[NEohioPAL]Karamu House 13th Annual R. Joyce Whitley Arena Festival of New Plays, March 7th-18th

[Performing Arts]

This is a multi-part message in MIME format.

------=_NextPart_000_0036_01C512B6.A7DAA840
Content-Type: text/plain;
	charset="iso-8859-1"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable

The 13th Annual R. Joyce Whitley Arena Festival of New Plays in honor of =
the late R. Joyce Whitley, who was a major performer and contributor to =
Karamu House will open March 7, 2005 with Atlanta playwright Janice =
Lindell's tragic solo piece "Who Will Sing For Lena"  directed by Jim =
Spriggs and Bridgette Wimberly's comedy "7Sisters" which will be =
directed by Cleveland Playhouse Director of Play Development Seth =
Gordon. Lena Baker was executed in Georgia in 1945. March 5th marks the =
60th anniversary of her death. The fest will run through March 18, 2005 =
in the Arena Theatre. =20

The ArenaFest Festival of New Plays have staged readings of many =
playwrights including S.M. Shephard-Massat. Her play "Waiting To Be =
Invited" first entry into the theatre world was the ArenaFest at Karamu. =
The play has been staged in regional theatres all over the country =
garnering Massat numerous awards including the American Theatre Critics =
Association (ATCA) Award in 2001 for emerging playwrights. In 2004, the =
festival had readings of works by playwrights J.e Franklin, Bridgette =
Wimberly who returns with a new piece titled "7sisters", and Gregory S. =
Carr, who's "Johnnie Taylor is Gone" was chosen from last year to be =
part of our 2004/2005 season and is one of the sleeper hits of the =
season. His latest new work, "The Colored Funeral" will be read during =
this year's festival.The majority of the playwrights selected are =
Clevelanders and most of the plays are non-fictional.=20

>From the death of Lena Baker, there is Bass Reeves aka black Wyatt Earp =
galloping to the stage, the life of writer Clifton Taulbert as a child =
and a rare glimpse into the quarrel between Langston Hughes and Zora =
Neal Hurston in the historical Karamu House in 1931 over their play =
"Mulebone" that still remains a mystery. There is childhood memories on =
43rd Street, while elder women conjuring, and some prefer to just play =
bridge. Getting away from all the heavies,we take a peak at colored =
funerals in a somewhat, dare I say, humorous way? Also a young girl =
encounters with a bag lady and last but not least, looking for love with =
the name of brand name candy in the title has got to be funny. So, this =
year's festival is well balanced with drama, mystery, tragedy, humor =
and...sweets.=20

There is also a special reading after the Friday double-billings March =
11th & 18th with Lisa McCree's edgy "And My Name Ain't Peaches". Think =
"for colored girls...", "Vagina Monologues" and beyond. Also on =
Saturday, March 12th & 19th, "A Family Line" by Peter Lawson Jones.    =20

The plays chosen for the ArenaFest focuses on themes of the African =
American  experience. Ten plays are selected out of the abundance of =
works submitted. The two week festival of stage readings will run March =
7 - March 18, 2005, Mondays-Fridays at 6pm in the Arena Theatre. The =
plays are double billed. Admission is free.

These chosen plays were announced January 31, 2005.=20


The plays are double-billed and the first play reading starts at 6PM =
each day.

MONDAY, MARCH 7th & 14th, 2005.=20
Who Will Sing For Lena by Janice Lindell
 7sisters by Bridgette Wimberly

"Who Will Sing For Lena"  (solo piece) by Georgia playwright Janice =
Lindell
March 5th, 2005 marks the 50th Anniversary of the death of Lena Baker.  =
A mother of three, she was the first and last black woman to be executed =
at the Georgia State Prison in Reidsyille. She delivered her own eulogy =
before heading to the chamber. Rumors had it that the man she killed, E. =
B. Knight,  kept her as a virtual sex slave. Her murder trial lasted =
just a day without a single witness. Playwright Janice Lindell brings =
her life to center stage and continues to fight to resurface her unfair =
trial.=20
Director: Jim M.K. Spriggs

"7Sisters" by Bridgette Wimberly=20
Kimmy is about to turn 18 and afraid her past will catch up with her.  =
She decides to take the late bus out of town and runs into her future.  =
7 Sisters is a series of four interrealted plays about women walking the =
razor's edge between sanity and the great abyss. Director: Seth Gordon =20

Poet and playwright Bridgette Wimberly, is a native Clevelander who =
makes Harlem her home.  She has been produced, commissioned, and/or =
workshopped at The Cherry Lane Theatre, The Women's Project and =
Production, Manhattan Theatre Club, The Alliance Theatre and The Saint =
Louis Black Repretory Theatre amoung others.  Her first play, "Saint =
Lucy's Eyes" starred Ruby Dee and "Forest City", was commissioned and =
produced by The Cleveland Play House.

TUESDAY, MARCH 8th & 15th, 2005.=20
"Bass Reeves: US Deputy Marshall" (one act) by Iris D. Tucker -Berry
"The Bridge Party" by Sandra Seaton


BASS REEVES: US DEPUTY MARSHALL (one act) by Cleveland playwright Iris =
D. Tucker -Berry
Bass Reeves was the black man's answer to Wyatt Earp. He was a United =
States Deputy Marshall in the 1875, one of 200 hired by Judge Isaac C. =
Parker. Reeves was a legendary lawman on the Western Frontier hired to =
track down criminals in western Arkansas and Indian territory and =
lawless, untamed regions of Oklahoma. Called one of the bravest men the =
country has ever known whose devotion to duty was beyond reproach. =
Director: Rachel Redcross=20

THE BRIDGE PARTY by Michigan playwright Sandra Seaton
Sandra Seaton is the recipient of the Theodore Ward Prize for New =
African American Playwrights for "The Bridge Party" in 1989. The play =
portrays a group of Southern black women who gather for a weekly bridge =
game against a background of lynchings and house-to-house searches. =20
Director: Doug Pratt=20


WEDNESDAY, MARCH 9th & 16th, 2005.=20
Murder on Biddell Street by Jim Spriggs=20
Little Cliff" by Eric Schmiedl

"Murder on Biddell Street" by Cleveland playwright Jim M. K. Spriggs
This is a parlor drama that invites its audience to visit the East =
Baltimore, Maryland home of Lottie Spencer where its "sistas" serve =
sweet tea and dandelion wine laced with retribution.  And, where you'll =
follow one sista's journey toward wholeness, and share in a fateful =
night when she discovers that some secrets are better left that way.=20
Director: Sue Holland Johnson

=20
"Little Cliff" by Cleveland Playwright Eric Schmiedl
It's September, 1955. Change is in the air. Television sets are invading =
American homes, and Jackie Robinson and his Brooklyn Dodgers are on the =
verge of winning their first World Series. The death of an aunt rocks =
the world of eight year old Cliff and his rural town of Glen Allen, =
Mississipi. Based on the acclaimed writings of Clifton L. Taulbert (One =
Upon A Time When We Were Colored), this piece celebrates the beauty of =
Clifton's childhood and the remarkable individuals who nurtured him.=20
Director: Kimberly Brown=20


THURSDAY, MARCH 10th & 17th, 2005.=20
"43RD Street" (a one act) by Cal 3
Hershey With Almonds by diannetucker


"43RD Street" (a one act) by Cleveland playwright Cal 3
Childhood friends re-evaluate their present, past and future against a =
bitter blue backdrop of 1965...on East 43rd.=20
Director: Cornell Calhoun=20

"Hershey With Almonds" by Texas playwright diannetucker
In the face of a delectable 'Hershey with Almonds', how strong are the =
bonds of  friendship really?  The title of this play represents not only =
the sexual objectification of this African American male; it is also a =
symbol for temptation in general.  When this delectable chocolate, is =
actually right there in front of you,  when to have it,  you have only =
to reach for it, can you say no.=20
Director: Iris D. Tucker -Berry=20

FRIDAY, MARCH 11th & 18th 2005.=20
"Bone Pickin' by Renee Mathews-Jackson
"The Colored Funeral" by Gregory S. Carr

"Bone Pickin' (one act) by Cleveland playwright Renee Mathews-Jackson=20
At Karamu in 1931, Zora Neale Hurston and Langston Hughes were prepared =
to have produced "Mule Bone" A Negro Comedy. They fell out! What if they =
met again prior to their deaths? Could they fix their disagreements?=20
Director: Eva Withers-Evans

THE COLORED FUNERAL by St. Louis playwright Gregory S. Carr
Another original from the creator of "Johnnie Taylor is Gone", one of =
this season's hits at Karamu. The Colored Funeral takes a page from =
George C. Wolfe's "The Colored Museum" with a humorous take on funerals? =

Director: Christopher Johnston

MU on the Edge Friday bonus is AND MY NAME AIN'T PEACHES by Lisa McCree. =
Director: Eva Withers-Evans

Stay for this special reading after the Friday double-billings March =
11th & 18th and witness a reading of AND MY NAME AIN'T PEACHES by Lisa =
McCree. It is part "for colored girls..." part "Vagina Monologues" and =
all other parts are beyond the imagination in everyday life. McCree's =
words are poetic, gritty , funny and at times feels like slow needle =
injection in the mind. (Parental Discretion Is Advised, Due To Strong =
Language)

Saturday, March 12th & 19th of "A Family Line" by Peter Lawson Jones  at =
1PM (Jelliffe Theatre). Director: Desmond Jones.    =20

There will be a Talk-Back session after each reading between the =
audience, cast, director and playwright moderated by Jim Spriggs.

For more information please call 216-795-7070 ext. 226 or 240.=20

The ArenaFest of plays were selected by the readers committee and Karamu =
theatre staff.

------=_NextPart_000_0036_01C512B6.A7DAA840
Content-Type: text/html;
	charset="iso-8859-1"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable

<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN">
<HTML><HEAD>
<META http-equiv=3DContent-Type content=3D"text/html; =
charset=3Diso-8859-1">
<META content=3D"MSHTML 6.00.2800.1479" name=3DGENERATOR>
<STYLE></STYLE>
</HEAD>
<BODY bgColor=3D#ffffff>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>
<DIV>The 13th Annual R. Joyce Whitley Arena Festival of New Plays in =
honor of=20
the late R. Joyce Whitley, who was a major performer and =
contributor to=20
Karamu House will open March 7, 2005 with Atlanta playwright Janice =
Lindell's=20
tragic solo piece "Who Will Sing For Lena"  directed by Jim Spriggs =
and=20
Bridgette Wimberly's comedy "7Sisters" which will be directed by =
Cleveland=20
Playhouse Director of Play Development Seth Gordon. Lena Baker was =
executed in=20
Georgia in 1945. March 5th marks the 60th anniversary of her death. The =
fest=20
will run through March 18, 2005 in the Arena Theatre.  <BR><BR>The=20
ArenaFest Festival of New Plays have staged readings of many playwrights =

including S.M. Shephard-Massat. Her play "Waiting To Be Invited" first =
entry=20
into the theatre world was the ArenaFest at Karamu. The play has been =
staged in=20
regional theatres all over the country garnering Massat numerous awards=20
including the American Theatre Critics Association (ATCA) Award in 2001 =
for=20
emerging playwrights. In 2004, the festival had readings of works by =
playwrights=20
J.e Franklin, Bridgette Wimberly who returns with a new piece titled =
"7sisters",=20
and Gregory S. Carr, who's "Johnnie Taylor is Gone" was chosen from last =
year to=20
be part of our 2004/2005 season and is one of the sleeper hits of the =
season.=20
His latest new work, "The Colored Funeral" will be read during this =
year's=20
festival.The majority of the playwrights selected are Clevelanders and =
most of=20
the plays are non-fictional. <BR><BR>From the death of Lena Baker, there =
is Bass=20
Reeves aka black Wyatt Earp galloping to the stage, the life of writer =
Clifton=20
Taulbert as a child and a rare glimpse into the quarrel between Langston =
Hughes=20
and Zora Neal Hurston in the historical Karamu House in 1931 over their =
play=20
"Mulebone" that still remains a mystery. There is childhood memories on =
43rd=20
Street, while elder women conjuring, and some prefer to just play =
bridge.=20
Getting away from all the heavies,we take a peak at colored funerals in =
a=20
somewhat, dare I say, humorous way? Also a young girl encounters with a =
bag lady=20
and last but not least, looking for love with the name of brand name =
candy in=20
the title has got to be funny. So, this year's festival is well balanced =
with=20
drama, mystery, tragedy, humor and...sweets. </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>There is also a special reading after the Friday double-billings =
March 11th=20
& 18th with Lisa McCree's edgy "And My Name Ain't Peaches". Think =
"for=20
colored girls...", "Vagina Monologues" and beyond. Also on Saturday, =
March 12th=20
& 19th, "A Family Line" by Peter Lawson =
Jones.    =20
<BR><BR>The plays chosen for the ArenaFest focuses on themes of the =
African=20
American  experience. Ten plays are selected out of the abundance =
of works=20
submitted. The two week festival of stage readings will run March 7 - =
March 18,=20
2005, Mondays-Fridays at 6pm in the Arena Theatre. The plays are double =
billed.=20
Admission is free.<BR><BR>These chosen plays were announced January 31, =
2005.=20
<BR></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>The plays are double-billed and the first play reading starts at =
6PM each=20
day.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>MONDAY, MARCH 7th & 14th, 2005. </DIV>
<DIV>Who Will Sing For Lena by Janice Lindell</DIV>
<DIV> 7sisters by Bridgette Wimberly</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>"Who Will Sing For Lena"  (solo piece) by Georgia playwright =
Janice=20
Lindell<BR>March 5th, 2005 marks the 50th Anniversary of the death of =
Lena=20
Baker.  A mother of three, she was the first and last black woman =
to be=20
executed at the Georgia State Prison in Reidsyille. She delivered her =
own eulogy=20
before heading to the chamber. Rumors had it that the man she killed, E. =
B.=20
Knight,  kept her as a virtual sex slave. Her murder trial lasted =
just a=20
day without a single witness. Playwright Janice Lindell brings her life =
to=20
center stage and continues to fight to resurface her unfair trial. =
</DIV>
<DIV>Director: Jim M.K. Spriggs</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>"7Sisters" by Bridgette Wimberly </DIV>
<DIV>Kimmy is about to turn 18 and afraid her past will catch up with =
her. =20
She decides to take the late bus out of town and runs into her =
future.  7=20
Sisters is a series of four interrealted plays about women walking the =
razor's=20
edge between sanity and the great abyss. Director: Seth Gordon =20
<DIV><BR>Poet and playwright Bridgette Wimberly, is a native Clevelander =
who=20
makes Harlem her home.  She has been produced, commissioned, and/or =

workshopped at The Cherry Lane Theatre, The Women's Project and =
Production,=20
Manhattan Theatre Club, The Alliance Theatre and The Saint Louis Black =
Repretory=20
Theatre amoung others.  Her first play, "Saint Lucy's Eyes" starred =
Ruby=20
Dee and "Forest City", was commissioned and produced by The Cleveland =
Play=20
House.</DIV></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>TUESDAY, MARCH 8th & 15th, 2005. </DIV>
<DIV>
<DIV>"Bass Reeves: US Deputy Marshall" (one act) by Iris D. Tucker=20
-Berry</DIV>
<DIV>"The Bridge Party" by Sandra Seaton<BR></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>BASS REEVES: US DEPUTY MARSHALL (one act) by Cleveland playwright =
Iris D.=20
Tucker -Berry<BR>Bass Reeves was the black man's answer to Wyatt Earp. =
He was a=20
United States Deputy Marshall in the 1875, one of 200 hired by Judge =
Isaac C.=20
Parker. Reeves was a legendary lawman on the Western Frontier hired to =
track=20
down criminals in western Arkansas and Indian territory and lawless, =
untamed=20
regions of Oklahoma. Called one of the bravest men the country has ever =
known=20
whose devotion to duty was beyond reproach. Director: Rachel =
Redcross=20
</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>THE BRIDGE PARTY by Michigan playwright Sandra Seaton<BR>Sandra =
Seaton is=20
the recipient of the Theodore Ward Prize for New African American =
Playwrights=20
for "The Bridge Party" in 1989. The play portrays a group of Southern =
black=20
women who gather for a weekly bridge game against a background of =
lynchings and=20
house-to-house searches.  </DIV>
<DIV>Director: Doug Pratt <BR></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV></DIV>
<DIV>WEDNESDAY, MARCH 9th & 16th, 2005. </DIV>
<DIV>Murder on Biddell Street by Jim Spriggs </DIV>
<DIV>Little Cliff" by Eric Schmiedl</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>"Murder on Biddell Street" by Cleveland playwright Jim M. K.=20
Spriggs</DIV>
<DIV>This is a parlor drama that invites its audience to visit the East=20
Baltimore, Maryland home of Lottie Spencer where its "sistas" serve =
sweet tea=20
and dandelion wine laced with retribution.  And, where you=92ll =
follow one=20
sista=92s journey toward wholeness, and share in a fateful night when =
she=20
discovers that some secrets are better left that way. </DIV>
<DIV>Director: Sue Holland Johnson</DIV>
<DIV><BR> </DIV>
<DIV>"Little Cliff" by Cleveland Playwright Eric Schmiedl<BR>It's =
September,=20
1955. Change is in the air. Television sets are invading American homes, =
and=20
Jackie Robinson and his Brooklyn Dodgers are on the verge of winning =
their first=20
World Series. The death of an aunt rocks the world of eight year old =
Cliff and=20
his rural town of Glen Allen, Mississipi. Based on the acclaimed =
writings of=20
Clifton L. Taulbert (One Upon A Time When We Were Colored), this piece=20
celebrates the beauty of Clifton's childhood and the remarkable =
individuals who=20
nurtured him. </DIV>
<DIV>Director: Kimberly Brown <BR></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>THURSDAY, MARCH 10th & 17th, 2005. </DIV>
<DIV>"43RD Street" (a one act) by Cal 3</DIV>
<DIV>Hershey With Almonds by diannetucker<BR></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>"43RD Street" (a one act) by Cleveland playwright Cal =
3<BR>Childhood=20
friends re-evaluate their present, past and future against a bitter blue =

backdrop of 1965...on East 43rd. </DIV>
<DIV>Director: Cornell Calhoun </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>"Hershey With Almonds" by Texas playwright diannetucker<BR>In the =
face of a=20
delectable =91Hershey with Almonds=92, how strong are the bonds of  =
friendship=20
really?  The title of this play represents not only the sexual=20
objectification of this African American male; it is also a symbol for=20
temptation in general.  When this delectable chocolate, is actually =
right=20
there in front of you,  when to have it,  you have only to =
reach for=20
it, can you say no. </DIV>
<DIV>Director: Iris D. Tucker -Berry </DIV>
<DIV><BR>FRIDAY, MARCH 11th & 18th 2005. </DIV>
<DIV>"Bone Pickin' by Renee Mathews-Jackson</DIV>
<DIV>"The Colored Funeral" by Gregory S. Carr</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>"Bone Pickin' (one act) by Cleveland playwright Renee =
Mathews-Jackson=20
<BR>At Karamu in 1931, Zora Neale Hurston and Langston Hughes were =
prepared to=20
have produced "Mule Bone" A Negro Comedy. They fell out! What if they =
met again=20
prior to their deaths? Could they fix their disagreements? </DIV>
<DIV>Director: Eva Withers-Evans</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>THE COLORED FUNERAL by St. Louis playwright Gregory S. =
Carr<BR>Another=20
original from the creator of "Johnnie Taylor is Gone", one of this =
season's hits=20
at Karamu. The Colored Funeral takes a page from George C. Wolfe's "The =
Colored=20
Museum" with a humorous take on funerals? </DIV>
<DIV>Director: Christopher Johnston</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>MU on the Edge Friday bonus is AND MY NAME AIN'T PEACHES by Lisa =
McCree.=20
Director: Eva Withers-Evans</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Stay for this special reading after the Friday double-billings =
March=20
11th & 18th and witness a reading of AND MY NAME AIN'T PEACHES =
by Lisa=20
McCree. It is part "for colored girls..." part "Vagina Monologues" and =
all other=20
parts are beyond the imagination in everyday life. McCree's words=20
are poetic, gritty , funny and at times feels like slow needle =
injection in=20
the mind. (Parental Discretion Is Advised, Due To Strong Language)</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Saturday, March 12th & 19th of "A Family Line" by Peter Lawson=20
Jones  at 1PM (Jelliffe Theatre). Director: Desmond=20
Jones.     </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>There will be a Talk-Back session after each reading between =
the=20
audience, cast, director and playwright moderated by Jim=20
Spriggs.<BR><BR>For more information please call 216-795-7070 ext. 226 =
or 240.=20
<BR><BR>The ArenaFest of plays were selected by the readers =
committee and=20
Karamu theatre staff.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV></FONT></DIV></BODY></HTML>

------=_NextPart_000_0036_01C512B6.A7DAA840--