INSIDE 
 WWW.BROOKLYNPDAPILEYR.C.COOMM   1 METROTECH CENTER NORTH • 10TH FLOOR • BROOKLYN, NY 11201  
 The A hair apparent: “Barber Shop Chronicles,”cut  a play about male social spaces across the world, will above make its New York premiere on Dec. 3 at the Brooklyn Academy of Music.  Photo by Marc Brenner 
 ‘Barber  Shop Chronicles’  looks  at  common  threads 
 By Ben Verde Call it a clip show! 
 A  new  play  looks  
 at  the  central  role  of  
 the  barber  shop  in  the  life  of  
 black  men  around  the  world.  
 “Barber  Shop  Chronicles,”  
 a  British  production  making  
 its  New  York  premiere  at  the  
 Brooklyn Academy of Music on  
 Dec.  3,  tracks  a  day  in  the  life  
 of  six  different  barber  shops,  
 showcasing  their  importance  
 as  a  place  of  bonding  and  
 socializing  between  men.  The  
 shops are scattered across Africa  
 and London, but they all have a  
 similar  atmosphere  —  one  that  
 should  feel  familiar  even  to  an  
 American audience , said one of  
 the show’s producers. 
 “There’s  a  real  sense  of  
 community onstage,” said Kate  
 McGrath.  “Hopefully  everyone  
 who comes along will recognize  
 themselves  or  their  father,  their  
 brother, or their cousin.”  
 To  prepare  for  the  show,  
 Nigerian-born  playwright  
 and  poet  Inua  Ellams  spent  
 time  in  barber  shops  across  
 Africa, talking to the staff and  
 customers.  He  created  a  story  
 that takes place on a single day  
 in 2012, starting at a barbershop  
 in Lagos, Nigeria, and visiting  
 similar  haircut  establishments  
 in  the  African  cities  of  
 Johannesburg,  Accra,  Kampala,  
 and Harare, and finally ending  
 in a shop in London, England, at  
 the close of the day.  
 Ellams found that the shops  
 were places where men felt at  
 home, and were able to discuss  
 their  troubles  without  fear  of  
 judgment.  The  barber  shop,  he  
 discovered, was a good place for  
 men to get their heads examined.  
 “There  was  a  growing  
 awareness of male mental health  
 and  a  lack  of  spaces  for  those  
 conversations  to  take  place,”  
 McGrath said. 
 At  each  shop,  the  12  
 members  of  the  all-black,  allmale  
 cast  play  different  roles,  
 but  they  all  watch  the  same  
 soccer  game,  and  they  have  
 similar  conversations,  taking  
 on  sports,  fatherhood,  politics,  
 identity,  and  immigration  —  
 along  with  a  few  music  and  
 dance numbers.  
 Audience  members  can  also  
 join the community on the stage.  
 The  director  and  cast  members  
 will  hang  out  onstage  before  
 each  performance,  greeting  
 and  interacting  with  the  the  
 audience  while  a  dee-jay  plays,  
 and making  them  feel  like  part  
 of the family.  
 “They’ll  be welcomed  into  a  
 space that feels very open and  
 friendly,” McGrath said. “It’s a  
 really great night out.”  
 “Barber  Shop  Chronicles”  
 at  BAM  Harvey  Theater  651  
 Fulton St. between Rockland and  
 Ashland Places in Fort Greene,  
 (718)  636–4100,  www.bam.org.  
 Dec. 3–6 at 7:30 pm. Dec. 7 at 2  
 pm and 7:30 pm. Dec. 8 at 3 pm.  
 $35–$95.  
 Your entertainment 
 guide Page 47 
 Police Blotter ..........................8 
 Opinion ...................................38 
 Letters .................................... 39 
 Standing O ............................42 
 HOW TO REACH US 
 COURIER L 2     IFE, NOV. 22-28, 2019 
 Deadly fungus treated at most  
 Kings County hospitals: report 
 BY ROSE ADAMS 
 Brooklynites suffered  
 the highest infection  
 rates of a deadly,  
 drug-resistant  fungus  
 in New York, with  
 more than 200 out of the  
 state’s 388 cases occurring  
 in Kings County, a  
 health  report  revealed  
 on Wednesday.  
 Candida auris, an  
 antifungal-resistant  
 yeast infection, has germinated  
 in New York  
 for the past two years,  
 with  the  number  of  
 cases jumping from 37  
 to 388 between 2016 and  
 2018, according to the  
 report. The disease is  
 notoriously diffi cult  to  
 diagnose and treat, and  
 doesn’t respond to common  
 anti-fungal treatments  
 used to combat  
 similar infections, according  
 to the the Center  
 for Disease Control.  
 The  deadly  fungus  
 preys on patients who  
 have weak immune systems  
 and use invasive  
 devices,  such  as  ventilators  
 and catheters,  
 and the elderly are especially  
 susceptible  to  
 infection — the average  
 patient is 69 years  
 old.  About  half  of  people  
 who contract C. auris  
 die within 90 days,  
 although some patients  
 who suffer  from  it may  
 die from a combination  
 of causes, according to  
 the New York Times.  
 The infection tends  
 to proliferate in healthcare  
 facilities, where it  
 spreads on equipment,  
 clothing, and skin, according  
 to the report,  
 which released the  
 names of medical facilities  
 in the state that  
 have  treated  C.  auris  
 patients.  
 In  Brooklyn,  52  
 A strain of C. auris cultured at CDC labs.    Center for Disease Control 
 healthcare facilities  
 made the list — including  
 15 hospitals, 35 nursing  
 homes, and two hospices. 
  Nearly all major  
 hospitals and nursings  
 homes, such as Maimonides  
 Medical Center,  
 Coney Island Hospital, 
  and NYU Langone,  
 have  treated  patients  
 with the infection. 
 Offi cials say that  
 they decided to disclose  
 the facilities — making  
 New York the fi rst state  
 in the nation to do so —  
 in an effort to bring attention  
 to the rapidly  
 spreading  infection,  
 which the Center for  
 Disease Control labels  
 an “urgent threat.”   
 Despite the dire  
 fi ndings, health experts  
 urge  patients  to  
 continue visiting medical  
 facilities  that  treat  
 patients  with  C.  auris,  
 claiming  that many  do  
 a good job containing  
 the infection and aren’t  
 currently  treating  affected  
 patients. 
 Health offi cials also  
 argue that the state is  
 taking steps to mitigate  
 the  spread  of  C.  auris  
 by conducting onsite  
 inspections  at  healthcare  
 facilities, providing  
 infection control  
 education, and monitoring  
 facility  compliance  
 with  infection  
 control  recommendations, 
  among other precautions. 
   
 And local hospitals  
 say  that  they’re  doing  
 their part to contain the  
 disease.  
 “All Mount Sinai  
 Health  System  hospitals  
 have developed policies  
 and procedures,”  
 said a representative  
 for Mount Sinai Brooklyn, 
  which has treated  
 C. auris patients. “Protocols  
 include  close  
 monitoring of hand  
 hygiene,  using  contact  
 precautions  (wearing  
 gloves  and  gowns),  using  
 effective disinfectants, 
   and  ensuring  
 that our laboratory can  
 rapidly  identify  C.  auris. 
  Use of these extra  
 steps  reduce  spread  of  
 C. auris.” 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
 BROOKLYN GRAPHIC (ISSN 0740-2260) Copyright © 2019 by the Brooklyn Courier Life LLC is published weekly by Brooklyn Courier Life LLC, One Metrotech North, 10th floor Brooklyn, NY 11201. 52 times a year. Business and  
 Editorial Offices: One Metrotech North, 10th floor Brooklyn, NY 11201. Accounting and Circulation Offices: Brooklyn Courier Life LLC, One Metrotech North, 3rd floor, Brooklyn, NY 11201. Call 718-260-2500 to subscribe. Periodicals  
 postage prices is paid at Brooklyn, N.Y. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Brooklyn Graphic, One Metrotech North, 10th floor Brooklyn, NY 11201. This newspaper is not responsible for typographical errors in ads  
 beyond the cost of the space occupied by the error. All rights reserved. Copyright © 2019 by Brooklyn Courier Life LLC. The content of this newspaper is protected by Federal copyright law. This newspaper, its advertisements,  
 articles and photographs may not be reproduced, either in whole or part, without permission in writing from the publisher except brief portions for purposes of review or commentary consistent with the law. 
 Mail:  
 Courier Life 
 1 Metrotech Center North  
 10th Floor, Brooklyn,  
 N.Y. 11201 
 General Phone:  
 (718) 260-2500 
 News Fax:  
 (718) 260-2592 
 News E-Mail:  
 editorial@cnglocal.com 
 Display Ad Phone:  
 (718) 260-8302 
 Display Ad E-Mail:  
 jstern@cnglocal.com 
 Display Ad Fax:  
 (718) 260-2579 
 Classified Phone:  
 (718) 260-2555 
 Classified Fax:  
 (718) 260-2549 
 Classified E-Mail:  
 classified@cnglocal.com 
 
				
/WWW.BROOKLYNPDAPILEYR.C.COOMM
		link
		link
		link
		/www.bam.org
		/www.bam.org
		link
		link
		link