FringeNYC Previews

FELL

Produced by 7.15 Productions /Columbia U. Black Theater Ensemble

Author: Harrison David Rivers

Fell is a cautionary tale about what can happen when we, in blind pursuit of the "American Dream," forget where we've been and thus who we are. It tells the story of the Meltcalfe's, an upper middle class African American family, who unbeknownst to them, are on a direct collision course with the "glass ceiling." It's like watching the Cosby Show without the laugh track.

I believe that Fell is amazingly salient today. People of color are advancing in almost every field from business to politics to the arts and yet there is still a lack of significant representation in the upper echelon of each of these disciplines. It begs the question, what is preventing more of us from climbing higher? Perhaps history has something to do with it…? Fell is for the theatergoer who wants it all. It is both a comedy and a tragedy. An ideal melding of classic storytelling and spectacle; at times hilarious, at other times deeply moving, Fell is above all fresh, heartfelt, and challenging.

Fell was beautifully produced by Columbia University's Black Theater Ensemble in the Fall of 2007 . We saw The New York International Fringe Festival as an opportunity to present Fell to a much wider audience.

Harrison David Rivers, playwright