The King of Howard Street poster by Marlon Sullivan.
Baltimore Annex Theater closes their 2016-17 season May 18th-June 4th with The King of Howard Street, an original play about the lives, dreams, and deprivations of the formerly homeless writer, housing rights advocate Anthony Williams. Adapted from the writer’s journals by company member Ren Pepitone and directed by Baltimore School for the Arts Theatre Dept. Head Rosiland Cauthen, this will be the first theater production in the multi-use community hub Le Mondo, an artist-owned and operated space that Annex will soon be calling home.
The King of Howard Street is centered on Anthony’s (Joshua Dixon) time working with other squatters to maintain their stake in one of the strings of storefronts abandoned along the light rail in downtown Baltimore. We’re introduced to his right-hand man Saint Lewis (Nathan Couser, Insurrection: Holding History), the brash McFly (Desirae Butler, The Tempest) , the childlike Randall (Jonathan Jacobs, Tempest, Master and Margarita) and other variously hilarious, antagonistic, and forlorn figures that pass in and out of their tenuous home. While Anthony is hopeful they can use the relative stability of the squat to get through this part of their life, first he must pull from within himself the truth of what went wrong.
The King of Howard Street. Photo credit: Dave Iden.
It’s by way of these meta-narrative journals that we explore the vicious circles of the Howard St occupiers. Those who sell them drugs will also beat and steal from them. The City and health officials with the keys to helping them speak a foreign and aggressive language. The spectres of the past loom large as our crew pushes from day to day running change outside of the local Theaters and hoping a code blue doesn’t catch them without a warm enough blanket.
The King of Howard Street. Photo credit: Dave Iden.
Featuring performances by Malcolm Anomanchi, Kristina Szilagyi, Christian Harris, Mary Travis, David Crandall (Annex Company Member), and Elaine Foster. Costumes by Stylz, Set by Bernard Dred, Lighting by Rick Gerriets (Annex Company Member), Sound by David Crandall, and Video by Rachel Dwiggins (Cook, Thief, Wife, Lover and Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman)
The King of Howard Street is Directed by Rosiland Cauthen, adapted from the journals of Anthony Williams by Ren Pepitone. Performances are May 18th-June 4th, 8pm Thursday-Saturday at Le Mondo, 404 N Howard St. Baltimore, MD.
Tickets at www.baltimoreannextheater.org are $15 general admission, $7 for students and EBT card holders. Additional discounts available.
For more information, to help, or become a partner organization, please email frederick.gerriets@gmail.com or leave a message at (410) 849-9799.
