The Awakening Offers Message of Hope for Inner City
-- "The Awakening" is the story of one educated Black man, who, instead of running away from the ghetto after college, decides to return home and fight, poverty, drugs and violence. --
Willim a. Parker and Producer/Director, Woodie King, Jr.
Ella Joyce and Lawrence-Hilton Jacobs who starred in Parker's Waitin' 2 End Hell
The Awakening
Elk Grove, CA (BlackNews.com) - California Playwright William a. Parker is no rookie to the theatre. He emerged as one of the nations most recognized Black writers in May of 2004, when his play, Waitin' 2 End Hell opened Off-Broadway, at the 47th Street Theater. Directed by legendary Producer/Director, Woodie King, Jr, Waitin' 2 End Hell, received more than 100 Off-Broadway performances and went on to received glowing reviews from the "New York Times", "New York Amsterdam News", "On and Off Broadway", "Staten Island Advance", "Nashville Scene", "Winston Salem Journal", "The Houston Chronicle", "New York Post", "Backstage", "Off-Off Online", "The Denver Post", "The Sacramento Observer", "NY1", "Sacramento News & Review" and many other publications.
In 2005, the play performed at The National Black Theater Festival, in Winston Salem, North Carolina and received 4 nominations for top honors at the 32nd Annual Vivian Robinson/AUDELCO Recognition Awards for Excellence in Black Theatre including "Best Dramatic Play", "Best Lead Male Actor", "Best Lead Female Actor" and "Light Design". The play went on to be performed at the prestigious, Ensemble Theatre in Houston and continues to be performed in theatres across the country.
Long before Tyler Perry, Playwright William a. Parker was writing plays and carving out a niche for himself. A graduate from California State University, Sacramento. In 1980, Parker Journeyed to Morehouse College in Atlanta, GA, where he worked with Director Joan Lewis and starred as Eustace Baylor in Steve Carter's Eden, opposite, noted Broadway Director Kenny Leon and New York Actress Denise Burse. Leon's recent effort with A Raisin in the Sun has elevated him to new heights.
Removed from the bright lights of New York and every other major theatre market in the country, Parker is an over achiever and earning his chops as a Writer, Director and Producer. Parker has written more than 15 plays and has had the good fortune to work with some legends in the business. His plays have been attended by Ozzie Davis, Ruby Dee, Margaret Avery, Ed Bullins, BeBe Drake, Paul Carter Harrison, Ted Lange, Malik Yoba, Larry Leon Hamlin, Sheryl Lee Ralph, Ralph Carter, P.J. Gibson, Tommy Hicks, T'Keyah Crystal Keymah, Melba Moore, Lynn Whitfield and so many others.
Since 1995, some of the actors sojourning to Sacramento to work with Parker include, Bill Cobbs, Art Evans, Judyann Elder, Obba Babatunde, April Barnett, Karen Malina White, Garrett Morris, Glynn Turman, Adilah Barnes, Tommy Hicks, Dan Martin, Phyllis Yvonne Stickney and others. In 2005, Parker was humbled when celebrities, Ella Joyce, Lawrence-Hilton Jacobs and Yvonne Stickney starred in Waitin' 2 End Hell.
Now, Parker, ala "Tyler Perry" wants to deliver his plays to your doorstep on DVD. This brilliant play is set in the 1990's and depicts the poignant story of one man's fight against the introduction of crack cocaine to the Black community. Crack changed everything as it seemed that every Black family in American was touched in some way. Crack brought drug dealers out into the open and brought violence to once quiet communities as turf wars began to erupt everywhere. Enjoy the laughter. Witness the joy and pain, the excitement of love and over-coming against all odds in this Hi-definition video presentations.
The show opened in North Hollywood, November 7, 2006 and closed January 28, 2007, but you can witness this powerful ensemble cast that includes, Derek Shaun, Theresa Deveaux, Willie Warner, Marvin Gay, Jennifer Dale Sammons, Brian Marshall, Damon Christopher and Bernadette McAllister.
"Performances are uniformly splendid." -- Backstage West
"A Journey Worth Taking" -- L.A. Splash
"Parker writes with authority. His social-political dialogue has a common sense attraction." -- Sacramento Bee
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