Synchronicity Theatre to Stage Regional Debut of Danai Gurira's ECLIPSED
By: BWW News Desk Apr. 25, 2017
Performances will run June 2, 2017 to June 25, 2017. For tickets or more information, visit synchrotheatre.com or call 404-484-8636.
Amid the chaos of the Liberian Civil War, the captive wives of a rebel officer band together to form a fragile community - until the balance of their lives is upset by the arrival of a new girl. Drawing on reserves of wit and compassion, Eclipsed reveals distinct women who must discover their own means of survival in a hostile world of horrors not of their own making.
Eclipsed deals with a subject matter little seen in contemporary theatre - "the brutality and dehumanization that seem to be endemic to African conflicts, and how women and girls are usually the first and most horrifically abused victims of such warfare." While it deals with difficult themes, "Eclipsed has moments of warmth and even humor, as the women try to buoy one another's spirits and maintain some modicum of civilization." (New York Times)
Danai Gurira, a prolific playwright, is best known for playing the sword-wielding Michonne in television's The Walking Dead. Gurira's inspiration for the play was a photo of Black Diamond, a female Liberian freedom fighter, in a New York Times article. The image prompted curiosity about Liberia's fourteen-year civil war. Gurira flew to Liberia in 2007 and interviewed more than 30 women who had been raped, and whose daughters had been taken by rebel fighters and turned into sex slaves. She also spoke to female peace activists who were instrumental in ending the violence.
Nominated for six Tony awards including "Best Play," Eclipsed has been called "(m)iraculous and savagely funny" (Deadline), "rare and powerful" (The New York Times), and "(a) moving, must-see production!" (New York Magazine). It was the first play to premiere on Broadway with an all-black, female creative team and cast.
Synchronicity's production stars Asha Duniani as The Girl, Charity Jordan as Bessie, Shayla Love as Helena, Parris Sarter as Rita, and Isake Akanke as Maima.
The play is directed by Atlanta-based actress Tinashe Kajese, who is making her professional directorial debut with this production. Tinashe Kajese and Danai Gurira have been friends since childhood, and both come from families of Zimbabwean descent.
Show times for Eclipsed are Wednesday - Saturday at 8 p.m. and Sunday at 5 p.m. All performances will be at Synchronicity Theatre in Midtown Atlanta's Peachtree Pointe complex. Single ticket prices range from $23 to $45 and are available online at synchrotheatre.com.
The community partner on this production is The Liberian Consulate of Georgia.
Audiences attending the show can receive 10% off their final bill by showing their ticket stubs at Tavernpointe, across the lobby from the theatre.
IF YOU GO:
Eclipsed
By Danai Gurira
Directed by Tinashe Kajese
June 2 - June 25, 2017
At Synchronicity Theatre, One Peachtree Pointe Complex, 1545 Peachtree Street NE, Atlanta, GA 30309
Show Times: Wednesday - Saturday at 8 p.m.; Sunday at 5 p.m.
Special Performances:
· A Preview Performance will be Thursday, June 1 at 8 p.m.
· Each Wednesday is "Pay-What-You-Can Night." Doors open at 8 p.m.
· On Sunday, June 11, after the 5 p.m. performance, patrons can get the "Inside Scoop" on the production, and enjoy complimentary ice cream sundaes and a Q&A with the artists.
CAST:
Asha Duniani The Girl
Charity Jordan Bessie
Shayla Love Helena
Parris Sarter Rita
Isake Akanke Maima
Single ticket prices range from $23 to $45 and are available online at synchrotheatre.com.
Danai Gurira's historic Eclipsed, is the first play to premiere on Broadway with an all-black, female creative team and cast. Caught in the grips of civil war, five Liberian women struggle to negotiate power, protection and peace in this stunning tale of hope and resilience. Nominated for six Tony awards including "Best Play."
Synchronicity Theatre, led by Producing Artistic Director Rachel May and Managing Director & Artistic Associate Lee Nowell, produces smart, gutsy, high quality theatre that sparks community connections and uplifts the voices of women and girls. Synchronicity supports women artists, forges long-term and effective community partnerships and develops new work. Synchronicity was founded in 1997 by four women with a desire to work collaboratively and bring challenging, meaningful theatre to Atlanta audiences. We now reach nearly 8,000 patrons through our season of plays for adults (Bold Voices) and families (Family Series); community outreach; and educational programming, including our Playmaking for Kids (PFK) summer camps and after school programs and our award-winning Playmaking for Girls (PFG) program. Our intimate theatre in the heart of midtown at Peachtree Pointe became our home in the summer of 2014.
Danai Gurira is an award-winning playwright and actress. As a playwright, her works include Broadway's Eclipsed (NAACP Award; Helen Hayes Award: Best New Play; Connecticut Critics Circle Award: Outstanding Production of a Play), In the Continuum (OBIE Award, Outer Critics Award, Helen Hayes Award), and The Convert (six Ovation Awards, Los Angeles Outer Critics Award). Danai's newest play Familiar received its world premiere at Yale Rep in 2015 and premiered in New York at Playwrights Horizons in February 2016. She is a recipient of the Whiting Award, a Hodder Fellow, and has been commissioned by Yale Rep, Center Theatre Group, Playwrights Horizons, and the Royal Court. She is currently developing a pilot for HBO. As an actor, she has appeared in the films The Visitor, Mother of George, she also played Isabella in NYSF's Measure for Measure (Equity Callaway Award). She currently plays Michonne on AMC's The Walking Dead. She holds an MFA from Tisch, NYU. She was born in the US to Zimbabwean parents and raised in Zimbabwe. She is the co-founder of Almasi Arts, which works to give access and opportunity to the African Dramatic Artist.
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