When it comes to prison dramas, the television landscape has long been littered with them, from “Hogan Heroes” in the 60’s to the Emmy-winning and critically acclaimed current Netflix series “Orange is the New Black.” Now, Broadway veteran and Tony nominee Sheri Rene Scott is bringing a prison drama to the stage and the anticipation for the show is so high that the New York Times (July 29, 2015) recently highlighted it.
Whorl Inside a Loop is an Off Broadway production that tells the story of an actress who volunteers at a maximum security prison and agrees to teach six inmates how to tell their stories. Sharing intimate and sometimes hilarious details of their former lives, this unlikely group forms a bond – even as the actress’ life spins out of control. And when what happens in prison doesn’t stay there, no one is sure who to trust.
(l-r top row: Sherie Renee Scott, Derrick Baskin, Nicholas Christopher bottom row: Chris Myers, Ryan Quinn, Daniel J. Watts, Donald Webber, Jr.
The play, co-authored by Scott and writer Dick Scanlan, features Scott and six men playing two dozen characters in a constant shifting of scenes, ages, genders, and races. Other cast members include Derrick Baskin, who received a 2005 Drama Desk award for Outstanding Ensemble Performance for his role as “Mitch Mahoney” in the Off-Broadway production of The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee; Nicholas Christopher, who recently appeared as “Smokey Robinson” in Broadway’s blockbuster hit Motown: The Musical’s 1st National tour; Obie Award winner Chris Myers, who appeared in Soho Rep’s An Octoroon; Ryan Quinn, who’s appeared in several Off Broadway productions; Daniel J. Watts, who has been in After Midnight, In The Heights, Memphis, Motown, and others; and Donald Webber, Jr., who was in the original Broadway cast of Motown: The Musical and appeared in Holler If Ya Hear Me.
Whorl Inside A Loop is running at Second Stage Theatre from August 4-30. For tickets and show times, visit www.2st.com.
