Press Release: EENIE MEANIE

The Open Fist Theatre Company in association with Say Tiger Productions presents

EENIE MEANIE

As part of the 1st Annual Hollywood Fringe Festival

June 21 at 7:30 pm, June 22 at 9:15 pm, June 27 at 4 pm

The Open Fist Theatre

6209 Santa Monica Blvd., Hollywood, CA 90038

Tickets: $15. For tickets visit HollywoodFringe.org, OpenFist.org or call 323.882.6912

The Open Fist Theatre Company in association with Say Tiger Productions is proud to present EENIE MEANIE reviving the charming solo performance piece for Hollywood Fringe Festival after presenting the Los Angeles Premiere in 2007. The sixty-minute solo performance piece is a white woman’s touching and comedic look at conditioned racism within the well-meaning heart that is often deeply affecting for the audience. The show has toured Southern California since 2003, the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in 2005, Louisville, Lexington and Cincinnati as part of the Cincinnati Fringe Festival and the New York Fringe Festival in 2006. In Cincinnati, Eenie Meanie earned an Acclaim Award for Best Solo Script and was the only Acclaim Award given to a 2006 Fringe Festival production.
Eenie Meanie opens in Valley Station, Kentucky in 1965 as the 5-year-old Teresa is enchanted by the first black person she’s ever encountered – a piano tuner. As the years pass, she finds that well-intentioned innocence doesn’t always triumph over racial tribulations. Her activist childhood (her doll collection is desegregated and she won’t abide the “N-word”) during the civil rights movement shifts into stormy adolescence amid the politics and violence of forced bussing. Interracial romance, a violent attack on the streets of New York, the LA riots, police brutality and her own same-sex relationship illustrate her shifting attitudes toward race as she matures. Eenie Meanie includes images and music from 40 years of American culture including Martin Luther King’s assassination, school integration, and the Rodney King verdict.

“Though I’ve written only from my experience, people from all demographics have found themselves in this show.” says Willis. Q & A sessions after performances are lively and often emotional. “People cry sometimes. Racism is painful. We talk a lot about the anger, but there’s always pain underneath.” Los Angeles writer Tracy Berna adds “It brought up questions and old hurts that I was surprised to realize had been chasing me for years.”

EENIE MEANIE, has garnered positive reviews from performances at home and abroad:
“… a bravura exploration of race relations presented with aplomb: funny, fast-moving, sharp, enlightening, and so specific it’s universal. A wonderful recognition of love and tolerance.”

Gwen Orel, Backstage East, NYC

“Teresa Willis is attuned to her times – our times – with an insight like perfect pitch…”
Jane Durrell, Cincinnati City Beat

“…fresh, provocative, funny…”
LA Weekly

“…a heart-warming and extremely relevant experience.”
The Daily Edition, Three Weeks (Edinburgh, Scotland)

Teresa Willis grew up in Louisville and received a BA in Theatre from the University of Kentucky. She also stars in Jay Floyd’s feature comedy Forgiving the Franklins (2006 Sundance, SXSW, Nashville FF.) Television credits include Moonlighting and The Guiding Light. As a member of the Open Fist, she has been seen in The Dead, Getting Frankie Married and Afterward, and Stage Door among others. As well as acting, Teresa’s career has included playwriting, screenwriting, performance poetry, singing and comedy. She now lives in Burbank, California.

More information at www.eeniemeanie,com