2023/2024 Theatre Season
Ghosts
April 25-28, 2024
Written by Henrik Ibsen, Adapted by Richard Eyre
Directed by Willie O. Jordan
Though written in 1881, Henrik Ibsen’s domestic tragedy is still urgent, timely and relevant today. The play asks each of us to confront some very poignant questions: How does the past influence the present? How does society invade our personal lives? What do we do with the lies, deceit, and hypocrisy? Can we free ourselves from dead ideas, dead customs, and dead morals as we face our Ghosts?
Chicken & Biscuits
February 29 - March 10, 2024
Written by Douglas Lyons
Directed by Daniel Carter
Chicken & Biscuits is a raucous family comedy so full of laughter and love, it’ll leave you begging for seconds. The Jenkins family is coming together to celebrate the life of the family patriarch—hopefully without killing each other! But any hopes for a peaceful reunion unravel when a shocking family secret shows up at the funeral. A feel-good comedy that will feed your soul.
Pipeline
November 10-12, 2023
Written by Dominique Morisseau
Directed by Willie O. Jordan
A mother’s choices. A son’s rage. A rigged education system. In PIPELINE’s opening scene we meet Nya, a dedicated teacher in an inner-city public high school, who has just discovered that her son’s in trouble. After one impulsive act, Omari is in danger of being expelled from his upstate private school, and Nya’s hopes for his bright future are threatened. With language lyrical and potent, Morisseau’s deeply compassionate and dynamic award-winning play dives into the painful truth of “the school-to-prison pipeline.”
Shakin' The Mess Outta Misery
September 28 - October 1, 2023
Written by Shay Youngblood
Directed by Rashida Forman-Bey
Adapted from the Shay Youngblood's book, THE BIG MAMA STORIES, SHAKIN' THE MESS OUTTA MISERY is the inspirational, semi-autobiographical story of a young black girl's coming of age in the 1960s South. "Daughter," the main character and 25-year-old narrator, lost her mother when she was very young and a community of women raised her, some blood related, some not. As she remembers how her 'Big Mamas' prepared her for womanhood, the women enter to tell their stories and "Daughter" becomes a child again, reliving her vivid memories of growing up--recalling the rituals, the faith healings, and the stories she was told and the lessons she learned about survival, healing, sisterhood, family, and faith. Youngblood's play confirms the African proverb—"It takes a village to raise a child."