A Soldier's Play to be performed at the Regina A. Quick Center for the Arts | Press Releases

The Center for Multicultural Relations and The Artists Foundation will co-sponsor the Charles Fuller Pulitzer Prize-winning play, "A Soldiers Play," on Thursday, April 18 at 7 p.m., and on Friday, April 19, and Saturday, April 20, at 8 p.m. The performances will be held in the Regina A. Quick Center for the Arts, with a special reception with the actors taking place on Saturday, April 20 at 5 p.m., in the Wien Experimental Theatre.

"A Soldiers Play" blends an Agatha Christie-style murder mystery with an emotional character study and important social message. Some 1.2 million African-Americans served in World War II, but their role was often overlooked or ignored by white Americans and the Armed Forces in general.

The Negro Ensemble Company originally performed the play Off-Broadway in 1981, and in 1984 the story was released as the motion picture "A Soldier's Story," featuring Oscar-award winning actor Denzel Washington. The film was nominated for three academy awards, three Golden Globe awards and won an Edgar Allen Poe Award for playwright Charles Fuller as well as a Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award for Adolph Caesar (Sergeant Waters).

The acting troupe that comprises The Artists Foundation, Inc., originally performed A Soldier's Play at the Leonhardt Theatre in Stamford, Conn., under the auspices of another theatre company. The cast included some of the finest African American actors in lower Fairfield County and New York, many of them experienced professionals and film actors. The performances were nearly sold out and received several standing ovations.

The Artist's Foundation, Inc., plans to present the play in institutions of higher learning and other venues throughout Connecticut and the surrounding region. This event is open to the public, with Thursday's performance geared toward student groups. Tickets are on sale at the Quick Center box office (203) 254-4010 or 1-877-ARTS-396. Prices are $25 for Adults and $15 for students. For more information please contact The Center for Multicultural Relations at (203) 254-4000 ext. 2909.