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The Rep commissions original play about Ferguson

The St. Louis Repertory Theatre will include an original play about Ferguson in its 2016 "Ignite!"  festival of new plays.

The Rep is commissioning nationally known playwright Dael Orlandersmith for the one-woman show. Orlandersmith won a Susan Smith Blackburn Award and garnered a Pulitzer Prize nomination for her play called "Yellowman" that The Rep produced 10 years ago.

In the Ferguson production, Orlandersmith will play an 85-year-old woman who sees the Michael Brown killing through the eyes of someone who’s lived her entire life in the St. Louis suburb.

St. Louis’ Gitana Productions is also presenting an original play based on the events of Ferguson, called “Black and Blue.”It includes actors who are Ferguson residents, and opens free of charge on May 22 at the Missouri History Museum.

Follow Nancy Fowler on Twitter: @NancyFowlerSTL

Nancy is a veteran journalist whose career spans television, radio, print and online media. Her passions include the arts and social justice, and she particularly delights in the stories of people living and working in that intersection.