![South Camden Theatre Company To Stream "Pipeline" by Dominque Morisseau In April](https://www.newjerseystage.com/events2021/Pipeline1.jpg "South Camden Theatre Company To Stream "Pipeline" by Dominque Morisseau In April")
(CAMDEN, NJ) -- The South Camden Theatre Company presents Pipeline by Dominique Morisseau in a video production to stream in April. With profound compassion and lyricism, Pipeline brings an urgent conversation to the foreground. Don’t miss this deeply moving story of a mother’s fight to give her son a future — without turning her back on the community that made him who he is.
The producation stars Sasha Allen, Brian Neal, Shawneka Ponder, Libby White, Nathan Alford-Tate, and Nakia Dillard. It is directed by Ray Croce, Sr., Artistic Director, South Camden Theatre Company.
The title Pipeline refers to two different kinds of institutionalized segregation. In the first, gifted and talented students are culled from the public-school crowd and given accelerated classroom experiences. The second refers to the schools-to-prison syndrome that plagues poor, mostly inner-city, and mostly African-American families.
That appears to have been the fate in store for Omari (Brian Neal), whose recently divorced parents have separated him from public schools and shipped him off to prep school in the hope of improving his chances of avoiding one kind of pipeline and benefitting from another.
Nya (Sasha Allen), an inner-city public high school teacher, is committed to her students but desperate to give her only son Omari opportunities they’ll never have. When a controversial incident at his upstate private school threatens to get him expelled, Nya must confront his rage and her own choices as a parent. But will she be able to reach him before a world beyond her control pulls him away?
About The Playwright
Dominique Morisseau is the author of The Detroit Project (A 3-Play Cycle) which includes the following: Skeleton Crew, Paradise Blue, and Detroit ’67. Additional plays include: Sunset Baby; Blood at the Root and Follow Me To Nellie’s. She is also the TONY nominated book writer on the Broadway musical Ain’t Too Proud – The Life and Times of the Temptations. Dominique is an alumna of The Public Theater Emerging Writer’s Group, Women’s Project Lab, and Lark Playwrights Workshop and has developed work at Sundance Lab, Williamstown Theatre Festival, and Eugene O’Neil Playwrights Conference. She most recently served as Co-Producer on the Showtime series “Shameless”. Additional awards include Spirit of Detroit Award, PoNY Fellowship, Sky-Cooper Prize, TEER Trailblazer Award, Steinberg Playwright Award, Audelco Awards, NBFT August Wilson Playwriting Award, Edward M. Kennedy Prize for Drama, OBIE Award (2), Ford Foundation Art of Change Fellowship, Variety’s Women of Impact for 2017-18, and a recent MacArthur Genius Grant Fellow
About the Cast
Sasha Allen is a native of the “Biggest Little City ” in New Jersey ─ Camden! She is a curvy queen with great comedic timing who can also bring the drama. She is a two-time award-winning actor who holds a BA from Rutgers University. Sasha is a member of the Illustrious Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Incorporated and New York Women in Film & Television. With love for the art always in her heart she also sits on the board for South Camden Theatre Company. Sasha has not only graced the screen but has also walked many runways and held the title of being the face of two plus-size lines. Sasha teaches affordable acting classes online for all actors at TheTeachingArtist.com
Brian Neal is a Philadelphia native Actor and Writer. He began his acting career at a young age performing, as the Wizard, in the The Wizard of Oz. Since then he has been in works such as A Raisin In the Sun, Ruined and Hairspray. Brian would like to thank the cast and crew of “Pipeline” for their hard work and dedication during the production.
Shawneka Ponder was born and raised in the Washington metropolitan area and is a professional actor, singer, dancer, and martial artist. She has appeared in all media, including the iconic plays, The Wiz and Vagina Monologues, films including From Here 2, Social Radical (on Amazon), The Rise of a Dragon, Habakkuk, and the hit web series, Oldhead, and Kindred. She studied musical theatre at the Studio Theatre Acting Conservatory, acting at Aikan Acts, The Actors District, The Teaching Artist, Voice Over with LaNisa Frederick, and communications and theatre at Bowie State University. She is proud to be a part of the Pipeline cast.
Nathan Alford-Tate is an actor, and devising artist from Detroit, MI. Receiving his BFA in Acting from Western Michigan University and an MFA in Devised Performance from UARTS/Pig Iron. Credits include performances with Quintessence Theatre Group, Rachel at the National Constitution Center, FOURTEEN, Male Tears: A Clown Castration, and Fly Eagles Fly! Currently he is a company member with Almanac Dance Circus Theatre, where he has assisted in creating and performing in Grounds that Shout, Wild! at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. He is a proud artist from Detroit, excited to perform work written by another proud Detroit artist.
Libby White acted (convincingly) as a lawyer and law professor for many years and decided to finally take up acting full time since it is a lot more fun. She has been involved in improv and sketch writing and acted as part of an independent improv group, a lead in two student films, and a principal in an independent film. She played “Hazel” for the South Camden Theatre Company production of Therapy Negotiation and Guile and is thrilled to be back. She gives thanks for the unending support of family and various pets and is very thankful that 2020 is now in the past.
Nakia Dillard is a native of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He has appeared as “Officer Lambert” in the critically acclaimed TV series “The Wire”, which commenced his TV and film career. He has graced the big screen in “Law Abiding Citizen “along side Jamie Foxx. He is also seen in “Night Catches Us” with Anthony Mackie, Kerry Washington and other notable performers. You can catch him in his costar role on the CW’s Black lightning as “Terrence long”. Nakia is currently filming and starring in the film about the life of motivational speaker Les Brown.
South Camden Theatre Company is located at 400 Jasper Street in Camden, New Jersey.
