MORENO

American Premiere

by Pravin Wilkins directed by Seth Rozin & J Paul Nicholas

November 1 - 24

Run Time:

2 hours with a 15-minute intermission

When Kaepernick kneels, will he?

2016. The NFL has been shaken by Colin Kaepernick’s controversial decision to take a knee during the national anthem to protest against police brutality. Superstar running back Luis Moreno, who is all about his game – and his paycheck -- has joined a new team with championship aspirations. But America’s leadership is changing, and when a painful new reality hits close to home, Luis is forced to ask whether politics have a place on the field, and if he is willing to risk his career to take a stand for his own community.

MORENO Company

Cast

Frank Jimenez* - LUIS MORENO

Charvez Grant* - EZEKIEL WILLIAMS

Abdul Sesay* - CRE’VON GARCON

Gabriel Elmore* - DANNY LOMBARDO

* appearing courtesy of a contract agreement with Actor’s Equity Association

Production Team

Seth Rozin - Director

J Paul Nicholas - Director

Hunter Smith - Stage Manager

Dahlia Al-Habieli - Scenic Designer

Millie Hiibel - Costume Designer

Lindsay Stevens - Lighting Designer

Larry Fowler - Sound Designer

TalkBacks at InterAct

Speaker Saturdays

Following our Saturday 2pm non-preview matinees, join Literary Manager Chaz Martin with an expert speaker in a moderated conversation digging into the themes of MORENO.

November 9 - Charvez Grant, playing Ezekiel Williams in MORENO

November 16 - Frank Jimenez, playing Luis Moreno in MORENO

November 23 - Gabriel Elmore, playing Danny Lomardo in MORENO

Speaker Sundays

Following our Sunday 2pm non-preview matinees, join Producing Artistic Director Seth Rozin with an expert speaker in a moderated conversation digging into the themes of MORENO.

November 10 - Pravin Wilkins is an internationally produced and published playwright, poet, and screenwriter from San Diego, California. In 2018, he received the Eric Bowling Award from the UC San Diego Department of Theatre & Dance for his site-specific one-act protest piece, #takebackgraffitihall; in 2020, his first full-length play, Moreno, was recognized as an O'Neill National Playwrights' Conference Finalist and subsequently awarded as the winner of the 2020 Theatre503 International Playwriting Award. Pravin was recognized as a semi-finalist for the 2020 Ucross + The Blank Theatre Future of Playwriting Prize.

Pravin's plays typically deal with race and class struggle and the many intersections between; in line with the mission to confront these issues as more than just topics of discussion, readings & performances of his works have raised revenue for numerous liberation-centered organizations.

Pravin received his MFA in Dramatic Writing from Carnegie Mellon University in May of 2020--shortly after, he was selected as a City Books Writer-in-Residence for Fall 2020. Pravin currently lives in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania where he is continuing his work as a writer, educator, and activist.

November 17 - Ray Didinger is a Hall-of-Fame sports journalist and current contributor to the 94.1 WIP sports morning show. He won six Emmy Awards while writing and producing NFL Films Presents and the documentary Football America. His talents for production and storytelling come from his career as a full-time member of NBC Sports Philadelphia writing and appearing on-air. Ray Didinger became a household name throughout his 25-year career covering the NFL for the Philadelphia Bulletin and the Philadelphia Daily News.

November 24 - Joel G. Maxcy, Professor & Head Sport Business & General Business, LeBow College of Business at Drexel University. A sports economist, Professor Maxcy’s expertise includes antitrust law, regulation, labor policy, and finance. He was elected President of the International Association of Sports Economists (IASE) in 2015 after serving as the North American Region Vice President, 2010-2014. Professor Maxcy has made public appearances and delivered lectures at national and international conferences and forums on sport policy. He has published numerous peer reviewed articles on issues including stadium finance, the impact of collective bargaining professional sports leagues, the influence of long-term contracts on player effort, and antitrust in sports. His publications are represented in Contemporary Economic Policy, Journal of Sport Economics, Review of Industrial Organization, Journal of Sport Management, and Managerial and Decision Economics, among other journals and books. Professor Maxcy frequently discusses economic issues in the media and has contributed op-eds to news and media outlets.

BONUS SPEAKER

November 13- Ashley Gardner, PhD, Assistant Professor | Department of Sport and Recreation Management | School of Sport, Tourism and Hospitality Management (STHM) | Temple University. With a Ph.D. from the University of Tennessee in Sport Studies, specializing in Sport Management and Sociology, her academic expertise lies in areas of diversity, equity, and inclusion within sport organizations. Gardner identifies as a sport sociologist as her research explores racial issues in sport organizations, human resource management, career mobility strategies for people of color in the sports industry, and political ideology in sport education. Prior to her doctoral studies, she earned a Master's in Sport Management from the University of Michigan and, a Bachelor’s degree in Sport Management from Hampton University.

November 21 -Glen Harry Macnow, American sports talk radio host on 94 WIP in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. During his time with the Inquirer, in 1993, he was recognized as "The Best Sportswriter in Philadelphia" by Philadelphia magazine. He has also written three top-selling Philadelphia sports books during his time on WIP. In 2003, he co-authored The Great Philadelphia Fan Book with Anthony Gargano. The book is a Philadelphia sports memoir, centering on the city's sports fans and 4 professional teams. In 2004, he co-authored The Great Philadelphia Sports Debate with Angelo Cataldi. In 2006, he co-authored The Great Book of Philadelphia Sports Lists with Edward Gudonis, a.k.a. Big Daddy Graham.

Audience Discussions

Discussions occur after every Wednesday and Thursday non- preview 7pm performance. Facilitated by Seth Rozin.

Wednesday, November 13 | Thursday, November 14 | Wednesday, November 20 | Thursday, November 21

Please note:

• InterAct’s COVID Policies: We are currently mask optional, but offer COVID safety performances on select dates. Click here for more about COVID safety nights!

• Speaker Hosts & Guests are subject to change. Please call the BOX OFFICE before your show date to hear about any possible changes.