;Js| . C . Black Repertory & White Repertory
'group in Charlotte collaborate on Fences
> 6y PATRICIA SMITH-DEERING
Community News Editor
' 1 The North Carolina Black
Repertory Company, a professional
:,:BIack theatre based in Winston
'"'Salem, and the Charlotte Repertory
Company, a professional white the
based in Charlotte, have formed
r>
for the Arts.
Mark Woods,
producer for
Fences and artistic director of the
Charlotte Repertory Company, sees
similar financial benefits in the col
laboration. "When we're all under
financial pressure, that's the first
thing we do . . . look for ways to bet
Woods said he feels the "walls of cul
tural provincialism" are being broken
down. "We have found friends among
people who were acquaintances,
broadening our horizons . . (and)
strengthening artistic relationships."
But, the experience goes beyond the
interaction of the two repertory com
panies, he said, adding, "It finds its
; Troy Maxon (Ed Barnard - far right) tells one of his outlandish tales to (l-r): Gabe (Donald Tay
i lor, Lyons (Lawrence Evans), Bono (Lavelle Ziegler), and wife, Rose (Joy Moss) in a scene
? from Fences.
lership to stage the first profes
production in North Carolina
Broadway hit drama, Fences,
by Pulitzer-prize winning Black play
wright, August Wilson.
"The two companies . . . had
planned on doing the production."
said Larry Leon Hamlin, artistic
director and founder of NCBRC, "We
were going to do it in March, they in
February." But, there were mutually
advantageous reasons for the two
companies to join forces and
resources. The benefit of co-produc
i*^ at least the pre-production, is that
we would have a larger pool of
money," he said. Given the massive
undertaking involved in staging the
production, that money has allowed
them to obtain the caliber of actors
jeguired. The production, under the
direction of Hamlin, was funded by
grants from the Winston-Salem Arts
Council and the National Endowment
ter use existing human and financial
resources," he explained. The key,
however, is timing. "If you can find
someone to do what you want to do
-when you want to do it, it's worth it to
break down whatever barriers exist,"
he added.
And just as the theme of the
play, Fences , revolves around fences
that not only keep people out but also
keep people in, the two companies
have dealt effectively with the artistic
fences that tend to separate theatrical
companies. Since the partnership
between NCBRC and the Charlotte
Repertory Company is the first of its
kind in the state, it is symbolic,
according to Hamlin. "It shows that a
Black organization and a white orga
nization can work together," he said,
adding, "It is a signal to the commu
nity that racial harmony can exist if
they want it."
Echoing Hamlin's sentiment,
The coming of Spring
; On Mar. 20 at 22:02 EST, the
{ sun crosses the celestial equator and
; spring begins in the Northern Hemi
J sphere. The equinoxes, the two points
j on the celestial sphere at which the
; ecliptic intersects the celestial equa
t tpr^are the two points where the Sun
j in its apparent annual motion crosses
; the equator, the Sun crosses from
} soi^h to north of the equator at the
J Mdyt\amicaT equinox" (the ascending
Lflpije of the earth's mean orbit on the
;jaurjh's equatorial plane), originally
"bailed the vernal equinox. At present
point lies in the constellation of
^if$cs. The equinoxes are not fixcu in
position but are moving west
ward around the ecliptic as a result of
procession of the Earth's axis; the
advance is about 50 seconds of arc
per year.
Oh the same evening, Mar. 20,
we can observe the last Pleiades
ocCultation by the moon ontil the
year 2005. This should be a beautiful
-? event on or near the east coast. Even
wh'$re the sky is bright* users with
telescopes should be able to see the
' brightest stars.
Four planets will also be observ
~atfTe on this evening. From east to
west, you can see Jupiter, Mars,
Venus, and, Mercury. Mercury is in
line with the moon, Venus, and the
Sijft Do not try to find Mercury
the Sun is above the horizon unless
you use a filter. The Sun sets at 6:32
pjn. and Mercury will be 15 degrees
ab<3ve the horizon and 15 degrees
belpw Venus, To find Mercury, move
your binoculars slowly from Venus
down towards the Sun set point. Mer
cuty will pop into view midway to
the horizon. Obse&Trom a location
that has a horizon clear of buildings.
Jupiter will be high in the eastern sky,
and Mars is just west of the zenith
point and east of the moon.
The occultation of Pleiades by
the moon will begin early in the
evejung with the Sun still 12 degrees ~
above the horizon, so the stars will
not be seen with the naked eye. The
modn will be entering its first quarter
and will be easily seen. Using binoc
ulars, start looking about 5:15 pjn.
moving east from the dark limb of the
? moon. You may be able to see the
brighter star, Alcyone, at that time.
The Pleiades are the clear cluster that
most people- not weil acquainted with
the sky mistakenly think of as The lit
tle Dipper. The Little Dipper is in the
northern sky and the North Star, or
Polaris, is the last star in its nandle.
The moon will make first con
tact with the Pleiades about 5:30
when it moves across the star Electra,
the first star in its path at our latitude.
Thereafter, it will cross the stars
Merope, Alcyone, Atlas, and Pleione
at 6:10, 6:50, 7:42, and 7:47 in that
order. Each star will reappear about
an hour after it is occulted, with
Pleione reappearing about 8:10 p.m.
If you are using a telescope,
sight on the moon's dark limb and
keep just a little ahead of its eastward
movement. The eyes should be
relaxed, and it would help if you are
ness overcomes the evening, you will
be able to see more if you use binoc
ulars because they will give a wider
field of view than the telescope. With
the naked eye you can see about
seven stars in the cluster, but even
with 7 -power binoculars many more
can be seen, and after dark you can
see the blue nebula (interstellar gas)
tjiat the stars were bom iff.
way into the community."
Hamlin described Fences as
"one of the finest plays I have ever
read, dealing with a Black family."
August Wilson's play, which won the
Pulitzer Prize for Drama, illuminates
the story of four generations of Black
Americans and how they have passed
on a legacy of morals, mores, atti
tudes, and patterns through stories
with and without music.
JFences is the story of Troy
Maxon, bom to a sharecropper father
who was frustrated by the fact that
every crop took him further into debt.
The father knew himself as a failure
and took it out on everyone at hand,
including his son, Troy, and his
wives, all of whom "leave him." Troy
learns violence from him, but he also
learns the value of work and the fact
that a man takes responsibility for his
family no matter how difficult cir
cumstances may be. Troy was an
excellent baseball player in the old
Negro League but was denied the
opportunity to play in the majors
because of racism. He passes on to
his extended family principles for liv
ing, which members of his family
accept or refute through the manner
in whicfa they choose to live their
own lives.
framlin feels the play is impor
tant in its focus on the Black family
and relationships within the family,
something he believes the Black
community needs to focus on. He
said the play shows how some things
that are said and done can help and
some can hurt. "We learn through this
powerful production that fences are
not only built to keep harm and peo
ple out but also to keep people in."
Fences is expected to be a sell
Troy Maxon, central character in August Wilson's Fences,
shares rare, tender moment with wife, Rose.
out production in Winston-Salem just
as it was when the play ran in Char
lotte Feb. 15 through Mar. 9. Opening
night in the Twin City, Mar. 15, is
already sold out with performances
through Mar. 31. The first night is
also being used as a fundraiser for the
Children's Loft, something organiza
tions frequently do with the NCBRC,
according to Hamlin. "They've
helped us in the past by supporting
us," he said, 'This is one way we
have of giving something back." St.
Stephen's Episcopal Church is spon
soring performances on Mar. t6 at 8
p.m. and Mar. 17 at 3 p.m. for the
church's fundraising efforts. The Citi
zen's Coalition for a Better Tomorrow
will sponsor the Mar. 22 perfor
mance.
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