The Legend of Buster Neal by Jackie Alexander, the first in a trilogy of plays about reclaiming community, running at eta Square, 7558 S. South Chicago Avenue. 

eta CREATIVE ARTS FOUNDATION is a major cultural resource institution for the preservation, perpetuation and promulgation of the African American aesthetic in the City of Chicago, the State of Illinois and the Nation.

In “The Legend of Buster Neal,” a fearless civil rights activist reappears 60 years after his supposed death to face his greatest challenge, his great- great grandson, a 16 year old lured by the streets.  Directed by Kemati Janice Porter, the cast is Tyrone Laury (Buster), Robert Hardaway (Melvin), William R. Riley (Ira), Marc A. Rogers (Tank), Keith Surney (Marcus), and Will Green (Hubcap).  The show runs through March 4.

Check out the interview below with the writer of the play, The Legend of Buster Neal. 

Laughing, loving, exploring, challenging. All that and more is on tap when MPAACT opens two new, live late-night shows Friday’s and Saturday’s beginning in July. On Fridays, MPAACT will host The Underground Poetry Jam. A Jam is a virtual love fest. Poets present their art in a non-competitive environment without fear or ridicule. Come underground and share the experience.

Saturday nights, MPAACT’s Comedy Ensemble has created a collection of original sketch performances that are unabashedly courageous and provocative in their take on race, class, and American politics.  It’s sketch comedy for the 21^st century.  

THE UNDERGROUND POETRY JAM

Hosted by: MPAACT’s Ensemble

When:  Fridays beginning July 9, 2010

Where: The Greenhouse Theatre Center, 2257 North Lincoln Avenue

LATE NITE SKETCH JAM

Written by: The Ensemble

Directed by: Carla Stillwell

When:  Saturdays beginning July 10, 2010

Where: The Greenhouse Theatre Center, 2257 North Lincoln Avenue

Both Shows: Tickets $10 at the door Start 9:00pm

About MPAACT

MPAACT was founded in 1991 by a group of like-minded individuals who shared an artistic vision and who wanted to develop, nurture, and sustain Afrikan Centered Theatre, which is grounded in the many cultures and traditions of the African continent and its Diaspora. With a vision focused on creating new work and collaborative art, MPAACT produces and educates with the goal of increasing understanding and appreciation of Afrikan Centered Theatre and its interrelated disciplines, including not only main stage and standing productions but also a playwright's laboratory, original music, a publishing company (Sakhu Publications), an arts education program, and many workshops and master classes.