UHURU to Make World Premiere at Alley Theatre
Director Shariffa Ali helms the cast led by Michael Oloyede and Skyler Sinclair in this darkly comic drama about freedom and belonging.
Tony Award-winning Alley Theatre and Artistic Director Rob Melrose have announced the cast and creative team of Gloria Majule's Uhuru. Directed by Shariffa Ali, this world premiere satire will examine identity and access as four hikers climb Mt. Kilimanjaro. Uhuru was developed through the Alley All New initiative with a reading in the 2024 Alley All New Festival.
Melrose shared, 'The Alley has long been a place for new plays and playwrights. Few theatres can boast having had a playwright as celebrated as Edward Albee as their playwright-in-residence. Well, now the Alley is excited to introduce you to yet another wonderful playwright, Gloria Majule, for the world premiere of Uhuru! Gloria has a huge heart, a delightful sense of character, and a wickedly satirical wit-and she wrote this play while she was climbing Mount Kilimanjaro! I'm so proud to be producing this marvelous and funny play, by a writer you will hear about for decades to come.'
Majule mused, 'I wrote Uhuru because I was fascinated by Kilimanjaro and the significance it had for Tanzanians, versus for people in the outside world. I was excited about creating a world that took place on the mountain and exploring these different views and perspectives. I wanted to explore what freedom meant in a post-colonial Tanzania, and what mindsets and barriers limit this freedom. I hope audiences come join us for a darkly comic hike that asks us to examine what it means to live in a world where independence did not automatically mean freedom.'
The cast includes Oghenero Gbaje as Sprite, David Gow as Henry, Michael Oloyede (Broadway's Jaja's African Hair Braiding) as Mshale and Skyler Sinclair (Lend Me a Soprano, Agatha Christie's The Murder of Roger Ackroyd).
The creative team includes Scenic Designer You-Shin Chen, Costume Designer Celeste Jennings, Lighting Designer Carolina Ortiz Herrera, Sound Designer Kathy Ruvuna, Projection Designer Lacey Erb, Fight Director & Intimacy Specialist Adam Noble, Stage Manager Trinity A. Nobles, and Assistant Stage Manager Ethan Mitchell.
An unlikely group takes on a 'Tanzanian-only' ascent of Mount Kilimanjaro in this sharp satire. The dramedy follows a Tanzanian-American tourist, two missionaries, and their guide as they make their way toward the 'Roof of Africa.' They must confront questions of access, identity, and who deserves a place on the mountain.
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