Memphis High School To Present The Regional World Premiere Of LOCKDOWN: AWAIT FURTHER INSTRUCTIONS

Roundabout Theatre Company (Todd Haimes, Artistic Director/CEO) and Education at Roundabout (Jennifer DiBella, Director of Education) are pleased to announce that Ridgeway High School in Memphis, TN will present the regional premiere of LOCKDOWN: AWAIT FURTHER INSTRUCTIONS. Written by Daniel Robert Sullivan and a team of teenagers from New York City, Lockdown: Await Further Instructions was developed in partnership with Roundabout Theatre Company's Education Department. The play, devised from the words and experiences of its co-creators, will have its regional world premiere at Ridgeway High School on November 1st and 2nd at 7:00pm, and November 3rd at 3:00pm. Tickets are available at the door. Ridgeway High School is located at 2009 Ridgeway Rd., Memphis, TN 38119.

The Memphis production will be helmed by teacher and director, Julie R. Watson.

Says Watson, "We are very excited to be the premiere production of Lockdown: Await Further Instructions. We were part of the rolling premier of Prospect High: Brooklyn, and it was a really positive experience. Similar to Prospect, Lockdown is full of characters and material that is very current. Each of my cast members is able to relate to some aspect of the script. The process of assigning lines was challenging, but, in the end, we are very pleased with the shape of the show."

Conceived by Daniel Robert Sullivan (Tommy DeVito in Jersey Boys, Author of Prospect High: Brooklyn) and co-written by a team of New York City teenagers, the play takes place in an urban high school during an active-shooter situation. While hiding - somewhat securely - beneath their school's auditorium stage, a theatre class shares personal stories to alleviate their fear. They learn more about each other today than ever before.

Lockdown: Await Further Instructions was created with the intent of offering new, serious, true-to-life material for teenage actors. The play addresses themes of deep friendship, revenge, academic stress, teenage mental health, and the power of good and bad advice, all against the backdrop of an enormous city high school. Lockdown: Await Further Instructions can be performed by any number of actors. Notably, this production includes brand new passages written by the actual Ridgeway High School actors performing the play.

"I wanted to create another issue-driven, age-appropriate, ethnically-diverse, flexible-cast play that represents the extremes inherent in an urban high school environment. Through just a month of collaboration, these teenagers have introduced me to the issues and conversations most important to them. We've structured these issues into the play," notes creator Daniel Robert Sullivan.

Teenage co-writers of the play include Starr Bond, Chidimma Dikeocha, Nermine Hamed, Asya Hyppolite, Jacob Krah, Susana Kuhn, Barbara Lewis, Mark Lewis, Mary Lewis, Savannah Mangin, Jenna Muldoon, Mikiyah Murphy, Madison Mushnick, Gabriela Nieves, Nneka Nwosu, Hasanat Onitiri, Amanda Rivera, Joseph Tate, Fatima Turay, Garrison Watkins, with teacher Laura Fries.

Established in 1996, Education at Roundabout annually serves over 30,000 students, educators, community members, and patrons throughout New York City's five boroughs and beyond. Roundabout offers nationally recognized programs that use the power of the arts to inspire, engage, and promote social equity through three core areas: Career Training, Community Partnerships, and Teaching and Learning. The deep impact and breadth of our work is a result of programs and curricula curated specifically to build lasting relationships with students, teachers, early career professionals, audiences, and our local communities. roundabouttheatre.org/education

Roundabout Theatre Company celebrates the power of theatre by spotlighting classics from the past, cultivating new works of the present, and educating minds for the future. A not-for-profit company, Roundabout fulfills that mission by producing familiar and lesser-known plays and musicals; discovering and supporting talented playwrights; reducing the barriers that can inhibit theatergoing; collaborating with a diverse team of artists; building educational experiences; and archiving over five decades of production history.

Roundabout Theatre Company presents a variety of plays, musicals and new works on its five stages: Broadway's American Airlines Theatre, Studio 54 and Stephen Sondheim Theatre, and Off-Broadway's Harold and Miriam Steinberg Center for Theatre, which houses the Laura Pels Theatre and Black Box Theatre.

American Airlines is the official airline of Roundabout Theatre Company. Roundabout productions are supported, in part, with public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council, the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Cuomo and the New York State Legislature.

Roundabout's 2019-2020 Broadway season includes The Rose Tattoo, by Tennessee Williams, starring Marisa Tomei, directed by Trip Cullman; A Soldier's Play by Charles Fuller, starring David Alan Grier and Blair Underwood, directed by Kenny Leon; Birthday Candles, by Noah Haidle, starring Debra Messing, directed by Vivienne Benesch; Caroline, or Change, by Tony Kushner and Jeanine Tesori, starring Sharon D Clarke, directed by Michael Longhurst.

In 2019-2020, Roundabout will present five new works Off-Broadway, including: Scotland, PA a new musical by Michael Mitnick and Adam Gwon, directed by Lonny Price; 72 Miles to Go... by Hilary Bettis, directed by Jo Bonney; ...what the end will be by Jiréh Breon Holder, directed by Margot Bordelon; Darling Grenadine, book, music & lyrics by Daniel Zaitchik, directed and choregraphed by Michael Berresse; and Exception to the Rule by Dave Harris, directed by Miranda Haymon.

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