Black Nativity Now - 2010 - Off-Broadway Articles Page 8

Penumbra Theatre Company, the nation's preeminent African American theatre, proudly announces the opening of Two Old Black Guys Just Sitting Around Talking, by Gus Edwards, directed by Lou Bellamy on Thursday, April 29, 2010. The production will run April 29 - May 23, 2010.

Hot on the heels of the Nashville premiere of Toni Morrison's The Bluest Eye, Amun Ra Theatre shows no sign of slowing down its pace this season as it prepares to tackle Samuel Beckett's absurdist classic Waiting For Godot, directed by guest artist Robert Kiefer and starring a virtual 'who's who' of ART Ensemble members. Waiting For Godot, the second show in ART's 2010 'The Future Is Now Season,' opens April 22 and runs through May 9 at the Amun Ra Theatre Playhouse, 2508 Clifton Avenue.

Diamond's play tells a story of a group of black girls known to Claudia MacTreer (played by ART regular Alicia Haymer in a starring role) in the fall of 1941, 'the year the marigolds didn't bloom.' Claudia comes to believe the marigolds didn't bloom because of the life and tragic events of her best friend, Pecola Breedlove (portrayed by Demetria Granberry, in her professional acting debut). Pecola, who is subjected to mocking because of both her dark skin and a suspected incestuous relationship with her father, spends her time longing for blue eyes, which to a dark-skinned black girl coming of age in a turbulent racial era, represent beauty and self-worth.

Diamond's play tells a story of a group of black girls known to Claudia MacTreer (played by ART regular Alicia Haymer in a starring role) in the fall of 1941, 'the year the marigolds didn't bloom.' Claudia comes to believe the marigolds didn't bloom because of the life and tragic events of her best friend, Pecola Breedlove (portrayed by Demetria Granberry, in her professional acting debut). Pecola, who is subjected to mocking because of both her dark skin and a suspected incestuous relationship with her father, spends her time longing for blue eyes, which to a dark-skinned black girl coming of age in a turbulent racial era, represent beauty and self-worth.

Diamond's play tells a story of a group of black girls known to Claudia MacTreer (played by ART regular Alicia Haymer in a starring role) in the fall of 1941, 'the year the marigolds didn't bloom.' Claudia comes to believe the marigolds didn't bloom because of the life and tragic events of her best friend, Pecola Breedlove (portrayed by Demetria Granberry, in her professional acting debut). Pecola, who is subjected to mocking because of both her dark skin and a suspected incestuous relationship with her father, spends her time longing for blue eyes, which to a dark-skinned black girl coming of age in a turbulent racial era, represent beauty and self-worth.

An African dance specialist, Jeffrey gave up a Hollywood choreography career to join the Nigeria-set musical.

'2009's theme, Step Into The Future, was very much about establishing a brand reputation for us,' explained ART's artistic director Jeff Obafemi Carr. 'We're confident now that when you come to an ART production, you have a unique experience from the front to the back door. We've taken into account the thousands of people who have seen our productions over the course of '09 and things they've responded to well - both artistic and aesthetic - and crafted a schedule of offerings we believe will continue to influence Nashville's cultural landscape in a profound way. We want the city to see that much of the future of great theater is happening right now, in North Nashville.'

One of the most unique entertainment venues in the area, combining fine dining with first-class live theatrical performances, the Way Off Broadway Dinner Theatre is ready to unveil its 2010 Season. After the success of its 15th Anniversary Season in 2009, with a line-up that included a regional theatre premiere production of the musical comedy The Wedding Singer, Andrew Lloyd Webber's mega-sensation Cats, and the area premiere of Mel Brook's The Producers, WOB is setting its sights on fun and laughs for the 2010 Season.

Bucking the trend toward more modest offerings, Shadow Theatre Company expands its programming and offers six shows for its 2009-10 season. Celebrating its one-year anniversary in its new state-of-the-art facility in the East End Arts District in Aurora, Shadow Artistic Director Jeffrey Nickelson notes, 'One group that is under-represented in American theatre is women-especially African American woman; which is why our upcoming season celebrates women and is entitled 'Celebrating Women, Mothers and Daughters.' Women's work, energy, thought, and spirit help build the world we live in today, and each scheduled show demonstrates the strength and beauty of womanhood.' Nickelson goes on, 'Funding for Shadow and all arts institutions have declined over the past year but we have faith that this exciting season will bring people out to the theatre. In tough times, we celebrate tough women-because their devotion to goodness and community is what will bring us through the current crisis.'