Things To Do

“DOWN NECK,” A PLAY ABOUT THE IRONBOUND IN 1967, WILL BE STAGED AT NEWARK RIVERFRONT PARK IN AUGUST

Published July 21, 2017 | Brick City Live

Award-winning playwright Pia Wilson’s play about the Ironbound, aptly titled “Down Neck,” will return to Newark with a performance at Newark Riverfront Park on August 19th at 7:30 p.m.

The play, directed by Yendor Theatre Company’s Rodney Gilbert, invites its viewers to imagine a booming Ironbound neighborhood in 1967, where African-American, Portuguese, and Italian families are all inhabiting the area. Wilson’s play explores the lives of three families that hail from those respective backgrounds, and the myriad ways the 1967 Newark Rebellion impacted them and drastically changed the Ironbound’s landscape.

“This is a beautiful family piece with rich historical references and relatable circumstances. Wilson has crafted a play that exhibits the Ironbound’s cultural diversity and untold stories, which we are excited to share,” said Gilbert.

The play, which debuted last year at NJPAC to commemorate the 350th anniversary of the city’s founding, is meant to uncover deeper themes about race, about Newark, and about family by bringing them down to size through relatable storytelling.

“Pia’s play not only educates me about a city I thought I knew, but it also serves as a mirror showcasing issues that we are still encountering 50 years after the rebellion, both on a local and national level,” said Nicolette Lynch, an actress with the Yendor Theatre Company.

The production’s Newark Riverfront staging will bring the play right to the heart of the community that inspired the story, and the Riverfront will be transformed into an outdoor theatrical performance space for the play. This will be the first full-length production for Yendor Theatre Company, which was founded last year and is an outgrowth of Gilbert’s Yendor Productions organization.

Down Neck is appropriate for audience members of all ages. Admission is free and open to the community. For reservations, email info@yendorproductions.com or call (973) 824-2386.

Contribute to BrickCityLive.com! We’re looking for opinion and explanatory contributors, and are calling all thinkers, scholars and practitioners to share your point of view or expertise on a topic or event of importance to Newarkers. We’re accepting 600- to 1,000-word op-eds for possible publication on, so send your work to news@brickcitylive.com for consideration.

[contextly_auto_sidebar]

[fbcomments]