NBTF Only Weeks Away
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A King, Turman Bring Love
Story to Festival
Yolanda King, the daughter of the late Martin Luther
King Jr., and Glynn Turman of the hit TV series "A Differ
ent World" will star in "Willie & Esther" at the 1993
National Black Theatre Festival. "Willie & Esther" is a
fast-paced, poignant love story with hilarious moments.
The play opens with two performances on Aug. 6 at 3 p.m.
and 8 p.m. and two performances on Aug. 7 at 3 p.m. and 8
p.m. The ticket price is $20.
Both King and Turman are members of D.S. Produc
tions, which performed in the 1991 festival in the heart- ?
wrenching production of "Tracks.**
Yolanda King and Glynn Turman will star in "WiUie & Esther" during a
production in the National Black Theatre Festival.
A The Life of Lorraine Hansberry Depicted
Elizabeth Van Dyke in " Love to
All, Lorraine >1
The Arena Stage at the North Carolina
School of the Arts will come alive with the
story o? renowned black playwright Lorraine
Hansberry in the moving play "Love to All,*
Lorraine."
The play is written and performed, by
Elizabeth Van Dyke. This production opens on
~~ Aug. 5 with two shows at 3 p.m. and 8 p.m.
and two performances on Aug. 6 at 3 p.m. and
8 p.m. Tickets are $15.
This one-woman play focuses on the emo
tional state of HansberTy during certain signifi
cant periods of her life. There are memories of
being raised in a family that refused racial
prejudice, learning African history from
W.E.B. Dubois, working for Paul Robeson,
marrying a man of Jewish heritage and strug- ,
gling to write during a losing battle with can
cer.
When Hansberry expressed her emotions
in writing, she displayed a brilliance that won
her national acclaim for productions like "A
Raisin in the Sun" and "The Sign in Sidney
Brustein's Window."
k Music, Dance, Drama Aplenty with "Cultural Odyssey"
? . ? : 1 ? . ? : . ? ? - - ?
The 1993 National Black The
atre Festival will showcase eight
exciting productions that will blend
music, dance, drama and experi
mental theatre during festival week,
Aug. 2-7. Cultural Odyssey, a Cali
fornia-based production company,
has combed the country to find
unique talent to present their pro
grams in the "New Performances in
Black Theatre Series'* that will
grace the stage of SECCA. Idris
Ackamoor of Cultural Odyssey
serves as the curator of this event
that promises to be an exciting addi
tion to the 1993 National Black
Theatre Festival.
This innovative addition to the
theatrical landscape of the festival
showcases eight different perfor
mances that will run from 10 to 15
minutes each. The program is
kicked off on Aug. 3 with a
cabaret/variety show entitled "Pot
pourri Noir: A Cabaret Evening."
The production of Aug. 4
blends the acting of Ntozake Shange
with the music of Idris Ackamoor in
their production of "The Love
Space Demands," which explores
the battle of love and passion
against the evils of drug addiction,
AIDS, child abuse and racism. This
-performance is followed by "The
Circle Unbroken is a Hard Bop,"
which is performed by Stephanie
Alston, Sekou Sundiata and Craig
Harris. This heart-wrenching story
deals with an exiled dancer and her
poet brother as they try to overcome
disillusionment.
Keith An tar Mason and the Hit
tite Empire take the stage on Aug. 5
in their vibrant production of
"Shango Walk through Fire."
Laurie Carlos and Robbie
I
" Tribes " and "The Hittite Empire " are two productions in the "New Per
formances in Black Theatre Series" during the festival , Aug. 2-7.
McCauley in "Persimmon Peel,"
appear in the Aug. 6 performance,
an analysis of patriotism through the
eyes of some African Americans.
TOe audience is then taken into the
world of African culture and roots
when Judith Alexa Jackson electri
fies the stage in 'Tribes."
A series of autobiographical
works on Aug. 7 examine the world
as seen through the eyes of
Rhodessa Jones in her production of
"The Blue Stories: Black Erotica
about Letting Go." The evening
explodes with rhythmic excitement
afterward when tap dancer Idris
Wayne Doha team up in "Shoe
horn."
This "New Performance in
Black Theatre Series" is a ground
breaking event for the National
Black Theatre Festival. Cultural
Odyssey hopes to make this series
an important aspect of the festival.
Cultural Odyssey annually pre
mieres at least two original works.
The company stages its work
Mbonda Afrika to Perform at SECCA
Mbonda Afrika will perform a
concert by the lake at the Southeast
ern Center for Contempofary Art
(SECCA) on Aug. 8. In case of rain,
the concert will be held in the
McChesney Scott Dunn Auditori
um.
The 10-member group bases its
music on Zairian songs and Lin gala
lyrics, adding American musical
ideas.
Attendees are encouraged to
pack a picnic and bring the kids for
an evening of rhythm and dance in
SECCA's natural beauty.
The concert begins at 6 p.m.,
and people are encouraged to come
early to enjoy the Putt-Modernism
exhibition.
Tickets are $5 for SECCA
members, students and senior
adults, $7 for the general public.
Mbonda Afrika will perform music from Zaire atSECCA on Aug. 8.
Children under 12 arc free. the Education Department at 725
For more information contact 1904.
throughout the country and around
the world. Idris Ackamoor says that
Cultural Odyssey "utilizes theatre to
cnhancc self-esteem of incarcerated
women and at-risk African-Ameri
can youth. Our organization pro
duces music, dance and theatre root
ed in the African-American tradi
tion."
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