AUDITIONS: FORGOTTEN: THE MURDER AT THE FORD ROUGE PLANT NEW PRODUCTION OF FORGOTTEN AUDITIONS: Friday, January 29, 2010 from 6:30 to 9 p.m. (all should arrive by 6:30), and on Saturday, January 30 from 12 noon to 3 p.m Second floor at the historic Central United Methodist Church, 23 E. Adams at Grand Circus Park in downtown Detroit FURTHER INFORMATION: 313.433.9680 or 313.882-2032 AUDITIONS ANNOUNCED FOR NEW PRODUCTION OF "FORGOTTEN" "FORGOTTEN: The Murder at the Ford Rouge Plant" will be presented at the Macomb Center for the Performing Arts on Friday, March 26, 2010. Elise Bryant will direct this new production, and Bill Meyer will serve as music director. "FORGOTTEN" is an original jazz-folk opera by composer Steve Jones about the 1930s and the Great Depression in Detroit. It focuses on the real-life story of the Rev. Lewis Bradford, a Methodist minister who came to Detroit in 1936 and broadcast a weekly radio show over station WXYZ, "The Forgotten Man's Hour" from the Howard Street Mission. Bradford was found fatally injured at the Ford River Rouge plant. An examination of the autopsy report led the Wayne County Medical Examiner to conclude that Bradford's death should probably have been classified as a homicide. Previously produced in Detroit in 2004 and 2005, this production is funded with donations and grants from individuals as well as nonprofit groups including the Michigan Labor History Society, the Ovshinsky Foundation, and the U.S. Peace Council, and by Macomb Community College. Target audiences include students at Macomb Community College and at local high schools as well as the general public. There are approximately eight principal cast members and a chorus of approximately 22. AUDITION SCHEDULE Auditions for the cast and chorus will be held on Friday, January 29, 2010 from 6:30 to 9 p.m. (all should arrive by 6:30), and on Saturday, January 30 from 12 noon to 3 p.m. (all should arrive by 12 noon). Callbacks are Sunday, January 31, from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. Actors are requested to show up prepared to audition. Audition participants are requested to bring sheet music for the pianist to play while they sing (or be prepared to sing a standard song they think the pianist might know without music). Have a second song ready. NO TAPES, NO A CAPELLA. Auditions, callbacks, and rehearsals will be held on the second floor at the historic Central United Methodist Church, 23 E. Adams at Grand Circus Park in downtown Detroit. Lighted parking is available behind the church. Rehearsals will take place in February and March. People with general questions or who are interested in being a part of the production crew, please contact: Dave Elsila at: davelsi@aol.com or 313- 882-2032; Sam Kirkland at: skirk56@aol.com or 313-433-9680 or Anne Drake at adrake898@comcast.net or 734-995-1738. Contact Bill Meyer at: bmeyer@macgroup, only in case of questions.

Back By Popular Demand: FORGOTTEN: THE MURDER AT THE FORD ROUGE PLANT Elise Bryant, Director, Bill Meyer, Music Director, and a full cast of actors, singers, and dancers Friday, March 26, 2010 Macomb Center for the Performing Arts, 44675 Garfield Rd., Clinton, MI Performance and ticket information will be posted in December. FORGOTTEN is being presented as part of Macomb Community College's salute to the people of the 1930s and the Great Depression: "And Yet They Survived," and during the 75th anniversary year of the UAW and the CIO.

CD of live performance AVAILABLE Cast recording of "Forgotten" performed Sept 9-11, 2005 at Millennium Theatre, Detroit Director Elise Bryant, Music Director Bill Meyer, Produced by Lisa Canada and Dave Elsila "Fascinating history..." Bob Edwards' Interview, NPR, March 2004 "A knockout...The lyrics, harmonies and a top-rate cast bring the story alive with a brilliant performance." Vivian DeGain, Daily Tribune, September 2005 How fabulous and ground-breaking . . . wowy zowy! Yes, I had no socks by the time I left!! Such good, good work and so wonderfully creative. Really inspiring and it also really spoke to the heart. One of my favorite moments was the song about guns, religion and money. . .Brilliant! . . .what a beautiful integration of music and politics." Jeanne Mackey, Ann Arbor, Michigan "A passionate political recreation of a dark period in Dearborn history...The cast of "Forgotten" filled the auditorium at Marygrove with unbridled energy and enthusiasm." Sue Suchyta, Dearborn Times-Herald, March 2004 "An amazing tale of sleuthing in the name of art." Kim Heron, Metro Times, March 2004 CLIPS: When You Organize Bradford You Are Dreamin Ford Hunger March Radio, Guns and Money I'm Here for You MORE INFO ON CLIPS AND THE 2005 DETROIT CAST RECORDING To order your copy of the CD, click here

DESCRIPTION:

Set in the 1930s, Forgotten tells the story of Lewis Bradford, a minister and radio host with a vision of "labor peace" who goes to work at the yet-to-be organized Ford Motor Company. Author/composer Steve Jones uncovers the mystery surrounding Bradford's death through a sequence of jazz-based songs and the narrative of Bradford's widow, Ella. Dedicated to the thousands of workers who overcame racial divisions, red-baiting, and company thugs to build a union, Forgotten bursts onto the stage in a passionate display of musical virtuosity and good old-fashioned storytelling.


If you would like information on upcoming events, please send your contact information to steve@jones88.net or send by mail.