Yendor Theatre Company Presents the NJ Premiere of “Tiers” by Reg E Gaines 

Grammy & Tony nominated Reg E Gaines brings his newest play, Tiers, to Yendor Theatre Company (YTC) for its New Jersey premiere. Tiers officially premiered this June in NYC during the Downtown Urban Arts Festival.

Loosely inspired by Gaines’ formative years in Jersey City in the 1970s, Tiers follows four Black teens for bid whist game night. What starts off as a normal card game, filled with expletives, trash-talking, and braggadocio, soon becomes deeply personal and eventually violent. In mere minutes, an act of impulsion changes the lives of these young men forever.

Gaines, a renowned writer, poet, and spoken word artist, penned the lyrics and book for Bring In ‘da Noise, Bring In ‘da Funk, which ran on Broadway.  ‘Noise, Funk,’ directed by George C Wolfe with choreography by Newark’s own Savion Glover, was nominated for multiple Tony Awards, winning in four out of nine categories (including wins for Wolfe and Glover).

YTC presented a workshop production of Tiers back in 2019 at the Newark Public Library. “We are ecstatic to be working with Reg again and to bring a fully staged version of Tiers to Newark. Reg is such a raw artist, and Tiers feels like an authentic slice of life for young men in our cities. We all need to see, engage, and learn from this play.” YTC’s artistic director, Andrew Binger, said of producing Tiers. He and Gaines hope to have young people and justice-impaired individuals attend shows.

When asked what he wants audiences to walk away with after seeing the play, Gaines said, “Young Black males’ failure to think before they speak leads to deadly consequences.” After some time away from the theatre, it seems like Gaines is ready to return his work to the stage. In addition to Tiers, he is working on a brand new musical, also loosely inspired by his life, called The ‘88. 

Tickets for Tiers are free, but RSVPs are required. Be sure to follow YTC (@ yendortheatrecompany) on Instagram for more information about Tiers at NJPAC

RSVP at  https://www.eventbrite.com/e/tiers-a-new-play-by-reg-e-gaines-tickets-1006029670827

Where: New Jersey Performing Arts Center Arts Ed Building | 24 Rector St. Newark, NJ 07102

When:  Oct 11th at 8:00pm | Oct 12th at 8:00pm | Oct 13th at 2:00pm

Who: written & directed by Reg E Gaines  

Actors: Aljanod Parrish, Isaiah Joseph, Ian Daniel Wilson, Jamar Arthur

Yendor Theatre Company is a socially conscious theatre company dedicated to developing & producing works by Black and Brown writers. 

*This production is made possible through support from Prudential & LISC Greater Newark