Company of Angels
Presents
BLACK WOMEN – STATE OF THE UNION
Kanye, LeBron, Will Smith and now the new American President encapsulate the ideal African-American male of 2009; but beyond a dependable Oprah identity, and an enigmatic First Lady, where does the collective black woman fit into the changing culture of her gender and race?
February 20 through March 15, 2009
Fridays & Saturdays @ 8pm/ Sundays @ 7pm
$20; $15 Student/Senior; $10 group of ten plus
(323) 883-1717
Company of Angels @ The Alexandria Hotel
501 S. Spring St., 3rd Floor
Downtown Los Angeles, CA 90013
This Company of Angels production includes plays by Sigrid Gilmer, Josslyn Luckett, Lisa B. Thompson & Nia Witherspoon; scenes by Michelle Flowers & Paul Mabon; poems by Ruth Forman; and video by Cauleen Smith. Directed by Ayanna Cahrr and Nataki Garrett. Dramaturgy by Ricardo A. Bracho. Producers: Ricardo A. Bracho, Tony Gatto & Lee Sherman. Ensemble: Kila Kitu, Lony’e Perrine, Lee Sherman, Tamika Simpkins & Paul Mabon.
BLACK WOMEN – State Of The Union is a theatrical ensemble work of new words and video, insight and comedy that examines those dramatic characteristics of contemporary black womanhood. Stops along this journey include a visit with an upper-middle class mom of the future exploring childcare options while coming face-to-face with the stereotypes of being black mother and wife; then we’ll downward dog with two women struggling for balance, solitude and one sincere "namaste" in a Westside yoga class; we’ll crusade on with an ‘all things are possible’ super heroine-in-training facing three doors and her choices between identity, liberty and destiny; a we also hit up a hip hop spot where a former Black Panther drinks away his politics and his “daughter become son” wrecks the mic and all pre-conceived notions of femininity and biology.
Buoyed by a talented ensemble and briskly directed by Nataki Garrett and Ayana Cahrr, the show is at its best when its political agenda gets leavened with incisive humor or sharply observed characterizations. These include Lisa B. Thompson's whimsical "Mother's Day," a satire of African-American, maternal archetypes in the form of pre-programmed, nanny-bot androids Tamika Simpkins, Lee Sherman and the comically gifted Kila Kitu, who play, respectively, an overly doting Aunt Jemima mammy, a Condoleezza Ricean hyper-achiever and a vintage, 1970s black power militant; Nia Witherspoon's "The Messiah Complex," which takes a more serious tack as a lesbian rap star (Lony'e Perrine) recalls her younger, gender-confused, adolescent self (Sherman) and how a troubled relationship with her estranged father (Paul Mabon) informed her sexual and artistic awakening; and Sigrid Gilmer's clever "Black Girl Rising," in which a wannabe super heroine (Simpkins) comes to Kitu's Identity League to be assigned crime-fighting powers only to discover the roles allowed a black girl are somewhat less than empowering. LA Weekly
ReplyDelete