A WHITE MAN’S GUIDE TO RIKER’S ISLAND
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Written by RICHARD L. ROY and ERIC C. WEBB

Starring RICHARD L. ROY and CONNOR CHASE STEWART
Directed by THOMAS G. WAITES
Stage Manager: JULIE SPINA

The Producers Club
358 West 44th Street (between Eighth & Ninth Avenues)
July 18 – August 31, 2019

A WHITE MAN’S GUIDE TO RIKER’S ISLAND begins with the declaration “I killed a man tonight.” This is the true story of Richard L. Roy, who found himself in the unlikely position of serving time in one of the nation’s largest prisons. Unlikely because he was born into a white middle class family, and by the tender age of 19, had already conquered the boxing arena and was becoming well known in the acting world. Instead his road to success took a major detour, and his “roomies” became a Puerto Rican drug dealer and a transgender junkie. Amidst a population that is 95% Black or Latino, this is Roy’s survival manual.

Co-written by Eric C. Webb, this is a raw and gritty account of a penal system that is broken. Wisely the writers have sprinkled the powerful message with enough humor to make it palatable. They have included a history lesson of Riker’s Island, as well as a white man’s glossary of prison terminology – da dun da duns and flavors and fish, oh my! Roy introduces and closes out the play himself, but the heavy lifting is done by Connor Chase Stewart who brings Roy’s/Webb’s words to life. Directed by Thomas G. Waites, the message of A WHITE MAN’S GUIDE TO RIKER’S ISLAND confirms what we already know – justice isn’t blind, white privilege does exist, and awareness is the first step to healing.

- Laurie Lawson -