* Black Rep Photos
Marylynn Melissa Gwatiringa and Sharisa Whatley.
Marylynn Melissa Gwatiringa
plays one of her many characters.
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The Black Rep, the St. Louis-based theater com
pany, is known for finding and nurturing great talent,
staging unforgettable productions and leaving the
atergoers in utter awe and amazement.
That well-earned reputation was first established
in 1 976 when visionary Ron Himes founded The Black
Rep while he was still a student at Washington 1
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professional black theater company and
one of the most successful - entertain
mg more tnan ou.uuu eacn year.
The Black Rep has brought numer
ous productions to the National /
Black Theatre Festival over the
years. This year, festival-goers will
be treated to the company's criti
cally-acclaimed production of "In
the Continuum, a powerful two
woman play written by Nikkole \
Salter and DanaiGurira. \
"In the Continuum" tells the sto
ries of Nia, a teenaged African
American girl, and Abigail Murambe, a V
pregnant, professional woman in ^
Zimbabwe. Thouqh miles and an ocean
apart, the play follows both characters as they
learn that tne men in their lives have infected them
with HIV.
When the play debuted off-Broadway in 2005,
with writers Salter and Gurira playing the roles of the
two women, it was hailed for its power and poignan
cy. The New York Times named it one of its 1 0 best
plays of the year.
The Black Rep's production of "In the Continuum"
played to packed houses earlier this year and earned
kudos for director Lorna Littleway and actresses
Sharisa Whatley and Marylynn Melissa Gwatirinaa.
The role of Nia is played by Whatley. an Atlanta
based actress who is making her second appearance
in a Black Rep show. Whatfey first worked with the
/ Aug. 6 \
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Aug. 7 at 3 p.m.
Aug. Bat 3 SB p.m.
at UNCSA The Thrust
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company in "Godspell." Whatley has performed with
theater companies from Holland to South Africa, but
her home base is Atlanta^ Freddie Hendricks Youth
Ensemble, where she has appeared in productions
such as "Class of 3000 Live, "In The Red and Brown
Water" and "The Stinky Cheese Man."
A native of Harare, the capital of Zimbabwe,
Gwatirinaa nlavs Ahinail ?hp mn\/prl tn thp
United States just five years ago and so far
has spent much of her time in this country
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theater degree from Missouri Valley
l College; she is now working toward her
\ MFA at Lindenwood University (in St.
Charles, Mo.). "In the Continuum" is
Gwatiringa's first show with The
Black Rep. She already has many chil
dren's theater credits under her belt
with Minnesota's Climb Theatre.
/ Director Littleway is a favorite of
The Black Rep. She steered the compa
ny's staging of August Wilson's "Radio
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The Black Rep's productions of
"Ceremonies in Dark Old Men," "Shakin the
A.
u:
Mess uuiia Misery, i uuitars, Home,
"Kingdom Come" and "Robert Johnson Trick the
Devil." Littleway is also an educator. She designed
the African American Theatre minor degree program
at the University of Louisville, and she was Artistic
Director of Minority Theatre Workshop at Iowa State
University-Ames.
The snow's costume designer is Linda Kennedy;
Jim Burwinkel is the lighting designer, while Brian
Purlee is in charge of scenic design. The sound
designer is Ashley Turner; Patti Walfey is the stage
manager; Himes, in addition to being Tne Black Ref?s
founder, is the company's producing director; and
Rudy Nickens is The Black Rep's executive director.
- The Chronicle