The Harlem Rens by Layon Gray at Actors Temple Theater
The Layon Gray American Theatre Company and Edmund Gaynes present The Harlem Rens, written and directed by Layon Gray, which will begin previews at the Actors Temple Theater on 18 September 2014, officially opening on 2 October and continuing its limited engagement through to 23 November 2014. The production will play Thursdays and Saturdays at 8pm and Sundays at 4pm.
Synopsis: "Inspired by the true story of eight men who overcame adversity to win more than 2,000 games while barnstorming throughout segregated parts of the country in the 1930's despite never being officially accepted professionally or socially.Harlem Renaissance Big Five was one of the most successful all-Black professional basketball teams in the 1920s and '30s that added grace and style to the game of American basketball. The team was formed five years before the Harlem Globetrotters, and provided African-American men with the opportunity to compete against white athletes equally on the court. The team gained their name from their playing location, the Renaissance Casino ballroom in Harlem, New York, where they dazzled fans with their innovative style of play. They toured the country competing against Black and white teams, and in the process, compiled one of the most impressive winning streaks in Basketball history. In 1963, the entire team was inducted into the Professional Basketball Hall of Fame."
The cast of The Harlem Rens includes Delano Barbosa, Lamar Cheston, Thaddeus Daniels, Melvin Huffnagle, and Ade Otukoya.
Author and Director Layon Gray follows the success of his play 'Black Angels Over Tuskegee', now in its fifth year off-Broadway, with this next installment of African-American themed theatre billed as "The Story of the Greatest Basketball Team You've Never Heard Of".
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