Buffalo State College and Casting Hall Productions open the theater season with In the Blood by Pulitzer Prize winner Suzan-Lori Parks, Oct. 1-10. 

A modern-day exploration of the themes in Hawthorne’s classic novel The Scarlet Letter, the play follows a mother of five struggling to survive on inner city streets as she and her family face racial, gender, and social injustice.

The mother, Hester La Negrita, and her five children are homeless.  The eldest child is teaching Hester how to read and write but, so far, "A" is the only letter she knows. The children are played by adult actors who double as five other people in Hester's life: her ex-boyfriend, her social worker, her doctor, her best friend, and her minister. While Hester's children fill her life with joy — portrayed through lovingly comical moments — the harsh world of poverty continues to hold her back.  Nothing can stop the play's tragic end.

Directed by Theater Department Chair and Professor Drew Kahn, principals in this production include:  Daigi-Ann Thompson (Hester La Negrita);  Eyton Robinson (Chilli/Jabber); Bryan Figueroa (Reverend/Baby);  Danica Riddick (The Welfare Lady/Bully); LaRon Bradley (The Doctor/Trouble); and Kara Ashby (Amiga Gringa/Beauty).

Show dates and times are: Oct. 1-3 and 8-10 at 8 p.m. with additional matinees on Oct.  3 and 10 at 2 p.m.  Performances are in Buffalo State College’s Flexible Theatre in the Donald Savage Theater Building.  Ticket prices are:  students with ID $6; general public $15; Buffalo State faculty/staff/alumni $10.  For more information, call 716-878-3005 or visit www.buffalostate.edu/theater

Cast Biographies
Daigi-Ann Thompson is a sophomore at Buffalo State. She is from Bronx, N.Y., by way of Montego Bay, Jamaica. She plans to pursue a career in theater and film and wants to continue to use theater and performing arts as a vehicle to promote change, activism and education.

Eyton Robinson is from Buffalo, N.Y., and is a senior at Buffalo State College. He has been in several productions, including The Basketball Diaries: The Former One-on-One Champion; The Last Call; Twelfth Night; The Grapes of Wrath; and The Green Pastures.  He plans on attending graduate school to further his training in the performing arts.

Bryan Figueroa is a senior Theater major at Buffalo State College.  His performances experience includes:  Antigone, Twelfth Night, and The Grapes of Wrath. He plans to graduate in May 2010 with a B.A. in Theater.

Danica Riddick is a senior at Buffalo State. She is from Goshen, N.Y. Her theater experience includes 42nd Street and Welcome to the Monkey House.

LaRon Bradeley is a senior at Buffalo State College. He is from Syracuse, N.Y., and plans on pursing theater, film and television in graduate school in New York City or Los Angeles.

Kara Ashby is a sophomore at Buffalo State College. She is from Alden, N.Y. Her theater credits include, The Grapes of Wrath and The Closer at the Subversive Theatre.