Theatre Department To Present Premiere Of Sold

As the United States begins marking the 150th anniversary of the Civil War, the Theatre Department of East Stroudsburg University is presenting the premiere of a drama that explores a topic that was a central issue in this conflict – slavery.

Sold is a fictionalized account an historical event: The Weeping Time – the largest sale of human beings in America, as it unfolds in 1857 in Savannah, Ga.

Director Stephanie Daventry French, chair of the theatre department and Ahleea Zama, a senior from Stroudsburg, Pa., majoring in theatre, adapted the play from Julius Lester’s award-winning novel, Day of Tears.

The drama tells the story of the auction where 436 people were sold through many viewpoints: the young and old slaves, the slave owner and his young daughters, and the auctioneer, but especially through the eyes of the 12-year-old slave girl Emma, who gives witness to the intelligence and humanity of the slaves in the face of this ugliest of events.

Curtain times for the drama are 7 p.m. Oct. 21-22 and 2 p.m. Oct. 23. All performances are at the Smith-McFarland Theatre of the university’s Fine and Performing Arts Center, Normaland Marguerite streets, East Stroudsburg.

Yoshinori Tanokura, assistant professor of theatre, designed the sets and costumes for the production. Robert McIntyre, a senior from Moscow, Pa., with a double major in theatre and in business management, designed the lighting for the play.

General admission is $12, $10 for senior citizens, faculty and staff with I.D., $5 for students, and $5 for youth. This production is suitable for ages 13 and above.

For more information or ticket reservations, please call the Fine and Performing Arts Events Line at 570-422-3483, and press option 4. All reservations will be held until ten minutes before curtain time.

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