*Member, Actors’ Equity Association
THE GUEST AT cenTRAL PARK WEST
Live Broadcast August 6th at 7pm ET
On Demand Until August 10th at 6:59pm ET
Written by LEVY LEE SIMON
DIRECTED BY THOMAS COTÉ
The Workshop Theater is proud to present a benefit reading of Levy Lee Simon's brilliant and prescient play, directed by Thomas Coté, and featuring the original Workshop cast from our 2008 production. including John Marshall Jones (TV's Bosch, In The Cut), Harvy Blanks (B’way’s Jitney), Jed Dickson, Tracy Newirth, Trish McCall, Curt Bouril, and Erinn Holmes.
Professor Charles Watts, a modern day disciple of Dr. Martin Luther King and recent Nobel Peace Prize recipient, must confront surprise “guest” Terrence Barlow, his long-lost best friend from prep school and Harvard – now homeless - when he shows up at a dinner party, and makes everyone question the validity of non-violence in the face of modern day symbols of white supremacy, especially the statue of Teddy Roosevelt standing in front of the American Museum of Natural History.
$25 Suggested Ticket Donation - All ticket donations to benefit the African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund.
After you process your donation you'll receive the code and instructions for joining the viewing party on Thursday, August 6th at 7pm ET.
The African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund is a multi-year initiative led by the National Trust for Historic Preservation to make an important and lasting contribution to our cultural landscape by elevating the stories and places of African-American activism and achievement.
Through the creation of the African-American Cultural Heritage Action Fund, the National Trust aspires to double its own programmatic efforts over a period of several years, and establish a new grant fund for the protection and restoration of places of significant African-American history.
From the homes of icons such as Nina Simone and Pauli Murray, to civil rights sites such as the A.G. Gaston Motel and Clayborn Temple, places across the country speak to the history of African Americans and their contributions to America. But too often, these places have gone unrecognized for the important role they play in the fabric of American society. The National Trust for Historic Preservation is working to fill this gap through the African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund. By saving these significant places, they hope to tell the full American story, which is more critical now than ever. www.savingplaces.org/aachaf
Levy Lee Simon Multiple award winning writer, actor, director, and producer, Levy Lee Simon is originally from Harlem USA, and a graduate of the University of Iowa Playwright’s Workshop, MFA. He was recently invited into the Actors Studio Playwrights Division. His award winning plays include: The For the Love of Freedom trilogy, The Bow Wow Club, Same Train, Smell the Power, and The Guest at Central Park West. Other noted plays include: The Stuttering Preacher, Caseload, God the Crackhouse and the Devil, The Last Revolutionary, The Magnificent Dunbar Hotel, and his latest, Gentrified – Metaphor of the Drums. His directing credits include: With a Little Help – It’s John Belushi, by Jack Zullo (Theatre 80 NYC,) The Bow Wow Club, (Marietta Theatre- Atlanta GA,) Amiri Baraka’s Dutchman, Javon Johnson’s Breathe, and Leftovers by Josh Wilder at the Great Plains Theatre Conference. As an actor, he’s appeared On Broadway,
Off Broadway, Regional Theatres, England and the Caribbean. LL has optioned film scripts to studios in Hollywood and New York, and his independent feature film, The Last Revolutionary, premiered at the Pan African Film Festival 2017, and can now be seen on Amazonprime.com. Levy Lee, as he prefers to be called, is a proud artist and thespian always seeking to create work that entertains while inspiring and motivating change.
John Marshall Jones Critically acclaimed television, film and stage actor John Marshall Jones (“JJ”) is co-executive producer and star (as Smitty) of the Bounce TV #1 hit comedy “In The Cut”. he also currently stars as Nelson Bradford in the upcoming “For All Mankind” (APPLE TV+), Uncle Ronny on “Paradise Lost” (PARAMOUNT), “50 States of Terror” as Andy (QUIBI). Jones has recurring roles on “Big Little Lies” starring Nicole Kidman and Meryl Streep, “9-1-1” starring Angela Bassett , “S.W.A.T.” starring Shamar Moore, and “Grace and Frankie” starring Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin and, “The Morning Show,” starring Jennifer Aniston and Reese Witherspoon.
Harvy Blanks has performed in regional theatre for over 30 years and was a member of the Denver Center Theatre Company for 28 of those years. As a member of The Denver Center Theatre Company, Harvy performed such diverse works as; Banjo in The Man Who Came to Dinner and The Witty Gambler in Three Men and a Horse. Harvy has performed the complete August Wilson Cycle of 10 plays. In 2017 he played Shealy in the Tony Award winning Broadway production of August Wilson’s Jitney at The Manhattan Theatre Club. Last summer he play Alberga in Lydia Diamond’s Toni Stone at The Roundabout Theatre Company in NYC. Most recently Harvy reprised the role of Shealy for the National Tour of August Wilson’s Jitney.
Jed Dickson has performed off-Broadway in The Mask and at several venues in and around the city including NY Theater Workshop, the Lark and the Fringe Festival. Regional credits include Berkeley Rep, Arkansas Rep, Shakespeare Santa Cruz, Crossroads Theater, and the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, NY. He logged more than 40 appearances on the Late Show with David Letterman and has had featured or recurring roles on All My Children and As the World Turns.
Tracy Newirth A company artist and Board Member of The Workshop Theater, Tracy Newirth’s New York stage credits include the Off-Broadway premiere of Kithless in Paradise (Polly Barrett), the Audelco Award-winning The Guest at Central Park West by Levy Lee Simon (Jennifer Engles), the critically-acclaimed Skin Deep by Jon Lonoff (Sheila Whiting) and the world premiere of the one-woman show DAPH! by Le Wilhelm (Daphne Dumas) at 59E59th Street Theaters. As a cabaret singer, she has performed her show I'm the Girl! at the historic Cheney Hall Theater as well as various NYC venues.
Trish McCall: Men Say the Darndest Things, BRT, (dir. PMc-Scott) Dark Meat on a Funny Mind, NPC(dir. Dean Irby) The Fabulous Miss Marie, Castillo Theatre (dir. Woodie King Jr.) Modern Romance, EST (dir. Chuck Patterson), Under The Cross, NEW WORLDS THEATRE PROJECT (dir. David Winitsky), Lost Boy Found In Whole Foods, PREMIERE STAGES (dir. John Pietrowski), The Guest At Central Park West, WORKSHOP THEATRE CO. (dir. Thomas Cote), Funny House Of A Negro, CLASSICAL THEATRE OF HARLEM (dir. Billie Allen), Waitin' 2 End Hell, NEW FEDERAL THEATRE (dir. Woodie King Jr.). REGIONAL THEATRE The Merry Wives Of Windsor/SHAKESPEARE FESTIVAL, ST. LOUIS, The Exonerated/NATIONAL TOUR, The Piano Lesson/ARKANSAS REP., Crumbs From The Table Of Joy/TRIAD STAGE, Much Ado About Nothing/CINCINNATI PLAYHOUSE & REPERTORY THEATRE OF ST. LOUIS, Blues For An Alabama Sky/MILWAUKEE REP. & ARIZONA THEATRE CO. TELEVISION Billions,The Blacklist,The Americans,The Good Wife,Law & Order,Law & Order: Criminal Intent,Law & Order:Special Victims Unit,One Life To Live, Guiding Light,As The World Turns.
Curt Bouril Broadway: The Boys In The Band(Booth Theatre), Beautiful (Sondheim Theatre) Accent on Youth (MTC), A Man for All Seasons (Roundabout). Off Broadway: Million Dollar Quarter (New World Stages), Regrets (MTC), The Guest at Central Park West (Workshop Theatre). Tours: First National Tour of Beautiful. Film: The Night Before, Friends and Romans, The Take. Television: “Dynasty”, “Blue Bloods”, “Deception”, “Shades Of Blue”, “The Following”, “Person Of Interest”, “Unforgettable”, “Law & Order SVU”, “30 Rock”, “Boardwalk Empire” (Winner Of 2012 SAG award for Best Ensemble), “Law & Order Criminal Intent,” “Royal Pains”. Graduate of the University of Iowa. Special thanks and love to his wife Kathleen for her constant support and bright smile through out the journey.
Erinn Holmes is an Illinois native, now based in Brooklyn. Recent Zoom readings include “The People” (Metropolitan Playhouse) and the BelieveAbility productions “Holy Corona” and “Invisibility” (The Alternative Theater Company). Other recent projects include the web series Naysayer; short films Nesting, Jump, and Water Melts (2019 Tribeca Film Festival); TV pilot Franklin Street Station; and Catapult! (Theater for the New City). Heartfelt thanks to Levy Lee Simon, Thomas Coté, and the entire CPW family.
Emma Mueller is an actress, writer, and teaching artist in NYC. Emma has starred in several of her own works, including stage play Taboo (Olivia) and short films Antoniaand Vinyasa Flow. Stage credits include Twelfth Night Devised (Viola & Company), Hamlet (Gravedigger), Our Lady of 121st Street (Sonia). Recent Zoom readings include Henry IV Parts 1 & 2 (Prince Hal), The Women (Little Mary), Gloria (Lorin), and On Metamorphoses with ADAPT Community Network.