"Tree of Fire" premieres in L.A. giving voice to the unspoken and misunderstood

A Magnolia tree catches fire one day in an aged and ominous women's prison in Los Angeles. Three female inmates who have been forgotten and left to perish by "the system” are suddenly shaken into memories of their past that inform the truth of their souls and the urgent need to expose the inhumanity of the prison world. Such is the storyline behind Los Angeles playwright Jesse Bliss' powerful new play Tree of Fire which will have its world premiere this Friday, March 8, which so happens to be International Women's Day, at 8:00 p.m. at Inner-City Arts' The Rosenthal Theater. It is being produced by Bliss’ theater company The Roots and Wings Project which is a politically charged, socially transformative theatre company that brings attention to truth and gives voice to the unnamed, unspoken and misunderstood through theatrical innovation and multi-media collaboration. And it is also being produced by Peter Woods who is the Events Coordinator for The Last Bookstore and head of the grassroots arts programming organization Quality Collective.

Tree of Fire’s stellar cast includes Romi Dias (El Cantante), Miriam F. Glover (Django Unchained), Julanne Chidi Hill (Weeds), Lizzie Peet (Awake), and Hansford Prince (House M.D.). Original score is written by Jesse Bliss, Fanny Franklin and Geoff (GG) Gallegos (Dakah Hip Hop Orchestra) with visual projections by Brandon Hunter Harrison and Lyn Gaza. It is directed by Jesse Bliss.

This project is truly a special and valuable one for Los Angeles to see and hear. Never before in history, here in the U.S. or in any other part of the world, have there been more incarcerated people as today. Many of these inmates are youth. The Roots and Wings Project believes that light needs to be brought to this emergency of mass incarceration and hopes to do just that with this production of Tree of Fire by using strong storytelling that weaves humor, magic and music to help tell this tale.

Tree of Fire opens this Friday, March 8 and runs through Sunday, March 31. Fridays and Saturdays at 8:00 p.m. and Sundays at 2:00 p.m. At the Inner-City Arts’ The Rosenthal Theater located at 720 Kohler Street, Los Angeles, CA 90021.

For tickets visit BrownPaperTickets.com

For more information on this production visit TheRootsandWingsProject.com. Like them on Facebook @TheRootsandWingsProject or follow them on Twitter @TheRootsNWings.

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