Terry McMillan novel conies to the stage
CHRONICLE STAFF REPORT
The Unity Theatre Ensemble of St.
Louis is planning to wow audiences here
with its adaptation of Terry McMillan's
novel "Mama."' just as it has wowed home
town crowds and crit
McMillan
ics.
According to Ralph
E. Greene, artistic
director of the ensem
ble. "The production
attempts to bring to life
before the audience
and in the minds of the
audience some ?f the
exciting literary values
of Miss McMillan's
work which have made
this novel so popular among her numerous
fans."
Among those values, he continued, are
"her ability to create believably rich charac
ters filled with powerful and compelling rea
sons to survive, to experience life with
gusto, to overcome adversity within a frame
work that offers no apologies; her keen
power of observation of people and their
, i "ft 1 v
/ ttu*o courtesy of the I'niiy Theatre Ensemble
Actors on stage in the ploy "Mama." The play is based on the Terry McMillan book.
motivations; and her ability to capture the
rhythms of everyday speech with accuracy."
The play will be brought to life using
devices from traditional theater and reader's
theater.
Greene, who directs the play, said bring
ing books to life for the stage is an experi
ment that has worked well.
"I see that bringing literature from the
page to the stage is a way of extending the
possibilities of black theater. Miss McMil
lan's work makes the job easy because of her
ability to develop such interesting charac
ters."
"Mama" is a story of survival against
tremendous odds, of joblessness, htnger,
and-the care of five growing children by a
single mother. Greene said:
"It's a story about a black mother's
choices and the consequences of those
choices made in order to keep her family
together...about women and men... about
accepting responsibility, dealing with what
is and moving forward," Greene said.
Profile: Larry
Leon Hamlin,
NBTF producer,
artistic director
SPECIAL R) I HI CIIRONll'U-.
Larry Leon Hamlin is a native of Rei
dsville. where he attended Booker T.
Washington High School. Hamlin is
nationally and internationally known for
his profound contributions to black the
ater in America.
He received two personal invitations
from former President Bill Clinton to visit
the White House to attend tHe National
Medal of Arts and the Charles Frankel
Prize Awards ceremonies.
Hamlin is the founder, producer and
artistic director of the National Black
Theatre Festival, one of the most historic
and culturally significant events not only
in the history of black theater but Ameri
can theater in
Ham/in
general. He is
also the
founder, execu
tive and artistic
director for the
N.C. Black
Repertory
Company, the
first profession
al black theater
in North Car
olina. Undjtr
Hamlin's difde
ih^ N C
Black Repertory Company has been rec
ognized for its superior artistic excellence
as the company has toured across Ameri
ca and abroad.
Currently at the helm of the World
Black Theatre Movement, Hamlin is
engaged in a daring effort to connect
black theaters globally. It is his goal that
such an effort will strengthen the black
theaters of the world and allow them to
speak with one voice, securing global
goals and objectives.
Hamlin has lectured on black theater -
at such prestigious institutions as Yale
University School of Drama. University
of Connecticut, New York University
Brown University, Winston-Salem State
University. University of Louisville. N.C
A&T State University, Livingstone Col
lege, and Virginia Tech University.
Hamlin received his theater training at
Brown University under the direction of
the late George Houston Bass as a mem
ber of Rites and Reason Theatre Compa
ny. Hamlin received his business educa
tion at Johnson & Wales University.
Hamlin is also a professional actor
director and playwright. His acting expe
rience includes stage, film and television
He has written four full-length plays, two
<nfq<dramas and directed more than 201'
productions.
Production features emerging hip-hop artists
PV*n owrtevy <rf Culltiral (Mywv
Aya De Leon will perform "Thieves in the Tern ,te>: The Reclaim
ing of Hip- Hop."
? - ?
SPECIAL TO rtffi CHRONICLE
"First Contact" features
young, emerging artists in hip
hop theater, spoken word and
new performances.
The production will present
young artists in novel ways,
maximizing their exposure to
festival audiences.
Aya De Leon will present
her new piece, "Thieves in the
Temple: The Reclaiming of
Hip- Hop." In this one-woman
hip-hop theater show. De Leon
explores a variety of charac
. ters, including a white gangster
rap fanatic from
America s neartianr.
and a sex obje< I
emcee on the verge
of a nervous break
down. At the center,
however, is her per
sonal journey from
wide-eyed teenage
hip-hop fan to grown
woman poet and
occasional emcee.
Idris Ackamoor and Kamau
"Pitch Black" Bakari will pres
ent "The OG and the B Boy."
The performance is a hip-hop
musical that explores intergen
erational conflicts, misunder
standings, resolution, belief
systems and dialogues between
an OG (original gangster) and
a B-Boy (young hip-hop
artist).
Spoken word, tap dance,
yd// and theater are utilized to
tell the story.
Odyssey of San
Francisco is presenting "First
Contact."
m?m