AMERICAN MA(U)L
Written and directed by Robert O’Hara
Presented by Reverie Productions.
Previews begin April 12 at The Culture Project @ 45 Bleecker

Reverie Productions will present the long-awaited World Premiere of American Ma(u)l. This blistering political satire is written and directed by Robert O’Hara, recipient of Newsday's 1996 Oppenheimer Award for Best New American Play for Insurrection: Holding History. Previews begin April 12th at The Culture Project @ 45 Bleecker Theater with opening night scheduled for Monday, April 14th.

At the opening of American Ma(u)l, the country is on the brink of economic collapse and being run by an idiot. To reduce the federal deficit, the President and Congress have declared that the 14th Amendment is null and void and slavery will be reinstituted. This incident provides the catalyst for a story about race and family in America. American Ma(u)l follows two neighboring families, one black, one white, as they attempt to deal not only with this new reality, but with a budding mixed race romance between their children. Abraham Lincoln, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, and his slave mistress Sally Hemming all make cameo appearances in this hilariously dark upside-down look at racial relations throughout American history.

American Ma(u)l is the final play of a trilogy that began with the World Premiere of Insurrection: Holding History at the New York Shakespeare Festival/Public Theater in 1996 and continued with Brave Brood produced by Reverie Productions in 1999. American Ma(u)l was commissioned by the NEA/TCG Residency at American Conservatory Theater in San Francisco, where a workshop production was mounted in 2000.

Robert O'Hara wrote and directed the World Premiere of Insurrection: Holding History at the New York Shakespeare Festival/Public Theater. It was subsequently published by both TCG and Dramatist Play Service and has been produced around the world. O’Hara is also the recipient of the 1995 Van Lier Fellow at New Dramatists, Mark Taper Forum's Sherwood Award, the John Golden Award, the Rockefeller Fellowship and the TANNE Fellowship. He has written films and teleplays for Martin Scorsese, Spike Lee, Avnet/Kerner, HBO, ABC, Universal Pictures, Sony Pictures, New Line/Fine Line Cinema and Artisan Entertainment. He earned his Directing MFA from Columbia University School of the Arts. His other plays include Brave Brood, Beowulf (workshopped by Seattle Rep), Leigh, and Booty Candy which will receive its World Premiere this February.

Reverie Productions is a theatre company dedicated to the development and production of new plays in a collaborative environment where theatre artists can learn from each other, explore new artistic ground, and produce theatre of uncompromising quality. In the past three years they have produced critically acclaimed premieres of such diverse works as Robert O'Hara's Brave Brood, Carson Kreitzer's Valerie Shoots Andy and Self Defense, American Maccabee and Ariane Mnouchkine's Mephisto.

American Ma(u)l runs April 12 - May 4, Mon. & Wed. - Sat. at 8pm, and Sun. at 3pm. The Culture Project is located at 45 Bleecker Street (accessible from the 6 train at Bleecker or the F & V trains at Broadway/Lafayette.) Tickets are $19, $12 for students and seniors. For reservations call 212-352-3101.