Staged Reading of "ToasT," Attica Prison Drama, to be Performed at Guild Hall

Photo: Keith David/Matthew Mendoza, Flickr Creative Commons

On Thursday night at Guild Hall in East Hampton, beginning at 8 p.m., a staged reading of a new play,“ToasT,” will be performed by Emmy Award-winning comedian and actor Keith David. “ToasT” is written by Tony Award-winning poet and performer Lemon Anderson. It will premier on the stage at The Public Theater in New York City next spring. The production has been developed and directed by Elise Thoron.

The play is set in New York State’s Attica Prison in 1971. Willie Green aka Dolomite, a legendary inmate, discovers he is being paroled after serving 27 years for murder. His release date coincides with the infamous Attica uprising and Dolomit must choose whetehr to stand beside his cellmates or secure his own freedom. “ToasT” honors an art form of reciting narratives based on characters and situations from the Black Experience, performed in prisons, bars and pool halls. Dolomite, Stackolee, Jesse James, Hard Rock and other folklore heroes come to life in an Attica cellblock at a turning point in American history.

Playwright Lemon Andersen performed his memoir “County of Kings” on Guild Hall’s John Drew stage last year.

This year’s reading will include performances by André De Shields (“The Wiz,” “Play On!,” “The Full Monty,”) Tony Plana (“Ugly Betty,” “The West Wing,” “Richard III,”) Hill Harper (“CSI:NY,” “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air,”) Colman Domingo (“The Butler,” “Passing Strange,” “The Scottsboro Boys,”) Kevin Mambo (“Fela,”) Armando Riesco and Peter McRobbie.

Tickets start at $28 for Guild Hall members and can be purchased online or at the box office.