FetchClay

New York Theatre Workshop (NYTW) Artistic Director James C. Nicola has announced that Fetch Clay, Make Man, written by Will Power and directed by Des McAnuff, will begin performances Friday, August 23 at NYTW, 79 East 4 Street, between Bowery and Second Avenue.  Opening night is set for Thursday, September 12 at 7pm.  Fetch Clay, Make Man is scheduled to run through Sunday, October 13; tickets are on sale now.

In the days leading up to one of Cassius Clay‘s most anticipated fights, the heavyweight boxing champion forms an unlikely friendship with the controversial Hollywood star Stepin Fetchit.  With a script by award-winning performer and playwright Will Power, who received rave reviews for his plays Flow and The Seven at NYTW, and direction by Tony Award winner Des McAnuff (The Who’s Tommy, Jersey Boys), Fetch Clay, Make Man explores the improbable bond that forms between two drastically different and influential cultural icons.  One a vibrant and audacious youth, the other a resentful and almost forgotten relic, they fight together to form their public personas and shape their legacies amidst the struggle of the civil rights movement of the mid-1960s.  This true story is as powerful and poetic as Clay himself while also humorous and irreverent like Fetchit’s signature act.  Finding commonality in contradiction, Fetch Clay, Make Man examines the true meanings of strength, resilience, and pride.

The cast of Fetch Clay, Make Man includes Ray Fisher, K. Todd Freeman, Anthony Gaskins, Nikki M James, John Earl Jelks, Sekou Laidlow, and Richard Masur.

Performance schedule: Tuesday and Wednesday at 7:00pm; Thursday and Friday at 8:00pm; Saturday at 3pm and 8pm; Sunday at 2pm and 7pm.  Fetch Clay, Make Man runs through October 13.  Tickets start at $70 and may be purchased online at www.ticketcentral.com, 24 hours a day, seven days a week or by phoning Ticket Central at (212) 279-4200, noon – 8pm daily.  For exact dates and times of performance, visit www.nytw.org.