Struggling with his graduate thesis on slavery, Ron, a gay, black student at Columbia, attends a family reunion to celebrate his great-great-grandfather T.J.’s 189th birthday. Despite the fact that T.J. can’t move, hear, or speak, T.J. (given voice by the spirit of Mutha Wit) convinces Ron to take him back to his old home in Virginia. Fracturing the space-time continuum as they go further south, they arrive on the eve of Nat Turner’s doomed 1831 uprising to see Nat Turner himself racing through the woods. Encouraged to understand his ‘past’ in order to understand his ‘present’ and the perception-altering confrontation with what it means to be ‘free’, Ron discovers that how the authenticity of history unfolds depends on the perception of the storyteller.

The Stage Manager assists the Director throughout the rehearsal period as described below and runs lights, sound, video and other technical elements during the run of the show.

Rehearsal period:

1.    Attend all rehearsals, including dry tech, unless absence is unavoidable.

2.    Compile cast/crew/designer/director contact sheet at read-thru and distribute to all those concerned with production.

3.    Keep careful note of all blocking and blocking changes during rehearsals.

4.    Track props and costumes during rehearsals; keep lists!

5.    Assist director/designers as necessary with props/costumes/set pieces acquisition.

6.    If not already done, turn on theater work lights and heat or a/c before rehearsals. Arrive 1/2 hour before actor call to do this. After rehearsal, clear theater of coffee cups and other clutter left behind by cast, turn off heat or a/c, and turn out lights.

7.    Make all necessary communications with cast as requested by director or artistic director.

8.    Participate in work calls (set strike/prebuild and set builds).

9.    When cast is off book, watch book during rehearsals and compile detailed line notes. Distribute to cast.

Tech/Production week and performance run:

1.    Attend dry tech and note sound, light, video and other tech cues in script. This will help you translate cue descriptions on the sound and light boards when you start to run the show.

2.    Attend technical rehearsals the Saturday and Sunday before the production opens. Assist where needed. Watch book for actors.

3.    Compile props/costume list with preset locations. Complete presets before each rehearsal/show.

4.    Turn on basement lights and power up dimmer boards. Turn on theater work lights and heat or a/c. If projector is being used, plug in projector and turn it on using remote control (kept in the booth). Turn on sound and light computers and amplification system. Open sound and light programs.

5.    Instruct actors to check props/costumes presets before the house opens for each show.

6.    During production week rehearsals and all show performances, run sound and light boards during show. Provide any assistance cast may need.

7.    After each show, strike any necessary props/costumes from the set. You may find it helpful to set up the show for the following evening's performance at this time.

8.    After production week rehearsals and all show performances, reverse instructions in #4.