FWD Theatre Project presents a public staged reading of The Black & White Ball by award-winning writers Stephen Cole & Todd Ellison on January 20th, 2015:
Place: City Winery Chicago, 1200 W. Randolph St.
Tickets: On sale now through the City Winery box office at (312) 733-9463
and www.citywinery.com/chicago/tickets/fwd-theatre-project-the-black-white-ball-1-20.html
Amber Mak, FWD Theatre Project’s executive founder, will direct a cast of the city’s leading talents.
George Andrew Wolff stars as Truman Capote who, in 1966, announces the “party of the century” at
New York’s legendary Plaza Hotel; a Black & White Ball for 500 of his closest friends where the glitterati can shine and the press will swoon.
Emma, a poor black girl from Brooklyn, mistakes Capote’s announcement for a high-profile benefit to
unite the races in deeply segregated America; she vows to score an invitation, sparking an unlikely
relationship with the famed bon vivant that spans age, class, color, and culture. 15-year-old Ariana
Burks from Chicago High School for the Arts dazzled a packed house at FWD’s official launch concert
in September and will reprise her role in January.
Times Square Chronicles offered this rave at the preview: “George Andrew Wolff was a delightful
Capote and this first set was owned by vocal dynamite-in-action Ariana Burks as Emma. She may be
young in age and small in stature, but Burks has a powerhouse voice that ignites from that little body (with) the vocal promise of a Kristin Chenoweth blended with Patti LaBelle. This little girl has quite a future a head of her, as hopefully, does this show.”
Jerome Riley plays Mikey, Emma’s young love interest who guides his muse toward her rendezvous
with destiny. Truman is captivated by Emma, resolving to make her the belle of his ball and mold his
latest protégé, an effort that leads to more than either participant bargains for.
Heather Townsend, Kathryn Jaeck, McKinley Carter, and Dina DiCostanzo play The Swans, four
elegant women of the day who helped form Capote’s impressive entourage and represent society’s
white elite. Rounding out the powerhouse cast of 11 are Evan Tyrone Martin, Daniel Phillips, Jos N.
Banks, and Quentin King as Emma’s step-brothers, challenging their sister on her headstrong
determination to rise above her station.
Join FWD Theatre Project, the writers, the cast of The Black & White Ball, and the Chicago theatre
community for this special premiere event. Get in on the launch of a brilliant new musical in its infancy and help build Chicago into one of the world’s leading cities for original musical theatre development.
Of the recent concert to announce this new endeavor, the critics raved: Chris Jones, of the Chicago Tribune, said, “It’s fair to say that no prior effort has been launched with the star power and oomph of Monday night’s very impressive event which sold out the 320-seat City Winery.”
Hedy Weiss of the Sun Times wrote, “(This) just-launched venture is sure to imprint itself on the consciousness of anyone who loves new musicals.”
And Backstage Magazine raved, “If the first installment is anything to go by, FWD is going to be a hit. Launching FWD! premiered its first five selected titles to an enthusiastic crowd of Chicagoan’s craving something thrillingly original.”
Visit the You tube performance of The Black and White Ball: www.youtube.com/watch?v=8gbMiIEf5ec.
fwdtheatre.org/.