The Junction Theatre will present the West Coast premiere of “Red Velvet,” a critically acclaimed play written by Lolita Chakrabarti and directed by Benjamin Pohlmeier.

In “Red Velvet,” pandemonium erupts when American actor Ira Aldridge arrives at a prestigious English theatre to play the title role in Shakespeare’s play, “Othello.” For the eloquent and passionate Aldridge, a black man, portraying the title role is something unheard of on London stages in 1833, even in the role of Shakespeare’s doomed Moor. “Red Velvet” examines what happens when a courageous few dare to challenge the status quo, how intractable opinions and feelings can be, and how hard it is to bring about change.

“Resistance to diversity is rooted in the fear of change; a fear of accepting a constantly evolving world, because it will mean the loss of privilege. Privilege, conversely, translates into influence, and, if ruthlessly executed, it will slow the match of progress to a desperate crawl,” said director Benjamin Pohlmeier. “A play not only about race, ‘Red Velvet’ shows how, in the face of adversity, passion and persistence inevitably build the kind of pressure necessary to bring about change, but it also tallies-up the costs of losing battles we dare to fight.”

Written by playwright Lolita Chakrabarti’s, “Red Velvet” has been critically acclaimed in numerous productions in London, as well as in New York.

The cast of 10 is led by actor Paul Outlaw as Ira Aldridge/Othello, and includes Nicola Bertram as Ellen Tree/Desdemona; Colin Campbell as

Pierre Laporte; Adam Chacon as Terence/Bernard Warde; Amanda Charney as Betty Lovell; Sean C Dwyer as Casimir/Henry Forrester/Cassio; Kailena Mai as Halina Wozniak; Erin Elizabeth Reed as Margaret Aldridge; Dee Dee Stephens as Connie and Ben Warner as Charles Kean/Iago.

It will be presented at Atwater Playhouse in Los Angeles on Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 5 p.m. through April 30. Tickets can be purchased by calling Brown Paper Tickets 24/7 at (800) 838-3006, or online at http://redvelvet.brownpapertickets.com. General admission is $25 per person; students, seniors and veterans are $20 per person; and groups of 10 or more $15 per person. To learn more, visit www.thejunctiontheatre.org and http://atwaterplayhouse.com/

Atwater Playhouse is located at 3191 Castitas Ave. #100 in Los Angeles.