Local playwright Jessie Salsbury, winner of OCTA’s 2018 New Works Playwright Competition, returns for the Winner Workshop - a full-length staged reading of her powerful script, ADOPTION OF GRIEF.

TWO PERFORMANCES ONLY
Friday July 13 & Saturday July 14 at 8 pm each night

SUMMARY
A mother dies, leaving instructions for her daughters to be given to the family that secretly adopted her son years before. The sister of the deceased works to keep her family together, as her nieces, who are Black, will be given to a White family that she doesn’t know. The play addresses the legal, social, and emotional constructs of interracial adoption in these recent times, and what defines family.

CAST
Denise Saylor – Amanda
Peter Leondedis – Ronald
Ted Collins – Ward
Yasmeen Wilcox – Desiree
Rochelle Petway – Myreen
Sheridan Mirador – Chad
Jeannie Blau – Stage Reader

DIRECTOR
Jo Bledsoe Collins

ABOUT THE NEW WORKS PLAYWRIGHT COMPETITION
Established in 2016, the New Works Playwright Competition is a unique opportunity for local playwrights to get their name out in the community and have a chance to workshop their production on the OCTA stage. OCTA continues to seek ways to provide aspiring artists opportunities to grow. We feel our unique space and collaborative spirit can provide a safe environment for aspiring playwrights to be heard.