cris davenport
tHeatRE
WITH AUDACIOUS HUMOR AND BOLD INVENTIVENESS, AARON POSNER TAKES THE MERCHANT OF VENICE FROM ITS SHAKESPEAREAN SETTING TO POST-CIVIL WAR WASHINGTON, D.C., WITH HINTS AT LIFE IN AMERICA TODAY. IN THE COMPLEX AND CONTRADICTORY WORLDS OF BLACKS, WHITES, JEWS AND CHRISTIANS, MONEY CHANGES HANDS WITH DANGEROUSLY HIGH STAKES, PHILANTHROPIC ACTS MASK BLATANT OPPORTUNISM AND WOULD-BE LOVERS HIDE—AND THEN UNCOVER—THEIR DIFFERENCES. WHILE LOVE GETS A CHANCE, DOES HOPE REMAIN FOR A JUST AND KIND TOMORROW?
Robert Schenkkan’s Pulitzer Prize-winning play, THE KENTUCKY CYCLE, spans two centuries from 1775 to 1975. More than just the story of three families, who are Black, White and Native American, and whose histories are irrevocably interwoven, THE KENTUCKY CYCLE encompasses all things Americana from mythology to reality and back again in nine short plays.
There are many luminous and nuanced performances in this two-part play. Standing out in this huge cast are: Sam Gilstrap, Perry Lewis, Joe Mack, and Darcy Kennedy, along with, Jeff Jesmer, Christin Mason, David Harms & Cris Davenport
A black sergeant cries out in the night, "They still hate you," then is shot twice and falls dead. Set in 1944 at Fort Neal, a segregated army camp in Louisiana, Charles Fuller's forceful drama--which won the Pulitzer Prize in 1982 and has been regularly seen in both its original stage and its later screen version--tracks the investigation of this murder. A Soldier's Play is more than a detective story: it is a tough, incisive exploration of racial tensions and ambiguities among blacks and between blacks and whites that gives no easy answers and assigns no simple blame.
In 1905, Esther Mills is a skilled African-American seamstress. She has her own successful business, making lingerie for both society ladies, Mrs. Van Buren in particular, and “ladies of the night.” Esther has a failed romantic relationship with George Armstrong, who is working on the Panama Canal. She has an unlikely friendship with Mr. Marks, an Orthodox Jew.
Based on the life of Nottage’s great-grandmother, this is a powerful piece of theatre you don’t want to miss
Set in 1911, the play focuses on Harold Loomis, a black man who arrives at a Pittsburgh boarding house with his young daughter in search of his missing wife. But in a larger way, it’s about African-Americans’ migration north, looking for their place in the new world.
Clybourne Park by Bruce Norris, and winner of the 2011 Pulitzer Prize for Drama, is a soul-searching triumph for Curious Theatre Company. As a sequel (of sorts) to Lorraine Hansberry's seminal A Raisin in the Sun, Clybourne Park explores the tricky territory of race relations, scape-goating, and gentrification. This thought-provoking show packs a punch and a laugh.
Hitch a ride to 1930’s California for this journey through the heartland of America. The Fine Arts Center’s 75th anniversary celebration concludeswith this production of Steinbeck’s seminal work, which he personally adapted from his classic novella 75 years ago. It is the haunting tale of George and Lennie, two lonely migrant workers who are seeking a place they can call their own. Their unlikely friendship infuses both men with hope for the future, but unfortunately, “the best laid schemes o’ mice and men” fall apart as they struggle to realize their dreams.
A 19-year-old man has just stood trial for the fatal stabbing of his father. It looks like an open-and-shut case-until one of the jurors begins opening the others' eyes to the facts. With each juror revealing their own character as the various testimonies are re-examined, the murder is re-enacted and a new murder threat is born before their eyes! Tempers get short, arguments grow heated, and the jurors become 12 angry men.
"He's not guilty until we say he's guilty"..
Daisy Werthan, an elderly Jewish widow living in Atlanta, is determined to maintain her independence. However, when she crashes her car, her son, Boolie, arranges for her to have a chauffeur, an African-American driver named Hoke.
Set against a backdrop of changing world events between 1948 and 1973, a fiesty Southern widow and her proud but soft-spoken black chauffeur journey from suspicion and mistrust to respect and deep-rooted affection.
"A Time to Kill" tells the story of a young, idealistic lawyer, Jake Brigance, defending a black man, Carl Lee Hailey, for taking the law into his own hands following an unspeakable crime committed against his young daughter. It's up to a young attorney to keep him from a death sentence and a community from being torn apart. Based on John Grisham's explosive best-selling novel
Set in the turbulent times of the Civil Rights Movement, The Meeting by Jeff Stetson, produced by Afterthought Theatre Co, centers on a fictional meeting between two real life icons, Malcolm X and Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., who come together to discuss their separate points of view and approaches in the fight for equality
