[NEohioPAL] AUDITIONS for the Premiere epic “MAAFA” at Olivet Institutional Baptist Church

Sun May 26 15:12:20 PDT 2019

AUDITIONS for the Premiere epic “MAAFA”

 Written and Directed by Terrence Spivey

When: Monday, June 3rd & Wednesday, June 5th @ 6pm-9pm

Call Backs: Saturday, June 8th 10am-1pm

Where: The historical Olivet Institutional Baptist Church

             8712 Quincy Avenue
<https://maps.google.com/?q=8712+Quincy+Avenue+%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A+%0D%0A+Cleveland,+OH+44106&entry=gmail&source=g>

<https://maps.google.com/?q=8712+Quincy+Avenue+%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A+%0D%0A+Cleveland,+OH+44106&entry=gmail&source=g>
 Cleveland, OH 44106
<https://maps.google.com/?q=8712+Quincy+Avenue+%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A+%0D%0A+Cleveland,+OH+44106&entry=gmail&source=g>

Show Dates: February 14-15, 2020 Black History Month (3 Performances), in
part of a week long conference and exhibition on the Transatlantic Slave
Trade leading up to the opening night performance.

Rehearsals:

November 25-December 14, 2019 (3 Week Preparation Workshops). The workshops
will be 3-4 days a week,

January 6-February 7, 2020 (Rehearsal Start Date)

January 8-13, 2020 (Tech Rehearsal)

*Pay Is Provided For This Production

TEAM

Terrence Spivey, Writer/Director

Musical Supervisor, Damon Dandridge

Stage Manager, Geri Harris

Costumes: Barbara Bennett & Harold Crawford

Sound Design, Calvin Lane,

The Play

MAAFA is a mystical, theatrical commemorating epic drama with music. The
original version “The MAAFA Suite” A Healing Journey,  first premiered in 1995
at St. Paul Community Baptist Church in New York City. Spivey’s version,
like the New York production, will span elements in World History that
African Americans refer to as the MAAFA. His version shifting from past to
present setting will take place in Honey Island, an unincorporated
community in small timber town, Kountze, Texas. MAAFA is a Ki-Swahili word
that means great tragedy, calamity, disaster, and refers to the Middle
Passage or Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade. Through drama, song, rhythm, and
dance, MAAFA tells a story of Africans confronted with the arrival of white
slavers, the voyage of Africans to America, and the complex circumstances
under which enslaved Africans were oppressed to present day. The play has
spawn over fifty churches with their own versions throughout the country to
commemorate this historical and significant moment for the past twenty-four
years. St. Paul will be celebrating its twenty-fifth anniversary this Fall
2019. Cleveland's historical Olivet Institutional Baptist Church under the
guidance of Rev. Jawanza Karriem Colvin along with Mr. Spivey will present
this epic production in February 2020.

Actors/Singers

Noomo, African-American male 20’s to 30’) An African spirit dancer who
glides between the past and present. Must be advance in dance.

African Mothers; African-American, 30s-40’s (3-5 actors)

Village Elders African-American male and female actors/singers, 50’s-60’s

Initiates: African-American females, 20’s actors/singers, Very attractive,
must move well for African celebration (3-5 actors)

Two Slave Catchers: White Males, 20’s – 50’s

Two Slave Drivers: Two White Males, 20’-50’s

Massa James: White Male, 40’s-60’s

Honey Bourgeois – Rich slave owner, Compassionate, White Female, 30-40’s

Dangerous Mattie- Fast and defiant, daughter of a Slave Owner late 20’s,
early 30’s

Willie Lynch: The Trouble Maker

Trebel Cliff- African American- 30s-40’s

Estabon- African American, 40s-50’s

Zeke Treadwell- Homeless man with powers to shape shift, African American,
30s-40s

Charlie Treadwell- Great grand father to Estabon. He is the root of

Nia Mann African-American Female, part of the Treadwell Family tree, ages
7-9. Very intelligent and inquisitive

Shante Mann-Nia’s older sister, supports her sister but very independent,
caught into Hip Hop. Part of the Treadwell tree. Female age 12-14

Marcus Mann- Nia and Shante’s father, disconnected with his ancestral
history. Zeke is his long lost uncle.

Nigg- Constantly in and out of incarceration, he is feared in town, walks
the street at night, African American, 30s-40s.

ENSEMBLE for Africa, Slave Plantations Setting: Supporting parts for Men,
Women  and children.

ALL Actors-Please prepare a two minute dramatic monologue. Be prepared to
move.

ALL Singer/Actors-  Please prepare a monologue and a spiritual or gospel
song. Be prepared to move.

DANCERS- Seeking African-American male/females with experience in
Modern/African dance.

THE DIRECTOR/PLAYWRIGHT

TERRENCE SPIVEY BIO

Former artistic director at Karamu House is a member of The HistoryMakers,
a 2018 Alan Schneider Directors Award nominee, 2017 Best Director and 2005
Best Theatre Honcho by Cleveland Scene. He was given a proclamation in 2010
by Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson for his artistic contributions locally and
nationally. He garnered multiple awards at Karamu and the historical
institution was given Repertory Company of the Year in 2013 by AUDELCO in
NYC. He directed plays such as Dream on Monkey Mountain (2006 Best Stage
Production), The Blacks: A Clown Show (2008 Best Drama) and Joe Turner’s
Come and Gone to name a few. Since leaving Karamu, Lady Day at Emerson's
Bar and Grill (2018 Chandelier Best Drama-Akron) Boodycandy (2016 Top 10
Plays-Cleveland Plain Dealer) and the nationally acclaimed
Objectively/Reasonable.:
A Community Response to the Shooting of Tamir Rice, 11/22/14 at Playwrights
Local which appeared on Michel Martin’s NPR Going There. Spivey has worked
at numerous theatres as director locally and nationally as actor/director;
Lincoln Center, Cherry Lane Theatre, Black Girl Ensemble (NYC).  He has a
B.A. in Theatre from Prairie View A & M University. He was keynote speaker
for the United States Institute for Theatre Technology in 2015. Has
served on the board for the Community Partnership for Arts and Culture and
a member of the National Theatre Conference. He is currently board member
for AUDELCO, NYC.

Spivey has been featured in numerous media coverages such as Ebony,
Backstage,Artists and Influence and the PBS documentary Karamu: 100 Years
in the House. He is the founding director for Powerful Long Ladder.

MUSICAL SUPERVISOR

Damon H. Dandridge was recently hired as Minister of Worship & Arts at
Cleveland's Olivet Institutional Baptist Church. He was the Director of
Choral Activities at Cheyney University. He holds the Master of Music
degree in Choral Conducting from The Florida State University and the
Bachelor of Music Education degree in Choral Music/Voice from South
Carolina State University with additional studies at Boston University.
Prof. Dandridge has had the esteemed pleasure of working with some of the
most influential African-American composers of our time including Dr.
Brazeal W. Dennard, Dr. Roland M. Carter, Dr. André J. Thomas, and the late
Mr. Moses G. Hogan. As an artist, Dandridge's choral arrangements have been
met with worldwide acclaim. From across the United States to Korea,
Australia, and Italy, his pieces have been featured at various all-state
festivals and international festivals. Prof. Dandridge is a past-winner of
the National Association of Negro Musician's Brantley Choral Arranging
competition.

For further information, please contact pllecompany2.0 at gmail.com. You may
also send head shots in advance before auditions to the email address.
Please DO NOT CONTACT THE CHURCH.
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