winner Toni-Leslie James (Vineyard Theatre’s WIG OUT!); Lighting Design – Drama Desk Award Nominee Marcus Doshi (Theater for a New Audience’s HAMLET); and Sound Design – Tom Morse (Broadway’s PASSING STRANGE).

Vineyard Theatre is a non-profit Off-Broadway theatre company dedicated to new work, bold programming and arts education. One of America’s preeminent centers for the creation of new plays and musicals, such as the Pulitzer Prize-winning plays THREE TALL WOMEN by Edward Albee and HOW I LEARNED TO DRIVE by Paula Vogel and the Tony Award-winning musical AVENUE Q, The Vineyard has consistently premiered provocative, groundbreaking works and developed innovative educational collaborations. The company opened its 2008-09 season with Tarell Alvin McCraney’s WIG OUT! (GLAAD Media Award-winner), followed by The Civilians’ musical THIS BEAUTIFUL CITY.

In addition to A BOY AND HIS SOUL, the Vineyard’s 2009-10 Season includes the previously announced world premiere of THE METAL CHILDREN, written and directed by Adam Rapp, the new musical THE BURNT PART BOYS by Mariana Elder, Nathan Tysen and Chris Miller, directed by Erica Schmidt, and a developmental lab production of THE SCOTTSBORO BOYS with music and lyrics by John Kander and Fred Ebb, book by David Thompson, and direction and choreography by Susan Stroman..

Vineyard Theatre is under the guidance of Douglas Aibel, Artistic Director, and Jennifer Garvey-Blackwell, Executive Director.

Scheduled September 9 through November 1, performances of A BOY AND HIS SOUL run Tuesdays at 7:00pm; Wednesdays through Fridays at 8:00pm; Saturdays at 3:00pm & 8:00pm; and Sundays at 3:00pm at the Vineyard Theatre (108 East 15th Street). Tickets are $55. For reservations and more information about The Vineyard Theatre, call 212-353-0303 or visit www.vineyardtheatre.org.

Artists

Tony Kelly

TONY KELLY (Director) Off-Broadway debut. Regional: 41 productions as co-founder and director of Thick Description in San Francisco, including the original production of A BOY AND HIS SOUL, world premieres by Octavio Solis (SANTOS & SANTOS and EL OTRO), Will Power (THE SEVEN), Yussef el-Guindi (BACK OF THE THROAT), David Conte (AMERICA TROPICAL and FIREBIRD MOTEL with libretti by Oliver Mayer and David Yezzi), and Oliver Mayer (JOE LOUIS BLUES), and West Coast premieres by Suzan-Lori Parks (THE AMERICA PLAY and VENUS), David Greenspan (DEAD MOTHER and 2 SAMUEL 11, ETC.) and Karen Hartman (ALICE: TALES OF A CURIOUS GIRL). Also: Jose Rivera’s CLOUD TECTONICS at the B Street Theatre, Sacramento, Oliver Mayer’s BLADE TO THE HEAT, Octavio Solis’s GIBRALTAR, Ibsen’s GHOSTS and Chekhov’s UNCLE VANYA at the San Jose Stage Company, and other productions in Pittsburgh, San Jose, San Francisco, and the California and Lake Tahoe Shakespeare Festivals.

Colman Domingo

(Playwright) is the author of WILD WITH HAPPY(Dramatists Play Service), A BOY AND HIS SOUL  (Oberon Books), UP JUMPED SPRINGTIME AND THE BROTHER(S). The artistic work of Mr. Domingo has been honored with Olivier, Tony, Drama Desk and Drama League nominations. His work has won the OBIE, Lucille Lortel, GLAAD, Connecticut Critics Circle, Bay Area Theater Critics Circle and Internet Theater Bloggers awards. Mr. Domingo has received fellowships and/or residencies from The Sundance Theater Lab, The People’s Light and Theater Company, and the Banff Playwrights Colony. Mr. Domingo is under commission from The American Conservatory Theater, People’s Light and Theater Company  and The Public Theater. His plays have been produced at Vineyard Theatre, The Public, Theatreworks, Baltimore Centerstage, The Tricycle Theater (London), Brisbane Powerhouse/World Theater Festival (Australia), Theater Rhinoceros, Lincoln Center Director’s Lab/American Living Room Festival/HERE, and Thick Description Theater Collective. Dot was developed in part during a residency with New York Theater Workshop. Dot received its world premiere at The Humana Festival at Actors Theater of Louisville. Mr. Domingo currently stars on the AMC original series “Fear the Walking Dead.” He has starred in the films Selma, Lincoln, The Butler and Birth of a Nation among others.

Rachel Hauck

(Set Design) Vineyard: PICKED, A BOY AND HIS SOUL, WHERE DO WE LIVE, THE FOURTH SISTER. Recent NY: GO BACK TO WHERE YOU ARE (Playwright’s Horizons); THIS WIDE NIGHT (Naked Angels); ORANGE, HAT AND GRACE (SoHo Rep); CREATuRE (Page 73/New Georges); ETHEL:TRUCKSTOP (BAM Next Wave); BEEBO BRINKER  Ä(37 Arts), CATARACT (Womens Project). Recent Regional: AN ILIAD (McCarter). Resident scenic designer for the O’Neill Playwrights Festival since 2005.