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Eleanor Burgess' The Niceties Comes to The Bronx at Hostos Center This April
- Damian Ali
- 2 days ago
- 2 min read
Theresa Della Valle and Troi Hall, leading actors in The Niceties at Hostos Center. Image courtesy of Hostos Center for the Arts & Culture.
A classroom debate on history and power takes center stage in a free Bronx production. The Niceties, Eleanor Burgess' sharp and timely play, lands at Hostos Center for the Arts & Culture this April, turning a simple classroom chat into something much bigger.
You can catch it at the Black Box Theater on Grand Concourse, with shows running from April 22 through May 1. Admission is free, and you can reserve your spot through the Hostos box office.
Ángel Morales produces and directs, with Theresa Della Valle and Troi Hall leading the cast. The story starts with a polite conversation between a Black student and her white professor, but things heat up fast. Suddenly, it's not just about history, it's about race, identity, and who gets to decide how America's story is told.
Behind the scenes, the production is supported by a full creative team, including lighting designer Greg Brown, assistant stage manager Heather Alejandro, and stage manager Bill Sorice, whose work helps bring the performance to life.
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This South Bronx theater marks a milestone with a season of bilingual productions rooted in immigrant experiences. Read: ID Studio Theater 25th Anniversary at TeatroFest NYC
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Key art for the production The Niceties. Artwork by Alexa Chung. Image Courtesy of Hotos Center
The production brings a nationally recognized work to a Bronx stage. Burgess, who studied history at Yale and dramatic writing at NYU Tisch, has built a career with plays performed at theaters across the United States and in London. Her work has also extended to television, with credits including writing for HBO's Perry Mason and AMC's Interview With the Vampire.
The play has drawn strong critical attention for its subject matter and structure. The Washington Post described it as "a barnburner of a play… One of the best plays I've seen about who gets to tell the story of America, and how.” That tension sits at the center of the story, which unfolds in real time and asks audiences to sit with uncomfortable questions rather than easy answers.
Hostos is making this production happen with help from the Office of Academic Affairs, the Student Association, and the Center for the Arts & Culture, as well as support from the Coalition of Theaters of Color. The setup is simple and close-up, so you're right there with the actors in the Black Box Theater.
Admission is free, so whether you're a student, a neighbor, or just curious about live theater that digs into history and perspective, you're welcome. To save your seat, just call the box office at 718-518-4455 during the week.
The Niceties isn't just another night out. It's a chance to start a conversation that sticks with you long after the curtain falls.
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