After 23 months, the Resident Ensemble Players (REP), the professional theatre company in residence at the University of Delaware, has announced its return to live performances this month with Tanya Barfield’s powerful play, Blue Door.

Deep questions of personal and cultural identity, hidden underneath a carefully crafted façade of confidence and success, suddenly erupt in the soul of Lewis – an African American mathematics professor played by REP company member Hassan El-Amin – when his white wife announces that she is leaving him over his refusal to attend the Million Man March.

Suffering from a disorienting bout of insomnia brought on by the implosion of his marriage, Lewis inadvertently conjures the specters of his ancestors, all played by Will Cobbs who returns to the REP from Broadway’s Is This a Room. Lewis is led on an emotionally charged and often humorous journey through the past and present.

Directed by acclaimed actor, director and writer Akin Babatundé, Blue Door is a brilliant balance between tragedy and comedy and with original songs delightfully woven through the story. This production packs a powerful punch for all people as it examines important issues of identity, race and the impact of the past on the present.

REP Producing Artistic Director Sanford (Sandy) Robbins said, “We are proud and happy to be returning to live performance with such a timely, thought-provoking, and highly entertaining play as Blue Door.”

Blue Door performances are scheduled from Feb. 23 through March 13, in the Thompson Theatre at the Roselle Center for the Arts. Join the cast for a talkback on March 3 or 11, or enjoy a prologue discussion on March 5 or 13.

Tickets prices range from $30 - $39. Discounts are available for students, seniors, and UD faculty and staff. Purchase tickets online at www.rep.udel.edu, over the phone at 302-831-2204, or visit the box office in person at the Center for the Arts, 110 Orchard Rd., Newark, from noon-5 p.m., Tuesdays – Fridays.

REP productions are made possible, in part, by a grant from the Delaware Division of the Arts, a state agency dedicated to nurturing and supporting the arts in Delaware, in partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts.

About the REP

The Resident Ensemble Players (REP) is a professional theatre company in residence on the campus of the University of Delaware. The REP’s mission is to engage audiences throughout the tri-state region and beyond with frequent productions of outstanding classic, modern, and contemporary plays performed in a wide variety of styles that celebrate and demonstrate the range and breadth of an ensemble of nationally respected stage actors.

The REP is committed to creating and expanding audiences for live theatre by offering a diversity of productions at low prices that enable and encourage the attendance of everyone in the region, regardless of background or income.

For further information, please visit: https://www.rep.udel.edu/presentations/blue-door