On August 11th, “Black Stuff” opens as part of the New York International Fringe Festival. http://www.blackstuff.net/

I am still very much in need of financial investment. This venture has the potential to be highly successful – marketing and hiring the best people is crucial. I am at a crucial point in producing this play. People who can attest to the entertainment and artistic merit of “Black Stuff” are listed on the second page. I can get glowing references from EVERY place “Black Stuff” has played.

I see this fringe appearance as an opportunity to showcase “Black Stuff” to increase its legitimacy and visibility. I have hired Marcia Pendleton, www.walktallgirlproductions.com who has over-seen the Tony-winning “Bridge and Tunnel” and the Pulitzer-prize winning “Top-Dog/Under-Dog” in their transitions from off-Broadway to Broadway. Having her represent the play legitimizes us and increases our opportunity.

This project will be an artistic and commercial success because:

* It has major entertainment value. “Black Stuff” has provoked laughter from beginning to end from predominately black audiences at National Black Theater Festival, predominately white audiences at Dartmouth, avant garde audiences from Highways Performance Space, multi-cultural student audiences from the University of California at Santa Barbara and a mix of Ivy League college professors, Ivy league students, residents of town at the Kitchen Theater in Ithaca, New York.

* It provokes thought which creates added marketing opportunities, i.e.; radio talk shows, editorials and articles. Reviewers have responded very well to the intellectual aspects of the piece. We’ve been on the cover of two newspapers’ arts’ sections. Professors and students at the Ivy League’s Cornell University stayed for the Q&A’s after each show, dissected the themes and recommended their shows to their colleagues. This show appears at a time when Bill Cosby has created a dialogue regarding race that has created controversy because of its blunt, unique approach, the Washington Post and MSNBC also have recently presented major pieces on Black men in America and “Not a Genuine Black Man” is a success off-Broadway and is being made as a television series for cable.

*Will be attractive to cable companies, home of David Chappell of Comedy Central (which we’ve been compared to) and HBO’s comedy series, because of its uniqueness and its blunt, “keeping it real”, one of a kind approach to subject matter which creates a “Did you see ‘Black Stuff’ factor?”

*Attractive to colleges – we have played to enthusiastic audiences at UC-SB, UC-Riverside, Dartmouth and to students at Cornell University.

If you have any questions on the show and/or investment considerations, please contact me at info@blackstuff.net or 323-251-3578. LeVan D. Hawkins

Linda Chapman, associate artistic director of New York Theater Workshop (creators of “Rent”) – responsible for the Dartmouth appearance. The theater’s artistic director, Jim Nicola has expressed interest in the development of the piece. The fringe performance is considered “development”. The ideal financial off-Broadway situation is for “Black Stuff” to have an open-ended run which NYTW doesn’t do – we are soliciting other producers during the festival. lindac@nytw.org

Idris Ackamoor, artistic director of the Cultural Odyssey, San Francisco, responsible for the National Black Theater Festival appearance in Raleigh North Carolina. idris@culturalodyssey.org

Leo Garcia, artistic director of Highways Performance Space in Santa Monica where “Black Stuff” originated. Leo also was the head of a jury panel who selected “Black Stuff” to appear in the prestigious Los Angeles showcase for the National Performance Network Conference held in Los Angeles. Leo can also attest to the artistic and box office success of “In The Beginning Was The Word”, a 3-day poetry festival I produced last year. Leogarcia@highwaysperformance.org

Rachel Lambert, artistic director of the Kitchen Theater where we had an 8 show run. She says people still talk about the show and has asked me to return and open their season of counter-culture shows because of “Black Stuff’s” success. Rachel@kitchentheatre.org