Brownbox Theater pressents The Amen Corner

A Gospel Play By One Of America's Most Eminent Writers

Seattle, WA – BROWNBOX Theatre ends its first season with THE AMEN CORNER by James Baldwin. The show opens Friday, June 16th and runs through July 2nd at the Rainier Valley Cultural Center in Columbia City.

THE AMEN CORNER is James Baldwin’s ode to the Black Church. The play (not to be confused with Amen Corner, the musical adaptation of the play) tells the simple story of Sister Margaret Alexander, who for years has inspired her congregation with a mixture of personal charisma and ferocious piety. But when Margaret's estranged husband returns, she is in danger of losing her standing in the church and the son she has tried to keep on the godly path. For his first work for the theater James Baldwin brought the fervor and majestic rhetoric of the storefront churches of his childhood along with an unwavering awareness of the price those churches exacted from their worshipers. "A scalding, uplifting, sorrowful and exultant masterpiece of the modern American theater" - Vintage International

THE AMEN CORNER Director Tyrone Brown is Artistic Director and Founder of BROWNBOX Theatre. Directing credits include Wreck The Airline Barrier, Hamlet X: The Tragedy of El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz and Black To My Roots. He holds a Bachelors of Arts in Theatre from Western Washington University.

THE AMEN CORNER Playwright James Baldwin was born in 1924 and educated in New York. Between 1953 and 1987, Baldwin wrote over twenty books of fiction and non-fiction. The recipient of a Guggenheim Fellowship and a Ford Foundation Grant, among other accolades, Baldwin was made a Commander of the Legion of Honor in 1986. He died at his home in France on December 1, 1987.

THE AMEN CORNER features the talents of 12 local African American actors and actresses.

PERFORMANCE SCHEDULE AND TICKET INFORMATION

Opening Night: Friday, June 16, 2006 at 7:30pm
Venue: Rainier Valley Cultural Center, 3515 South Alaska Street in Columbia City / Southeast Seattle
Run of Show: June 16 – July 2, 2006. Nine performances over three consecutive weekends
Performance Days: Fridays (5/16, 5/22 and 5/30), Saturdays (5/17, 5/23 and 6/1) and Sundays (5/18, 5/24 and 6/2).
Performance Times: Friday and Saturday evenings at 7:30pm and Sunday matinees at 3:00pm
Ticket Prices: $15.00 for general admission / $12.00 for students and seniors / $10.00 for children 12 and under
Special Church / Group Rate: $10.00 each for a party of 10 more (call 264-1131 for group reservation).
To Purchased Tickets: Brown Paper Tickets at 1-800-838-2006 / www.brownpapertickets.com or at Ticket Window at 206-325-6500 / www.ticketwindowonline.com.