PRISONTOWN by Lee Osorio

Aug 23, 24 (Sat 7:30pm, Sun 2pm)
Veterans Memorial Hall/Senior Center, Danville CA  map it

Playwright and past Foundation Artist in Residence Lee Osorio joins us as part of the 2025 Eugene O’Neill Festival with his new play Prisontown. Written and performed by Osorio, the play will be directed by Town Hall Theatre’s Richard Perez.

Talkbacks with playwright and director following both performances.

How much of an activist are you? After receiving this text message from his immigration attorney brother, a Writer finds himself haunted by a very persistent and troubling ghost. Before long, the Writer finds himself on a journey back to his hometown of Lumpkin, Georgia… now the home of Stewart County Immigration Detention Center. As he talks to those trapped in the prison – literally and figuratively – the ghost makes a simple but incredibly hard request—to see.

Lee Osorio is an acclaimed actor, director, educator, playwright, and audiobook narrator based in Atlanta and New York. As an actor, he is a seven-time Suzi Bass Award Nominee and won for Best Male Lead Actor in 2018 for Richard II. Lee is the recipient of the Eugene O’Neill Foundation, Tao House Carey Perloff Fellowship which is awarded to an established theatre artist who desires to transition into a writer. Lee holds an MFA in Acting from Brown/Trinity Rep. He is a proud member of Actors’ Equity and SAG-AFTRA.

Richard Perez is a director, actor, educator, and playwright. He recently relocated to the Bay Area from Michigan where he has been a theatre professor for the last ten years. During that time, he was also active in the Chicago theatre and television industry. He has served as the Artistic Director, Associate Artistic Director, and Managing Director of the Bloomington Playwrights Project, Chicago Dramatists, and Hope Summer Repertory Theatre, respectively. His directing credits include The Mercy Swing (New York Fringe Festival) and Nocturnal (Kennedy Center). Stage roles include Gabe in Dinner with Friends and Evan in Sweat. Television appearances include Chicago Fire, Chicago Med, Electric Dreams, and the recurring role of Councilman Ortiz, on the second season of Boss. 

Read/download our The Hairy Ape Engagement Guide by Dramaturg Beth Wynstra here.