Trinity Rep Concludes Season With BLUES FOR AN ALABAMA SKY

Trinity Repertory Company will present Blues for an Alabama Sky by Pearl Cleage, directed by resident company member Jackie Davis, from May 29 – June 29, 2025. 

“Americans are still living with how the intersection of race and gender influences Black women and their acceptance in so many places in our culture,” The Laura H. Harris Artistic Director Curt Columbus said. “I don't need to remind you that we only have to look at the last presidential election to see how this confluence influenced the outcome. Cleage's play, however, focuses on the importance of struggle and on the future, and in this way, it is more necessary, more urgent than ever. Her words encourage us to continue to dream and live in hope.” 

It's 1930 in New York City, and Harlem is sizzling. The summer heat and sultry jazz records set the backdrop as the explosive creativity of the Harlem Renaissance bleeds into the struggle of the Great Depression. And in one small apartment complex, four friends' lives change forever upon the arrival of a mysterious stranger from Alabama... Named a "can't miss" show by The Boston Globe, this intimate drama questions where the personal ends and the political begins, probes the intersection of life and art, and asks how we find meaning and direction in the most tumultuous of times.  

“Blues for an Alabama Sky feels like an old Hollywood film to me,” director Jackie Davis said. “It has intrigue, danger, hopes, and dreams.  It's also a treat for the eyes with fabulous costumes, and for the ears with beautiful period music. It is like a slow, sexy, and dangerous jazz melody.” 

THE CREATIVE TEAM AND CAST 

Jackie Davis is an actor, director, choreographer, and intimacy coordinator based in Providence. A resident company member since 2022, she has appeared in recent Trinity Rep productions of POTUS..., August Wilson's Fences, The Inheritance, The Inferior Sex, and A Christmas Carol, among others. As an intimacy coordinator, she worked on Trinity Rep's productions of La Tempestad — The Tempest, Ms. Holmes & Ms. Watson, La Cage aux Folles, and The Inheritance.  Previous directing credits include Notes from the Field (Portland Playhouse), The Motherf*cker with the Hat, Red Velvet (Burbage Theatre Co.), Antigonx (Wilbury Theatre Group), Race (Wellfleet Harbor Actors Theater), For Colored Girls… (Mixed Magic Theatre), and Songs of a Caged Bird, (Rites and Reason Theatre). 

Jackie will work with resident scenic designer Michael McGarty, Costume Designer Amber Voner, lighting designer Erica Lauren Maholmes, sound designer Larry D. Fowler, Jr., fight choreographer Mark Rose, intimacy choreographer Dr. Ayshia Mackie-Stephenson, vocal and dialect coach Rebecca Gibel, and dramaturg Allison Jones. 

The cast features Brown/Trinity Rep alum Cloteal L. Horne as the blues singer Angel, resident company member Taavon Gamble as Costume Designer Guy, new guest artist Meagan Dilworth as social worker Delia, returning guest artist Dereks Thomas as the doctor Sam, and Brown/Trinity Rep MFA in Acting student Quinn West as the Alabama migrant Leland. 

SPECIAL EVENTS 

On Friday, June 20 at 7:30 pm, Trinity Rep will host its second annual Black Out Night performance. The Black Out performance invites Black-identifying audience members to join together in community to celebrate and enjoy the production of Blues for an Alabama Sky. To purchase tickets, click here and use the code BLKOUT25. For further inquiries, please contact Monique Austin, director of people and culture, at maustin@trinityrep.com 

Continuing Trinity Rep's tradition of offering affordable tickets for all, the theater will hold a Pay What You Wish performance of Blues for an Alabama Sky on Thursday, May 29, 2025, at 7:30 pm. Pay What You Wish tickets go on sale at 2:00 pm the day of the performance and are limited to two per person. 

Returning this season are Neighborhood Nights, where Rhode Island residents can access a 20% discount on Sunday evening performances, based on where they live. Providence County residents are eligible for a Neighborhood Night discount for every Sunday evening performance. The Neighborhood Night performances for Kent County, Washington County, and Bristol & Newport County residents are on June 8, 15, and 22, respectively. Guests may claim this discount by entering their county name in all capital letters at checkout (i.e., PROVIDENCE).  

The Sensory Friendly performance of Blues for an Alabama Sky, designed to meet the needs of guests with sensitivities to light and sound, will be held on Wednesday, June 18 at 7:30 pm. All performances in the final week of the run (June 25 – 29) are Open-Captioned. To learn more, visit trinityrep.com/accessibility.