For Release: Aug. 25, 2003
Loureen is a woman with a problem. Her abusive husband is about to hit her--nothing unusual about that--when something truly unusual happens. He explodes. All that remains of him is a pair of spectacles lying atop a three-foot pile of smoldering ash on her kitchen floor.
So Loureen asks herself what happened. Was it murder or a miracle? Black magic? Or a case of spontaneous combustion?
Loureen, played by Academy Award-nominee Rosie Perez, is the heroine of "Poof!," the second program in the American Shorts series created by Kentucky Educational Television (KET). Tony-winning actress Viola Davis plays Florence, Loureen's best friend, who tries to help her figure out what happened to her husband.
Adapted for television by African-American playwright Lynn Nottage from her award-winning short play, "Poof!" evokes the gritty reality of inner-city life but is also filled with comic elements to underscore character and content.
"I was shocked by the power of this story--that somehow women around the world are connecting with the issues and have found some resonance for their lives," Nottage says. "I think it's because it is dealing with something universal, which is abuse against women."
Rosie Perez began her film career with Spike Lee's Do the Right Thing (1989) and received an Oscar nomination for Fearless (1993). Viola Davis won a Tony for her performance in August Wilson's King Hedley II. She had major roles in Far From Heaven and Solaris, both released in 2002, and Antwone Fisher (2003).
The series Web site, www.ket.org/americanshorts/, contains "Poof!" resources for teachers, notes on the production and cast interviews.
American Shorts is an anthology drama series of one-hour programs featuring adaptations of new short plays premiered by regional theaters. The first prime-time drama project to originate from outside New York or Los Angeles, the series links drama to the needs and social problems that inspire it. It is also the first drama project for public television to be taped in high definition video format. It is produced by Guy Mendes of KET.
"Poof!," which is directed by Fred Barzyk (The Lathe of Heaven), is nationally distributed by American Public Television (APT) and made possible by the support of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) and the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA).
For 42 years, American Public Television (APT) has been a major source of programming for the nation's public television stations. APT has more than 10,000 hours of available programming, including: Discovering the Real World of Harry Potter; Globe Trekker; Muhammad Ali: Through the Eyes of the World; Nightly Business Report; Rick Steve's Europe; Julia and Jacques Cooking at Home; Ballykissangel; Brian Jacques' Redwall; and The Three Tenors Christmas. APT is known for identifying innovative programs and developing creative distribution techniques for producers. In four decades, it has established a tradition of providing public television stations nationwide with program choices that enable them to strengthen and customize their schedules. Press should contact Donna Hardwick at (617) 338-4455, ext. 129, or via email to donna_hardwick@aptonline.org. For more information about APT's programs and services, log on to www.aptonline.org.
The Corporation for Public Broadcasting, a private, nonprofit corporation created by Congress in 1967 develops educational public radio, television and online services for the American people. The Corporation is the industry's largest single source of funds for national public television and radio program development and production. A grant making organization, CPB funds more than 1,000 public radio and television stations.
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