The Resident Ensemble Players (REP), UD's resident professional theatre company, is thrilled to present the Delaware premiere of PASS OVER, by Antoinette Nwandu.
PASS OVER is a mashup of the theatre classic Waiting for Godot and the Biblical Exodus story, told in a modern urban setting. This play centers around two young Black men, Moses and Kitch. They stand on the street corner, as they do every day – talking trash, killing time, and dreaming of the promised land.
This production runs Feb. 8-18, at the Roselle Center for the Arts. Tickets are only $20, and can be purchased online or by contacting the REP box office at (302) 831-2204. Discounts available for students and groups.
“It’s a spiritual and existential story,” says Hassan El-Amin, REP company member and director. “It’s a story of love, joy, hope, despair, longing, friendship, family, social conditioning. PASS OVER is multilayered.”
Playwright Antoinette Nwandu began writing PASS OVER after the 2012 killing of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin and the outcome of Zimmerman’s murder trial. Nwandu channeled her feelings of anger, sadness, and frustration into this compelling new play.
“To be able to put this play on stage in 2024 when it was born in 2012, shows you the power of the story,” says El-Amin. “But it also shows you how far we have to go to overcome whatever this sickness is, this disease, we have when it comes to the value of life for African Americans in the United States.”
The Resident Ensemble Players’ production of PASS OVER is not to be missed. PASS OVER is an emotionally charged and powerfully impactful drama that the playwright brilliantly blends with poetic and humorous riffs. It will absolutely leave audiences asking themselves, “What is the value of a young Black man’s life?”
Article by A.R. McGinty
Photo by Sanjay Pelinski
January 25, 2024
