DAY OF RECKONING
by Melody Cooper
Directed by Keith Greer†
a concert reading presented by The Workshop Lab
The true story of a mother and her son, told during a time of violent upheaval in America, when there were lynchings and deadly labor strikes. Lucy Parsons, an infamous Black firebrand activist, leads a fight for the poor, worker's rights, and her own husband's life...all at a tragically horrific cost.
Cast:
Zoey Martinson*
Jonny Weber*
JaQwan J. Kelly
Project dramaturg: Susan Izatt*
* Appears courtesy of Actors’ Equity Association
† Member, Society of Stage Directors & Choreographers
Melody Cooper’s first play, an earlier version of DAY OF RECKONING won the Jane Chambers Award, and was produced by MultiStages and Five Points in NYC, and at New Theater in Miami. Her other work includes TRUTH BE TOLD, produced by Ensemble Studio Theater; and SWEET MERCY developed by NY Stage & Film, starring Danai Gurira and directed by Michael Sexton. Melody wrote the book of the musical SHOW WAY based on the Newbery-Award winning children's book, which had a critically acclaimed run at Vital Theater in NYC and was a nominated for Off Broadway Alliance Award. The musical will see new productions in New York and Texas in 2019.
Melody is also an award-winning screenwriter and filmmaker. She won the Grand Jury Prize for Best Screenplay at the 2018 Urbanworld Film Festival for her immigration thriller NORTHERN CROSS. A short documentary, DETAINED, that Melody directed about immigration won an Award of Excellence at Docs Without Borders 2018 Film Festival. Melody is primarily a genre writer, and her supernatural thriller THE SOUND OF DARKNESS is a 2018 Athena List Finalist. Melody directed a short film based on the feature script. She is recipient of the 2017 Tangerine Entertainment Fellowship at Stowe Labs, and was selected for an AMC Networks Shudder Labs Fellowship and grant, and the Meryl Streep/Oprah Winfrey IRIS Writer's Lab. Winner of the 2016 Women in International Cinema Screenwriting Award for her horror feature MONSTROUS. Melody's sci fi feature, BREAKING THE FOURTH, won the Woodshole Film Festival. Her TV pilot SUNDOWN, set in 1930’s Los Angeles, was a Semi-Finalist for the Showtime Tony Cox Competition, and has advanced for Lena Waithe and Eva Longoria’s MACRO Episodic Lab. Melody is currently working with producer Adi Shankar (THE GREY, LONE SURVIVOR, CASTLEVANIA) on a feature project, and writing a horror feature with award-winning director Sebastian Silva (TYREL, NASTY BABY, THE MAID).
Keith Greer was a SM/Director on the television daytime dramas One Life To Live and All My Children for ABC/TV. As a member of the Directing Teams of OLTL, he received 3 Daytime Emmy Awards and 4 Directors Guild Awards. His Off Broadway production of Boys Don’t Wear Lipstick by Brian Belovitch received a GLAAD Award Nomination. Recently, he directed Tuesdays With Morrie Off Broadway at the Cherry Lane Theater. Last year, he directed The Workshop Theater’s Deep-dive reading of Go Down Moses by Dana Leslie Goldstein.
Susan Izatt (Dramaturg) Associate Artistic Director -The Workshop Theater. Favorite Directing Highlights: The Actor’s Studio’s Playwright’s Director Wing, working with a variety of playwrights in new works development; Director BADGER & FRAME by Scott C. Sickles EAT Festival 2018; At The Workshop: Director FABULOUS DARSHAN. Favorite Acting Roles & Highlights: Off-Broadway, Julia, in That Ilk, Hudson Guild; Kathy, in Northern Country at Henry Street Settlement, with Dorothy Lyman directing; Regional: Rita in Educating Rita,(won regional critic’s Best Actress award); Heather in Gideon’s Knot, Clarion Theater. Ensemble member in The Mother Line Story Project. Susan’s Voice Artist work has been heard during NFL television broadcasts, commercial voiceovers and radio work includes Pathmark, Lockheed Martin, Dunkin Donuts and others. sizatt@workshoptheater.org
Jonny Weber is originally from Lincoln, Nebraska, where he received his BFA from Nebraska Wesleyan University. Some of his favorite roles have been the title role in Shakespeare’s "Hamlet", Gordon and Dwight in “Dead Man's Cell Phone,” and Paul in “Barefoot in the Park.” He earned his Actor's Equity Membership at the Alabama Shakespeare Festival. Jonny’s film work includes several short films and one full length feature. Check out his website at www.jonnyweber.com
JaQwan J. Kelly born and raised in Harlem, New York, earned his BA in Theatre and Performance at SUNY Purchase. Some of his credits include Academy Award nominated film The Post, Blue Bloods (CBS) and The Get Down (Netflix). He is thrilled to help bring Day Of Reckoning to life!