Theatre Department to Present For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow is Enuf, April 19-24

Presenting the Obie Award winning drama For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow is Enuf is both a celebration and challenge for East Stroudsburg University’s theatre department. The play is set to debut at ESU from April 19-24.

“As a department, we’re excited to celebrate the diversity on campus by having our actresses of color take on the challenges of the play,” Margaret Ball, D.M.A., professor and chair of theatre, said.

Written by Ntozake Shange, the play combines poetry, music and dance into a lyrical “choreopoem” that weaves interconnected stories of love, empowerment, struggle and loss into a complex representation of sisterhood.

“For Colored Girls…is an odyssey of what it is to be a young, woman of color in a world that can be racist, discouraging and abusive and, at the same time, beautiful, enlightening and self-actualizing,”  Susan, P. O’Hearn, professor of theatre and the director of the play, said. “The poetry reads like music and the voices are real, definitive and truthful.”

One of the cast members, Destiny DeShawn Washington, a junior from Philadelphia majoring in musical theatre, described the piece as a huge learning experience where embodying the character is not just about the words— it includes movement and action.

“These stories come from real women,” said Angelica Ramirez, a freshman from Effort, Pa. majoring in musical theatre. “ Professor O’Hearn helped us to go below the surface to crack the depths of the script and find the hidden meanings.”

“As performers, we get to bond in two different ways—as women and as women of color,” noted Ayuana Rosario, a sophomore from Reading, Pa. who is majoring in musical theatre. “I didn’t realize this until Professor O’Hearn brought it to our attention. This is our gift, our badge of honor, and why I’m proud to be part of the production.”

Other members of the production team of For Colored Girls… include scenic designer Yoshinori Tanokura, associate professor of theatre, and guest artist lighting designer Bruce Abbott.

Curtain times for the production are 8 p.m. April 19-23 and 2 p.m. April 24.  All performances are in the Smith-McFarland Theatre of the university’s Fine and Performing Arts Center, Normal and Marguerite streets, East Stroudsburg. This play is recommended for mature audiences only.

On Wednesday, April 20, there will be a pre-show reception from 7 to 7:45 p.m. in the Madelon Powers Gallery of the Fine and Performing Arts Center and a post-show discussion of the play facilitated by Sharon Brown, coordinator of the ESU Women’s Center.

General admission for the production is $12; $10 for senior citizens, faculty & staff with ID; $7 for students with ID; and $5 for youth. This play is recommended for age 10 and above.

Tickets may be purchased in advance online with a credit card at esu.edu/theatretickets. Remaining seats will be available at the box office beginning one hour before the performance. Only cash and checks are accepted at the box office.

For box office reservations or more information about the production, please email esuarts@esu.edu or call 570-422-3483, x.4.

One Response to “Theatre Department to Present For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow is Enuf, April 19-24”

---

Search

Recent Posts