Congratulations to Robert Johnson, owner of Karibu Cottages in Treasure Beach, for undertaking such an ambitious project. Best of luck!

For Immediate Release: June 21, 2007 Contact: Akiba Abaka
617-318-4692

akiba@upyoumightyrace.org

Patience of Nantucket

By Robert Johnson Jr.

Directed by Akiba Abaka

July 5-15, 2007

Bennett Hall, First Congregational Church, Nantucket


(Boston, MA)--- Robert Johnson's Patience of Nantucket, which premiered to high
critical acclaim in Boston, will receive its Nantucket debu t July 5th thru July
15th at Bennett Hall, First Congregational Church.

Based on true events, Patience of Nantucket is a dramatization of the tragic
life of Patience Cooper, an African-American woman in nineteenth century
Nantucket, who was wrongfully convicted of the killing of an elderly shopkeeper.
During her trial she is railroaded in a racial witch hunt that shakes up, and
tears apart the tiny island of Nantucket. Her turmoil is bonded by a secret love
affair, and tensions between the Quakers and segregationists on the island. The
play revives real characters from the period, including Rev. James Craw! ford,
Pastor of the Pleasant Street Baptist Church that was located in the African
Meeting House on Nantucket, now owned by Boston's Museum of African-American
History.

During its highly successful Boston run, where the play was viewed by sold out
audiences, the Boston Globe called Patience of Nant ucket "Masterful". The
Boston Herald also applauded the play saying "Johnson's script makes Patience so
real, and though 150 years have passed, he's worked in striking contemporary political parallels". Nick Dussault of the Boston Metro stated,
"Director Akiba Abaka has assembled a stellar cast to breathe life into the
tragic tale. Abaka keeps the emotions running high yet, thankfully, the
characters never go overboard&rdqu! o;.

While serving as the director of the James Bradford Ames Fellowship, a program
that supports research and publication of black and Cape Verdean history on
Nantucket, Johnson came across the court records of Cooper's incarceration and
trial. Himself an attorney, Johnson was intrigued by the injustice of the trial
and sought to bring Patience's story to light in the form of a play.

Up You Mighty Race Company is honored to present this inspired production which
pairs UMass Boston Africana Studies Professor Robert Johnson Jr. with director
Akiba Abaka (one of his former students) in an artistic collaboration that
bridges the gap between academia and the arts. Via the mediums of movement,
theatre, song, and poetry Up You Mighty Race Utilizes the arts as a catalyst for social awareness and change.

Patience of Nantucket will receive a limited engagement run from July 5-15, 2007
at Bennett Hall, First Congregational Church, 62 Centre Street, Nantucket, MA.
Performances are Thursday, thru Saturday at 8:00, and Sunday at 4:00 p.m.
Tickets are $15.00 for students/seniors and $25.00 for adults. For more
information and to purchase tickets please visit www.capetix.com or call
1866-811-4111.

Patience of Nantucket Quick Info Sheet

What Up You Mighty Race Company presents

Patience of Nantucket by Robert Johnson,

directed by Akiba Abaka.

When: July 5-15, 2007

Thursdays @ 8:00 p.m.

Fridays @ 8:00 p.m.

Saturdays @ 8:00 p.m.

Sundays @ 4:00 p.m.


Where: Bennett Hall, First Congregational Church

; 62 Centre Street, Nantucket, MA

(Within walking distance of the Steamship Authority)

Tickets: $25.00 full price adult

$15.00 students/seniors

$5.00 off adult full price for groups of 10 or more

Purchase tickets at www.capetix.com
<http://www.capetix.com/> or call 1-866-811-4111

Cast: Pamela Lambert as Patience Cooper

Harold Withee as Uriah Gardner

Joe Lee Baker Bay as Reverend James Crawford

Mary Elizabeth Rutkowski as Mary Gardner

Jeff Gill as Mark Salom

Bern Bud as Capt. Fitzgerald

Dosha Beard as Trilona Pompey

David Ross as Alfred Macy

Peter E. Haydu as Attorney Martston

Jeff Tidwell as Attorney Gardner

Robert Runck as Judge Brigham

Jo LaGreca as Dr. Sherman


Produ ction Team: Tonee Jordan, Production Stage Manager

Peter Colao, Scenic Designer

Jonathon Bonner, Lighting Designer

Joy Adams, Costume Designer

; Akiba Abaka & Ben Truppin-Brown, Sound
Design


Fore more information visit www.upyoumightyrace.org