NCTC Announces Colman Domingo's Touching And Offbeat Family Dramedy, DOT

In March, New Conservatory Theatre Center will produce critically-acclaimed playwright Colman Domingo's Dot. Full of love, laughter, and absolute chaos, this moving and hilarious play offers a look at a woman losing herself in the past and the family trying to keep her in the present.

The Shealys are barely holding it together. Matriarch Dotty is struggling to hold onto her memory, eldest daughter Shelly is looking for an escape route, golden child Donnie and his husband are constantly bickering, and the baby of the family, Averie, has gone from viral sensation to a discount store cashier. Back in their West Philly home for the holidays, one thing's for sure: the only way they're getting through this is together. Now being adapted for television as West Philly, Baby on AMC Networks, Dot is a loving look at the ties that bind - and drive us crazy.

Playing March 4 - April 3, 2022, Dot's Opening Night is Saturday, March 12 at 8pm. Tickets are $25-65 and are available at nctcsf.org, by emailing boxoffice@nctcsf.org or by calling (415) 861-8972. Pay-what-you-wish tickets are available for preview performances, March 4 - 11, and can be reserved starting one week before the first performance through the box office.

In our continued dedication to keeping our audiences and artists safe, this is a performance with limited seat capacity. All guests will be required to present proof of vaccination and wear masks while at the theatre. NCTC also requires all actors, staff, and volunteers to be fully vaccinated, and all front of house staff will be masked during performances. There are limited exemptions to vaccination requirements (such as religious beliefs and qualifying medical reasons, and those under 12 years old) and those guests must present a negative COVID-19 test that was taken no more than 72 hours prior to the performance date.

Audiences can enjoy these special events during the run of the show:

• Low-cost Previews: Friday, March 4 - Friday, March 11

• Opening Night will take place on Saturday, March 12, 2023 at 8pm.

• Onstage Insight, Post-Show Discussion featuring the cast, and moderated by the director will take place after the performance on Sunday, March 20 at 2pm.

• Additional special events to be announced!

Playwright Colman Domingo is a Tony, Olivier, Drama Desk, and Drama League Award nominated actor, director, writer and producer. As a writer, his plays and musicals include Wild with Happy, A Boy and His Soul (2010 Lucille Lortel Award for Outstanding Solo Show, GLAAD Media Award), the Tony Award-nominated Broadway musical Summer: The Donna Summer Musical, and Geffen Playhouse's groundbreaking musical Light's Out: Nat King Cole. His plays have been produced by The Public Theater, Vineyard, La Jolla Playhouse, Humana Festival of New American Plays, New York Stage and Film, A.C.T, The Tricycle Theater in London, Brisbane Powerhouse in Australia, among others.

Director ShawnJ West is a California-based director and actor. West relocated to the Bay Area almost nine years ago after 16 years in Seattle, WA where he directed productions of the Seattle cult hit Sex In Seattle: Episodes 15, 16, 17 & 18 with SIS Productions; ReAct's production of WELL; and the 2009 West Coast premiere of Illyria and The Seven Year Itch with Redwood Theatre. His Bay Area directing credits include the Playwright Center San Francisco's shorts and showcase, the African American Shakespeare Company's production of Cinderella, A Soulful Christmas with Lorraine Hansberry Theatre as well as assistant director on Macbeth, also with the African American Shakespeare Company.

The cast of Dot includes Greg Ayers (Adam), Kim Donovan (Jackie), Lore Gonzales (Fidel), Juanita Harris (Dotty), Marcus J. Paige (Donnie), Kimberly Ridgeway (Shelly), and Brittany Nicole Sims (Averie). The creative team includes technical direction by Carlos Aceves, costume design by Marisely Cortes, production management & casting coordination by Stephanie Desnoyers, sound design by James Goode, set design by Kuo-Hao Lo, props design by Tom O'Brien, dialect coaching by Patricia Reynoso, and stage management by Elspeth Sweatman.

New Conservatory Theatre Center has been San Francisco's premier LGBTQ+ and Allied performing arts institution and progressive arts education conservatory since 1981. NCTC is renowned for its diverse range of innovative, high-quality productions, touring productions and shows for young audiences; its foundational anti-bullying work with youth and educators through YouthAware; and its commitment to developing new plays to continue expanding the canon of queer and allied dramatic work.

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