For Immediate Release
February 28, 2017
Dixon Place Presents
Down on Griffin Alley
by Connie Winston & Jean Randich
Directed by Jean Randich
Dixon Place presents Down on Griffin Alley produced by Connie Winston in association with Collider Theatre. Down on Griffin Alley is an original play based on the life of Lena Baker, the first and only woman sentenced to the electric chair in the state of Georgia. Down on Griffin Alley written by Connie Winston and Jean Randich, is an anti-death penalty/love story performance piece based on the life, trial, and execution of Lena Baker, an African American maid in Cuthbert, Georgia. Lena Baker was wrongfully convicted of killing her ex-lover and employer, Ernest (E.B.) Knight, a white man who would lock her up in his gristmill, keeping her against her will. Through actual trial testimony and devised scenes, Down on Griffin Alley explores what was said and what was silenced.
The cast features Connie Winston as Lena Baker, and Joel Marsh Garland* (Orange is the New Black, Netflix) as Ernest Knight. Additional company members include Shea Glover, James Hallett*, Nolan Lunsford, Nikk Tavo, and Cole Taylor. Production team: Kendall DuPre’ (Assistant Director), Abigail Hoke-Brady (Lighting Design), Joey Huertas (Videography), Kim Marie Jones* (Stage Manager), Robert Murphy (Sound Design), Effy Redman (Dramaturg), Sue Rees (Projection Design), Charles Schoonmaker (Costume Design), Kana Takahasi (Graphic Designer), and Taylor Ybarra (Associate Producer). * Appears courtesy of Actor’s Equity Association
In honor of Black History Month, Lisa Banks’ In the Spotlight hour on Heart Radio 1 will be airing an interview with Connie Winston, discussing the life of Lena Baker as well as the process of creating Down on Griffin Alley, and what that means in today’s world. The interview will be aired on Monday, February 27 at 8pm at heatradio1.com.
Down on Griffin Alley will premiere at Dixon Place for a one night only engagement on Monday, March 20 at 7:30pm. There will be a talkback following the performance with the creators and cast of the play, open to the public. The Dixon Place Lounge is open before and after the show, and you can bring your drink in the theater! Bar proceeds directly support DP’s artists and mission. General admission tickets are $15 in advance/$18 at the door. Student/Senior/idNYC discounts available. For tickets, visit DixonPlace.org. Dixon Place is located at 161A Chrystie Street (between Rivington and Delancey), in Manhattan’s Lower East Side (By subway: F to 2nd Ave, J/Z to Bowery, 6 to Spring St, M to Essex St).
Dixon Place, an incubator for performing and literary artists since 1986, is a non-profit organization committed to supporting the creative process by presenting original works of dance, theater, music, circus arts, puppetry, literature, performance and visual art at all stages of development. Presenting over 1,000 artists each year, this local haven inspires and encourages diverse artists of all stripes and callings to take risks and push personal and professional limits. DP’s foremost priorities are to serve as a safety net for artists, and to provide vivid experiences for audiences. Many artists, such as Blue Man Group, John Leguizamo, Lisa Kron, David Cale, Penny Arcade, Deb Margolin and Reno began their careers at Dixon Place.
Dixon Place Presents
Down on Griffin Alley
By Connie Winston and Jean Randich
Directed by Jean Randich
At Dixon Place, March 20, 2017 7:30pm