BLUES FOR AN ALABAMA SKY to Have Canadian Premiere at the Shaw Festival

Associate Artistic Director Kimberley Rampersad directs the Canadian debut of Blues for an Alabama Sky, Pearl Cleage’s lyrical play of friends surviving – and daring to dream – in the wake of the Harlem Renaissance and the ruin of the Great Depression. This thoughtful tale of resilience begins previews August 2 at the Jackie Maxwell Studio Theatre.
 
Under the oppressive summer heat in 1930s Harlem, struggling nightclub singer Angel Allen (Virgilia Griffith) drowns her sorrows after losing her job, gangster boyfriend and apartment in the same night. While her Best Friend Guy Jacobs (Stewart Adam McKensy), neighbour Delia Patterson (Mary Antonini) and Dr. Sam Thomas (Allan Louis) pursue their own professional and romantic dreams, Angel begins an affair with charming Alabama transplant Leland Cunningham (JJ Gerber). Despite their initial passion, it’s not long before the friction between Leland’s traditional rural upbringing and Angel’s modern cosmopolitan outlook threatens to upend the lives of everyone around them.
 
The Shaw’s production of Blues for an Alabama Sky features set and costume design by Christine Ting-Huan Urquhart, lighting design by Chris Malkowski and original music and sound design by Miquelon Rodriguez. The production team includes stage manager Dora Tomassi and assistant stage manager Kelly Boudreau.
 
On stage at the Jackie Maxwell Studio Theatre (10 Queen's Parade) from August 2 to October 4 (available for review beginning August 14), Blues for an Alabama Sky is recommended for audience members 14+. Running time is approximately 2 hours and 45 minutes, including one intermission.