Tony- and Obie Award-winning playwright and performer Sarah Jones is known for her humorous yet delicately humane treatment of a variety of multicultural characters. After deciding to drop out of college, Jones began birthing her astute characterizations of society’s often most marginalized citizens on spoken word platforms. After a slew of successful shows that included Surface Transit, Women Can’t Wait! and the immensely popular Bridge and Tunnel that was produced by Meryl Streep for Broadway, Jones will soon be unveiling a new thought-provoking piece. Described by the “New York Times” as “A Master of the Genre,” Jones combines intense research with natural talent to create her characters. According to her website,
For all of Sarah’s character development she conducts extensive research, including close studies of people from diverse backgrounds in the environments in which they live, work, and play. From the townships in South Africa to the beaches of Brazil; from schoolyards in the Bronx to barber shops in Los Angeles to the halls of government in Washington, DC, Sarah travels with an eye and ear toward creating characters and writing stories that transcend stereotypes. The product of a multicultural family and upbringing—her background ranges from African American on her father’s side to an Irish-German American grandmother and a Caribbean American grandfather on her mother’s side—Sarah is passionate about the humanity of all her characters and discovering the specific details that make each person unique. By carefully incorporating authentic aspects of the cultural style, accent, dialect, and physicality of real individuals, Sarah aims to construct and bring to life recognizable, multifaceted characters and narratives based on their experiences and beliefs.
Sell/Buy/Date explores the topics of human trafficking and the sex industry. In her typical genius style, Jones conjures five characters in her one-woman show. The characters examine how people of the future may interpret modern attitudes towards gender, sexuality, and sex work. According to the event description,
Sell/Buy/Date is an exuberant new play inspired by the real-life experiences of people affected by the commercial sex industry. Through her masterful, multicultural characterizations, Jones explores an array of diverse perspectives on a fascinating and incendiary subject, all while preserving the full humanity and humor of voices seldom heard in the theater.
Sell/Buy/Date, written and performed by Jones, is directed by Carolyn Cantor. A first look production is being presented by special arrangement with Manhattan Theatre Club by New York Live Arts January 6-10 and 12-16 at 7:30 pm and January 9 & 16 at 2 pm. The tickets to the workshop start at $25 and can be purchased here.
.@jonesarah brings first look of new work, Sell/Buy/Date, to #livearts. Don't miss it! https://t.co/vPQ0o7z2tW pic.twitter.com/NtRTJWjSgb
— New York Live Arts (@NewYorkLiveArts) November 19, 2015
The show will have its world premiere at the Manhattan Theatre Club. Previews for the show will begin Tuesday, September 27, 2016 with opening night scheduled for Tuesday, October 18, 2016. For ticket information, click here.
