[NEohioPAL]You Still Have Time to Catch the R. Joyce Whitley ArenaFest Festival of New Plays at Karamu House

Thu Mar 10 11:18:27 PST 2005

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The ArenaFest Festival of New Plays has 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 7 sisters, and Gregory S. Carr, whose 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, A 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.

>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 Mule Bone that =
still
remains a mystery. There are childhood memories on East 43RD, 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.

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.

The plays chosen for ArenaFest focus 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 19, =
2005,
Mondays-Fridays at 6:00 pm in the Arena Theatre plus special readings on
Saturday afternoons. The plays are double billed. Admission is free.

These chosen plays were announced January 31, 2005.

The plays are double-billed and the first play reading starts at 6:00 PM
each day.

(2)
MONDAY, MARCH 7th & 14th, 2005.
Who Will Sing For Lena by Janice Liddell
7 sisters by Bridgette Wimberly

Who Will Sing For Lena  (solo piece) by Georgia playwright Janice =
Liddell
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 Liddell brings her life to center =
stage
and continues to fight to resurface her unfair trial. Director: Jim M.K.
Spriggs

7 sisters by Bridgette Wimberly
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 inter-related plays about women walking the
razor's edge between sanity and the great abyss. Director: Seth Gordon

Poet and playwright Bridgette Wimberly, is a native Clevelander who =
makes
Harlem her home.  She has been produced, commissioned, and/or work =
shopped
at The Cherry Lane Theatre, The Women's Project and Production, =
Manhattan
Theatre Club, The Alliance Theatre and The Saint Louis Black Repertory
Theatre among 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.
Bass Reeves: U.S. Deputy Marshall (one act) by Iris D. Tucker -Berry
The Bridge Party by Sandra Seaton

Bass Reeves: U.S. 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 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 the lawless, untamed =
regions of
Oklahoma. He was called one of the bravest men the country has ever =
known
whose devotion to duty was beyond reproach. Director: Rachel Redcross

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.  Director: Doug =
Pratt

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 9th & 16th, 2005.
Terror on Biddle Street by Jim M. K. Spriggs
Little Cliff by Eric Schmiedl

Terror on Biddle 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. Director: Sue =
Holland
Johnson

Little Cliff by Cleveland Playwright Eric Schmiedl
It's September, 1955 and 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. Director: Kimberly Brown
                        (3)
THURSDAY, MARCH 10th & 17th, 2005.
East 43RD (a one act) by Cal 3
Hershey With Almonds by diannetucker

East 43RD (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. Director: Cornell Calhoun

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. Director: Iris D. Tucker -Berry

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

Bone Pickin' (one act) by Cleveland playwright Renee Mathews-Jackson
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? =
Director:
Eva Withers-Evans

A 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. A 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 into 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

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

For more information please call 216-795-7070 ext. 242.

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

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<DIV>The ArenaFest=20
Festival of New Plays has staged readings of many =
playwrights including S.M.=20
Shephard-Massat. Her play Waiting To Be Invited first entry into the =
theatre=20
world was the ArenaFest at Karamu. The play has been staged in =
regional=20
theatres all over the country garnering Massat numerous =
awards including the=20
American Theatre Critics Association (ATCA) Award in 2001 =
for emerging=20
playwrights. In 2004, the festival had readings of works =
by playwrights J.e=20
Franklin, Bridgette Wimberly who returns with a new piece titled 7 =
sisters,=20
and Gregory S. Carr, whose Johnnie Taylor is Gone was chosen from =
last year=20
to be part of our 2004/2005 season and is one of the sleeper hits of =
the=20
season. His latest new work, A Colored Funeral will be read during =
this=20
year's festival. The majority of the playwrights selected are =
Clevelanders=20
and most of the plays are non-fictional. From the death of Lena =
Baker,=20
there is Bass Reeves aka black Wyatt Earp galloping to the stage, the =
life of=20
writer Clifton Taulbert as a child and a rare glimpse into the =
quarrel=20
between Langston Hughes and Zora Neal Hurston in the historical =
Karamu House=20
in 1931 over their play Mule Bone that still remains a mystery. There =
are=20
childhood memories on East 43RD, while elder women conjuring, and =
some prefer=20
to just play bridge. Getting away from all the heavies, we take a =
peak at=20
colored funerals in a somewhat, dare I say, humorous way? Also a =
young girl=20
encounters with a bag lady and last but not least, looking for love =
with the=20
name of brand name candy in the title has got to be funny. So this =
year's=20
festival is well balanced with drama, mystery, tragedy, humor=20
and=85sweets. There is also a special reading after the Friday=20
double-billings March 11th & 18th with Lisa McCree's edgy And My =
Name=20
Ain't Peaches .  Think for colored girls..., Vagina Monologues =
and=20
beyond. Also on Saturday, March 12th & 19th, A Family Line by =
Peter=20
Lawson Jones. The plays chosen for ArenaFest focus on themes of =
the=20
African American experience. Ten plays are selected out of the =
abundance of=20
works submitted. The two week festival of stage readings will run =
March 7 -=20
March 19, 2005, Mondays-Fridays at 6:00 pm in the Arena Theatre plus =
special=20
readings on Saturday afternoons. The plays are double billed. =
Admission is=20
free. These chosen plays were announced January 31, =
2005. The=20
plays are double-billed and the first play reading starts at 6:00 =
PM each=20
day. (2) MONDAY, MARCH 7th & 14th, =
2005. Who Will=20
Sing For Lena by Janice Liddell 7 sisters by Bridgette =
Wimberly Who=20
Will Sing For Lena  (solo piece) by Georgia playwright Janice=20
Liddell 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=20
eulogy before heading to the chamber. Rumors had it that the man she =
killed,=20
E. B. Knight, kept her as a virtual sex slave. Her murder trial =
lasted just a=20
day without a single witness. Playwright Janice Liddell brings her =
life to=20
center stage and continues to fight to resurface her unfair trial. =
Director:=20
Jim M.K. Spriggs 7 sisters by Bridgette Wimberly Kimmy is =
about to=20
turn 18 and afraid her past will catch up with her.  She decides =
to take=20
the late bus out of town and runs into her future.  7 sisters is =
a=20
series of four inter-related plays about women walking the razor's =
edge=20
between sanity and the great abyss. Director: Seth Gordon Poet =
and=20
playwright Bridgette Wimberly, is a native Clevelander who =
makes Harlem her=20
home.  She has been produced, commissioned, and/or work =
shopped at The=20
Cherry Lane Theatre, The Women's Project and Production, =
Manhattan Theatre=20
Club, The Alliance Theatre and The Saint Louis Black =
Repertory Theatre among=20
others.  Her first play, Saint Lucy's Eyes starred Ruby Dee and =
Forest=20
City, was commissioned and produced by The Cleveland Play =
House. TUESDAY,=20
MARCH 8th & 15th, 2005. Bass Reeves: U.S. Deputy Marshall (one =
act) by=20
Iris D. Tucker -Berry The Bridge Party by Sandra Seaton Bass =
Reeves:=20
U.S. Deputy Marshall (one act) by Cleveland playwright Iris D. Tucker =

-Berry<BR>Bass Reeves was the black man's answer to Wyatt Earp. He was a =
United=20
States<BR>Deputy Marshall in 1875, one of 200 hired by Judge Isaac C.=20
Parker.  Reeves<BR>was a legendary lawman on the Western Frontier =
hired to=20
track down criminals<BR>in western Arkansas and Indian territory and the =

lawless, untamed regions of Oklahoma. He was called one of the =
bravest men=20
the country has ever known whose devotion to duty was beyond =
reproach.=20
Director: Rachel Redcross The Bridge Party by Michigan playwright =
Sandra=20
Seaton Sandra Seaton is the recipient of the Theodore Ward Prize for =
New=20
African American Playwrights for The Bridge Party in 1989. The play =
portrays=20
a group of Southern black women who gather for a weekly bridge game =
against=20
a background of lynchings and house-to-house searches.  =
Director: Doug=20
Pratt WEDNESDAY, MARCH 9th & 16th, 2005. Terror on Biddle =
Street=20
by Jim M. K. Spriggs Little Cliff by Eric Schmiedl Terror on =
Biddle=20
Street by Cleveland playwright Jim M. K. Spriggs This is a parlor =
drama that=20
invites its audience to visit the East Baltimore, Maryland home of =
Lottie=20
Spencer where its "sistas" serve sweet tea and dandelion wine laced =
with=20
retribution.  And, where you=92ll follow one sista=92s journey =
toward=20
wholeness, and share in a fateful night when she discovers that some =
secrets=20
are better left that way. Director: Sue Holland Johnson Little =
Cliff=20
by Cleveland Playwright Eric Schmiedl It's September, 1955 and change =
is in=20
the air. Television sets are invading American homes, and Jackie =
Robinson and=20
his Brooklyn Dodgers are on the verge of winning their first World =
Series.=20
The death of an aunt rocks the world of eight  year old Cliff =
and his=20
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=20
who nurtured him. Director: Kimberly Brown       =
   =20
              (3) THURSDAY, MARCH =
10th=20
& 17th, 2005. East 43RD (a one act) by Cal 3 Hershey With =
Almonds by=20
diannetucker East 43RD (a one act) by Cleveland playwright Cal=20
3 Childhood friends re-evaluate their present, past and future =
against=20
a bitter blue backdrop of 1965...on East 43RD. Director: Cornell=20
Calhoun Hershey With Almonds by Texas playwright =
diannetucker In the=20
face of a delectable =91Hershey with Almonds=92, how strong are the =
bonds of=20
friendship really?  The title of this play represents not only the=20
sexual objectification of this African American male; it is also a =
symbol=20
for temptation in general.  When this delectable chocolate, is =
actually=20
right there in front of you, when to have it, you have only to reach =
for it,=20
can you say no. Director: Iris D. Tucker -Berry FRIDAY, MARCH =
11th=20
& 18th 2005. Bone Pickin=92 by Renee Mathews-Jackson A Colored =
Funeral=20
by Gregory S. Carr Bone Pickin=92 (one act) by Cleveland =
playwright Renee=20
Mathews-Jackson At Karamu in 1931, Zora Neale Hurston and Langston =
Hughes=20
were prepared to have produced Mule Bone A Negro Comedy. They fell =
out! What=20
if they met again prior to their deaths? Could they fix their =
disagreements?=20
Director: Eva Withers-Evans A Colored Funeral by St. Louis =
playwright=20
Gregory S. Carr Another original from the creator of Johnnie Taylor =
is Gone,=20
one of this season's hits at Karamu. A Colored Funeral takes a page =
from=20
George C. Wolfe's The Colored Museum with a humorous take on =
funerals?=20
Director: Christopher Johnston MU on the Edge Friday bonus is =
AND MY=20
NAME AIN'T PEACHES by Lisa McCree. Director: Eva =
Withers-Evans Stay=20
for this special reading after the Friday double-billings March 11th=20
& 18th and witness a reading of AND MY NAME AIN'T PEACHES by Lisa =
McCree.=20
It is part for colored girls...  part Vagina Monologues and all =
other=20
parts are beyond the imagination in everyday life. McCree's words are =
poetic,=20
gritty, funny and at times feels like slow needle injection into the=20
mind. (Parental Discretion Is Advised, Due To Strong=20
Language) Saturday, March 12th & 19th of A Family Line by =
Peter=20
Lawson Jones at 1PM (Jelliffe Theatre). Director: Desmond =
Jones There=20
will be a Talk-Back session after each reading between the =
audience, cast,=20
director and playwright moderated by Jim M. K. Spriggs. For more=20
information please call 216-795-7070 ext. 242. The ArenaFest =
Festival of=20
New plays were selected by the readers committee and Karamu=92s =
theatre=20
staff. </DIV></BODY></HTML>

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