the Local Lab staged reading of
affinity lunch minutes
written by
NICK MALAKHOW
***
Sunday, April 24, 2022 | 2 pm MT
Dairy Arts Center | Boulder, CO
IN-PERSON
TICKETS
Available to Season 11 Members in January, 2022
Available to non-members in February, 2022
Hey, you should join the conversation!
There will be a 20-minute talkback facilitated by Local Lab Co-Director Betty Hart directly following the reading.
SYNOPSIS
Ben and Jasmine are the only two Black teachers at Penn Valley, a private Quaker school. Jasmine is passionate and boundary pushing, while Ben has worked his way up the ranks at the school to be Diversity Dean thanks to his “agreeable” nature. A racially charged discipline decision ignites a divide at the school and in Jasmine and Ben’s collegial relationship.
CREATIVE TEAM
NICK MALAKHOW
Playwright
Nick Malakhow is a multi-racial, Dominican and Ukrainian writer and theater educator. His full-length work includes AFFINITY LUCH MINUTES (2021 O'Neill National Playwrights Conference, Relative Theatrics, the Garden), SEEING EYE (developed with Victory Gardens, Fresh Ink, finalist for the 2019 O'Neill NPC, the 2018 LTC/HowlRound Carnaval, and the 2020 In-Progress Reading Series at the Unicorn Theatre), A PICTURE OF TWO BOYS (developed with Abingdon Theatre Company, Mirrorbox Theatre Company, Skylight Theatre Company, the Quarantine Series), and GRIT (developed with Playhouse on Park, Fuse Theater, Theatre@First, 2021 Princess Grace Award Finalist). His other work has been developed or produced by the Ithaca College Theatre Department, the Open Theatre Project, the Q Collective, the Boston Theater Marathon, and more. Nick was a Company One Playlab Unit member for C1's 2019 season. He has also taught theater, English, and creative writing at the secondary level for over ten years in the greater Philly and Boston areas. He grew up in the diverse town of Teaneck, NJ. BA: Swarthmore College, MA: Emerson College
BETTY HART
Post-Show Facilitator
Betty has acted in Local Lab and has facilitated audience conversatioons and salons for Local Theater Company. In 2020, Betty directed Josh Kroenig’s Vroom Vroom for Local Lab, which audiences never saw due to the theatre wide shut down. In June 2021, Betty directed the one person play An Iliad for Creede Repertory Theatre (CRT) and in spring, directed a virtual offering of To the Moon by Beth Kander for CRT as well. In spring of 2021, Betty directed an original devised theatrical film for the University of Northern Colorado called 2020 Speaks. Upcoming projects include directing Polaroid Stories for Metropolitan State University, By the way, Meet Vera Stark for the Fine Arts Center at Colorado College, Once on this Island for Town Hall Arts Center and Blackademics for Vintage Theatre. In November of 2020, Betty gave a Ted Talk on compassion culture instead of cancel culture. You can view the talk here: go.ted.com/bettyhart
LOCAL THEATER COMPANY TEAM
Founding Artistic Director - Pesha Rudnick
Producer - Misha S. Zimmerman
Associate Artistic Director & Marketing Manager & Local Lab 11 Co-Director - Nick Chase
Development & Business Affairs - Alison Palmer
Local Lab 11 Co-Director - Betty Hart
Marketing Associate - Kevin Douglas
Resident Dramaturg - Jordan Lichtenheld
Land Acknowledgement
Every community owes its existence and vitality to generations from around the world that contributed their hopes, dreams and energy to making the history that led to this moment. Some of the people from the history of this spot were brought here against their will, some were drawn to leave their distant homes in hope of a better life and some have lived on this land for more generations than can be counted. Truth and acknowledgment are critical to building mutual respect and connection across all barriers of heritage and difference. We begin this effort to acknowledge what has been buried by honoring the truth.
Local Theater Company acknowledges, with deep respect, that we are located on the traditional and ancestral homelands of the Ute, Cheyenne and Arapaho Nations and Peoples. We pay respect to their elders both past and present. We ask that you consider the many legacies of violence, displacement, migration and settlement that bring us here today.
Appearing through an Agreement between Local Theater Company and Actors' Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States.
