Red Harlem at Company of Angels

Based on true events when the Communist Party courted African Americans in 1932 by championing their civil rights and opposing racist injustices, four Harlemites fleeing racial injustice and the economic fallout of the great depression, win roles in a blockbuster film financed by Joseph Stalin. Once in the Soviet Union, they pursue the dreams denied them in the US, but when they discover the country is hiding a devastating secret, they’ll be forced to escape it with their lives. Company of Angels presents the premiere of Red Harlem, written by playwright Kimba Henderson. Directed by Bernadette Speakes, Red Harlem opens February 14 at Boyle Heights’ Company of Angels, with performances continuing through March 15. One low-priced preview takes place on February 13 at 8 p.m.

Red Harlem takes place during the historic time in history when the Communist Party’s campaign attracted thousands of new Black members during the great depression, presenting itself as a more radical alternative to organizations like the NAACP. For many African Americans facing extreme discrimination during the Great Depression, the Communist Party’s outspoken solidarity was a powerful draw.

Henderson’s latest play reflects her skill for telling complex multi-character drama with humanity and humor to boot. RED HARLEM, developed with the Company of Angels’ professional playwriting group, highlights the true story of the Communist Party’s recruitment efforts in the 1930s by casting a propagandist film with Black performers from Harlem that was written by Langston Hughes and shot in the Soviet Union. The intersectionality of race, class, nationality, and politics are seamlessly woven into a fascinating tapestry that depicts a virtually unknown bit of history.

Henderson reflects on her writing life during the pandemic. Despite all the madness of COVID and amidst the murder of George Floyd, she used the forced quarantine to hunker down and generate. She says “Crazy doesn’t shut me down. Crazy makes me curious”.

According to Henderson, “After one of my play performances, I was approached by an elderly gentleman in the audience who said it was imperative he speak with me. One never knows how such an interaction will go, but after he casually mentioned he used to be the manager for Sly & the Family Stone, I was all in. “Did you know in 1932, the Communist Party was courting African Americans, so the Party’s Black US Vice Presidential candidate convinced Joseph Stalin to bring a group of Harlemites to the Soviet Union to make a propaganda film written by Langston Hughes?,” he asked. After all that swirled around my head, the obvious answer was, “No,” but I was deeply intrigued. I found glimpses of this event in literature about Hughes, the V.P. candidate, Ford, the Communist Party, 1930s filmmaking, and the African American presence in Russia. As a lover of historical fiction, there was just enough information about this event that I knew it had happened, but not so much that it was too well known. I have long had a fascination with Harlem and its inhabitants, having spent some time there. Pulling all of the pieces together with Harlem’s spirit as the driving emotional force has made writing Red Harlem a one-of-a-kind labor of love.”

The Red Harlem cast includes Christopher Cassarino (Deckhand, Othello) as David; Dennis Gersten (Lear Redux, Henry IV) plays Hugh Cooper; Micah Johnson as James Ford and Ralph Bunche; Dylan Jones (4.48 Psychosis, Three Sisters) is Velma; Luis Kelly-Duarte (Twelfth Night, As You Like it) plays Shifty; Rama Orleans-Lindsay (MAS-CO-GOS, U/S Ghost Waltz) is Lenore; Claudio Parrone Jr. (The Odyssey, Cabaret) plays Misha; Fana Minea Tesfagiorgis (Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, My Fair Lady) plays Selena  (understudy is Rune ValBlaine); and Ahkei Togun (The Serpent, Picnic, Kill Move Paradise) plays Will.

The creative team includes set and light designer Justin Huen; projection designer Emmanuel Munda; sound designer Jose Medrano Velazquez; costume designer Mylette Nora; and prop master Dana Schwartz. The production stage manager is Kallisto Teng. Dramaturg is Jennie Webb; Choreographer is Kenya Clay; Artwork Designer Ana Lucia Tucci; and Intimacy Coordinator is Joy DeMichelle. Produced by Armando Molina, Lui Sanchez, and Nakasha Norwood from Company of Angels.

Kimba Henderson, Red Harlem playwright, was born in Detroit into a Navy family and raised in San Diego. She was fascinated by crime at a young age, constantly overhearing her court reporter mom dictate cases in the home. Regaled by these tales of “The Young & The About To Be Incarcerated,” Kimba’s love of storytelling was born. After graduating from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts, Kimba moved to Los Angeles where she began her writing career penning docuseries and true crime shows. She loves telling stories about people in unexpected places doing unexpected things whether on TV, stage, or the big screen. As of 2023, she is a TV Drama fellow in Fox Entertainment’s Writers Incubator Program, was selected for The Black List x Women in Film Residency, and her play RISE about the multi-cultural neighborhood of Boyle Heights was produced at Company of Angels in the Fall.