Press Release: The Hampton Years by Jacqueline E. Lawton to Receive Readings at Theatre Ariel and NMAJH

On Saturday, February 16, 2013 at 8:00pm, Theatre Ariel will present a reading of THE HAMPTON YEARS by Jacqueline E. Lawton as part of their annual Salon Reading Series.
Hosted by Maureen Pelta, Department Chair and Professor of Art History at Moore College of Art, THE HAMPTON YEARS is a powerful work that explores the development of African American artists, John Biggers and Samella Lewis, under the tutelage of Austrian Jewish refugee painter, Professor Viktor Lowenfeld, in WWII America.
"I'm proud to have The Hampton Years included as part of Theatre Ariel's Salon Reading Series. The plays they select each season are rich, compelling and beautiful," Lawton shared. "It's been really great getting to know Theatre Ariel's Artistic Director, Deborah Baer Mozes. Her passion and enthusiasm for this script and her investment in me as a writer has been inspiring and empowering. I'm honored to be working with Philadelphia-based artists and excited introduce this play to Philadelphia audiences."
Don't miss this preview reading before its premiere at DC’s Theater J. Be sure to stay for the post-show discussion with playwright Jacqueline E. Lawton. Seating is limited! Last season was sold out! Click here to purchase tickets and to learn more about the event.
Theatre Ariel is Pennsylvania’s only professional theatre dedicated to illuminating the rich social, cultural and spiritual heritage of the Jewish people. They create and produce new and established works reflecting on the global Jewish experience. Theatre Ariel entertains, enriches and educates audiences of all ages and cultures through the telling of Jewish Stories, celebrating the laughter and lessons of the shared human experience.
Hosted by Maureen Pelta, Department Chair and Professor of Art History at Moore College of Art, THE HAMPTON YEARS is a powerful work that explores the development of African American artists, John Biggers and Samella Lewis, under the tutelage of Austrian Jewish refugee painter, Professor Viktor Lowenfeld, in WWII America.
"I'm proud to have The Hampton Years included as part of Theatre Ariel's Salon Reading Series. The plays they select each season are rich, compelling and beautiful," Lawton shared. "It's been really great getting to know Theatre Ariel's Artistic Director, Deborah Baer Mozes. Her passion and enthusiasm for this script and her investment in me as a writer has been inspiring and empowering. I'm honored to be working with Philadelphia-based artists and excited introduce this play to Philadelphia audiences."
Don't miss this preview reading before its premiere at DC’s Theater J. Be sure to stay for the post-show discussion with playwright Jacqueline E. Lawton. Seating is limited! Last season was sold out! Click here to purchase tickets and to learn more about the event.
Theatre Ariel is Pennsylvania’s only professional theatre dedicated to illuminating the rich social, cultural and spiritual heritage of the Jewish people. They create and produce new and established works reflecting on the global Jewish experience. Theatre Ariel entertains, enriches and educates audiences of all ages and cultures through the telling of Jewish Stories, celebrating the laughter and lessons of the shared human experience.

On Sunday, February 17, 2013 at 2:00pm, Theatre Ariel and the National Museum of American Jewish History will present an encore reading of THE HAMPTON YEARS in conjunction with the special exhibition Beyond Swastika and Jim Crow: Jewish Refugee Scholars at Black Colleges.
The Hampton Years follows Viktor Lowenfeld, who joined the Hampton Institute in Virginia in 1939 as assistant professor of Industrial Arts and studio art teacher. He was later appointed as Chairman of the Art Department and in 1945, he was named curator of the distinguished collection of Black African Art at the Hampton Institute. Burgeoning artist John Biggers, who went on to become an internationally acclaimed painter, sculptor, teacher and philosopher, was his student. As was Samella Lewis, artist, printmaker and educator, with whom Lowenfeld had a contentious, but respectful relationship.
"I could hardly contain my excitement when Deborah Baer Mozes, Theatre Ariel's Artistic Director, told me that the National Museum of American Jewish History was interested in doing a reading of The Hampton Years as part of the Beyond Swatiska and Jim Crow exhibit," Lawton said. "You see, the research in this amazing, in-depth and powerful exhibit inspired this play. It's how I first learned about John Biggers and Viktor Lowenfeld. I felt that everything had come full circle in the most beautiful way. As a playwright, I'm really quite fortunate to have this extraordinary opportunity."
The reading of THE HAMPTON YEARS will be followed by a post-show discussion with playwright Jacqueline E. Lawton. Click here to purchase tickets and to learn more about the event.
The National Museum of American Jewish History, on Independence Mall in Philadelphia, presents educational programs and experiences that preserve, explore and celebrate the history of Jews in America. Its purpose is to connect Jews more closely to their heritage and to inspire in people of all backgrounds a greater appreciation for the diversity of the American Jewish experience and the freedoms to which Americans aspire.
The Hampton Years follows Viktor Lowenfeld, who joined the Hampton Institute in Virginia in 1939 as assistant professor of Industrial Arts and studio art teacher. He was later appointed as Chairman of the Art Department and in 1945, he was named curator of the distinguished collection of Black African Art at the Hampton Institute. Burgeoning artist John Biggers, who went on to become an internationally acclaimed painter, sculptor, teacher and philosopher, was his student. As was Samella Lewis, artist, printmaker and educator, with whom Lowenfeld had a contentious, but respectful relationship.
"I could hardly contain my excitement when Deborah Baer Mozes, Theatre Ariel's Artistic Director, told me that the National Museum of American Jewish History was interested in doing a reading of The Hampton Years as part of the Beyond Swatiska and Jim Crow exhibit," Lawton said. "You see, the research in this amazing, in-depth and powerful exhibit inspired this play. It's how I first learned about John Biggers and Viktor Lowenfeld. I felt that everything had come full circle in the most beautiful way. As a playwright, I'm really quite fortunate to have this extraordinary opportunity."
The reading of THE HAMPTON YEARS will be followed by a post-show discussion with playwright Jacqueline E. Lawton. Click here to purchase tickets and to learn more about the event.
The National Museum of American Jewish History, on Independence Mall in Philadelphia, presents educational programs and experiences that preserve, explore and celebrate the history of Jews in America. Its purpose is to connect Jews more closely to their heritage and to inspire in people of all backgrounds a greater appreciation for the diversity of the American Jewish experience and the freedoms to which Americans aspire.
JACQUELINE E. LAWTON - Playwright

JACQUELINE E. LAWTON was named one of 30 of the nation's leading black playwrights by Arena Stage’s American Voices New Play Institute. Her plays include: Anna K; Blood-bound and Tongue-tied; Deep Belly Beautiful;The Devil’s Sweet Water; The Hampton Years; Ira Aldridge: the African Roscius; Lions of Industry, Mothers of Invention; Love Brothers Serenade (2013 semi-finalist for the Eugene O’Neill Theater Center’s National Playwrights Conference), Mad Breed, and Our Man Beverly Snow. Ms. Lawton’s work has been developed and presented at the following venues: Active Cultures, Classical Theater of Harlem, Folger Shakespeare Library, theHegira, Howard University, Kennedy Center’s Page to Stage Festival, Rorschach Theater Company, Savannah Black Heritage Festival (Armstrong Atlantic State University), Shakespeare Theatre Company, Source Theatre Festival, Theater J, and Woolly Mammoth Theater Company. She is published in Experiments in a Jazz Aesthetic: Art, Activism, Academia, and the Austin Project (University of Texas Press). Ms. Lawton received her MFA in Playwriting from the University of Texas at Austin, where she was a James A. Michener Fellow. She participated in the Kennedy Center’s Playwrights’ Intensive (2002) and World Interplay (2003). She is a 2012 TCG Young Leaders of Color award recipient and a National New Play Network (NNPN) Playwright Alumna. She has been recognized as a semi-finalist for the Eugene O’Neill Theater Center’s National Playwrights Conference and the Playwright's Center PlayLabs, and as a SheWrites Festival finalist. A member of Arena Stage's Playwright's Arena and the Dramatist Guild of America, Ms. Lawton currently resides in Washington, D.C.
THE HAMPTON YEARS
May 29 - June 30 A World Premiere by Jacqueline E. Lawton Directed by Shirley Serotsky Dramaturgy by Otis Cortez Ramsey-Zoe Featuring Edward Christian, Sarah Douglas, Crashonda Edwards, Lolita-Marie, Julian Martinez, Sasha Olinick, Colin Smith, and David Lamont Wilson www.theaterj.org |