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The Magic of Love in The Tempest and Real Life

May 9, 2018

The young lovers in Shakespeare’s The Tempest fall in love instantly as if by magic. Is such a thing possible in real life? SOPHIA HOWES looks at the play, the history of love magic, the biology of romance…and speed-dating.

“Scene with Miranda and Ferdinand,” painting from 1782 by Angelic Kauffman.

 

Ferdinand and Miranda’s love in The Tempest would seem to be the Shakespearean equivalent of those advertisements for a beach holiday: pure magic, love and joy in a beautiful island setting. Is their romance just a fantasy? Let’s look at the reality.

Why do Ferdinand and Miranda fall in love so fast and hard?

In a real sense, their love begins in magic. It was Prospero’s magic that caused the wreck that precipitated Ferdinand’s arrival. When Ferdinand meets Miranda, he is following the “sweet air” of Ariel’s song. At first, he believes Miranda is magical herself, a goddess of the island. Miranda, who has lived with magic all her life, believes Ferdinand is magic too, a divine being, more than mortal.

Prospero feels the need to castigate Ferdinand, to create some conflict between the lovers to enhance their interest. The two do not realize that they are being manipulated, so the beauty of their love remains pure. Prospero calls Ferdinand a traitor. Ferdinand draws his sword. They are on the brink of a fight, while Miranda hangs on her father’s garments begging him to stop. Ferdinand responds with one of the most beautiful speeches in the play:

My spirits, as in a dream, are all bound up
My father’s loss, the weakness which I fled,
The wrack of all my friends, nor this man’s threats,
To whom I am subdued, are but light to me,
Might I through my prison once a day
Behold this maid: all corners else o’ th’ earth
Let liberty make use of; space enough
Have I in such a prison.

Prospero then says to Ariel, perhaps with some cynicism, “It works.”

Can their love really be pure if Prospero is always pulling the strings? Yes.

Miles Folley plays Ferdinand and Allyson Boate plays Miranda in Avant Bard’s production of The Tempest, May 31 to July 1, 2018, at Gunston Arts Center. Photo by Cleavon Maebon IV.

The next time we see Ferdinand, he has become a “patient log-man,” piling up logs at Prospero’s behest. Miranda offers to do it for him, but he refuses. He asks her name, “chiefly that I may set it in my prayers.” They exchange words of love, but it is Miranda who proposes to Ferdinand, while he joyfully accepts. Their love cannot be tainted, even as Prospero spies on them and schemes to bring about their marriage.

Prospero interferes again when he warns Ferdinand not to seduce Miranda. Ferdinand, answers diplomatically and the subject is dropped. The next time we see the two lovers, they are playing at chess. Miranda playfully accuses Ferdinand of cheating, and he pronounces his devotion once again.

In a way, Ferdinand and Miranda never escape the magic and mystery that surrounds them. Prospero does not drown his book until the very end of the play. But the unselfishness and devotion of the lovers makes it easy to understand that even if their love began in magic, it is now real.

Is love magic really a thing?

The association of magic with love has a long and storied history. Love spells can be found in the literature of ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia. In ancient Greece the gods could make you fall in love with whomever they chose; it often proved to be an unlikely person. Women tended to use philia spells to keep their husbands faithful, because women in this period had little or no power. Men preferred eros spells to inspire desire in the opposite sex.

In the year 160 CE, a Roman writer named Apuleius was accused of using love spells to attract a wealthy widow. He ended up in court, and his defense was that love was completely controlled by the gods. He won the case.

In the Middle Ages, a grimoire (a textbook on magic) called The Book of the Sacred Magic of Abramelin the Mage, by Abraham of Worms, contained spells that could be used by a woman “to make a man fall in love with you.”

During World War II, respected German folklorist Will-Erich Peuckert (1895–1969) escaped from the Nazis and withdrew into exile. In 1945 he fled advancing Russian troops, leaving behind his library of over 30,000 books. He is principally remembered, however, for an aside during one of his lectures in Bremen in 1959. He was discussing witches’ ointment that might contain hallucinogenic substances and remarked that he had once tried the ointment himself. This caused a scandal about the Professor who practiced witchcraft, flew through the air, and experienced many erotic adventures. The truth was slightly less exotic. He and a friend had tried the ointment in the 1920’s and he never used it again.

Can love magic happen in real life (like in speed-dating)?

Eli Finkel, a social psychologist from Northwestern University, says, “We’ve known since the 1970s that if you encounter people under pleasant circumstances, you have a much higher chance of liking them than if you encounter them under unpleasant circumstances.” In his research on speed-dating, he has found that if study participants say they “like” someone they are almost always “attracted” as well.

Biological anthropologist Helen Fisher from Rutgers University points out that there are three elements to romance:

  • lust, the desire for sexual gratification;
  • attraction, the exhilaration when around a person and need to develop an emotional union; and
  • attachment, the calmer closeness that comes after five years of marriage, for example.

They are not necessarily stages that progress in order: Attachment can be first, then attraction and lust, or vice versa.

Is there such a thing as a modern love potion? Dr. Fisher says yes. To increase sex drive you would use a combination of androgens and estrogens. For affection, you’d administer dopamine and norepinephrine, at the same time as a drug to reduce the availability of serotonin. To increase attachment, you’d deliver a mix of oxytocin and vasopressin.

It is true, Dr. Fisher says, that increasing dopamine levels will cause temporary attraction. But the catch is that it won’t last. “In the morning you’re going to look at that person and wonder what the hell you were thinking.”

Where does that leave Ferdinand and Miranda and their “love at first sight”?

New research out of the Netherlands suggests that love at first sight is indeed possible (Zsok, Haucke, De Wot. & Berelds, 2017). The study asked nearly 400 participants to complete a survey after meeting a potential romantic partner.

These are the conclusions:

  • Yes, people do experience love at first sight, a strong attraction that may or may not develop into a relationship.
  • People seem more likely to experience love at first sight with very attractive people.
  • Men seem to have more instances of love at first sight than women.
  • Often, love at first sight isn’t mutual.
  • When there is love at first sight, commitment and intimacy are more likely to follow.

This is clearly a victory for the romantics among us!

And where does this leave Ferdinand and Miranda? Young, idealistic, and very much in love! There is no evidence in The Tempest that suggests Ferdinand and Miranda’s love for each other was anything but genuine. Although magic surrounds it and in some sense envelops it, their “love magic” comes from within.

Sophia Howes, a playwright and director, is a senior reviewer and columnist DC Metro Theater Arts. More about her playwriting and her writing about DC theater can be found online.

 

The Tempest plays May 31 to July 1, 2018, at Gunston Arts Center Theatre Two, 2700 South Lang Street, Arlington, VA. Tickets are available online or by calling 703-418-4804.

CLICK FOR TIX.

WHO’S WHO IN THE TEMPEST

May 2, 2018

Meet the cast and creative team who are conjuring this magical love fest.

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Shakespeare’s classic comedy—the only play he set in the New World—is filled with young love, dazzling magic, cross-cultural strife, and ultimately forgiveness. In Avant Bard’s offbeat update, The Tempest tells a story of refugees and exiles that asks, “How can we all get along on this island Earth?”

CAST

Justin J. BellJustin J. Bell (Caliban) is thrilled to be joining Avant Bard for this production.  Justin is a teaching artist, director/movement director, playwright, and storyteller who focuses on comedy and physical theatre. He has taught with Gala Hispanic Theatre’s award-winning youth program, Paso Nuevo; in the Richmond Public School System through Art 180; and with Synetic Theater, where he has been a company member since 2015. Past and upcoming credits include Synetic Theater: Hansel and Gretel, The Taming of the Shrew, Dante’s Inferno, Alice in Wonderland, As You Like It, A Tale of Two Cities, Hamlet, Much Ado About Nothing, The Island of Dr. Moreau (Helen Hayes nominated); Arts on the Horizon: To the Clouds, Nutt and Bolt (Helen Hayes nominated); Iron Crow Theatre: BootyCandy (Movement Director); Atramental Arts: The Root of All Knowledge (Director); Constellation Theatre Company: Journey to the West; relEASE Physical Theatre: straight on til moUrning; The Conciliation Project:  Genocide Trail, Uncle Tom: de-constructed.  He would like to thank his support system, especially his mom, who has been his biggest champion.

Allyson BoateAllyson Boate  (Miranda) is ecstatic to work with such lovely people in her first production with Avant Bard. She recently moved to the DMV area after touring with the National Players in Hamlet, The Grapes of Wrath, and The Giver.   Previous credits include Mercutio in Romeo and Juliet  (Chesapeake Shakespeare Company), Meg in Crimes of the Heart (Fable Theatre), Varya in The Cherry Orchard, and Ophelia in Hamlet (Treasure House Theater). www.allysonboate.com

Frank BrittonFrank Britton (Alonso), a nine-year Acting Company member, marks his 15th Avant Bard production with The Tempest. He most recently appeared in Jesus Hopped the ‘A’ Train (2018 Helen Hayes Award winner of the Robert Prosky Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Play – Helen, and the 2017 Broadway World Regional Award winner for Best Actor in a Play – Small Professional Theatre) and The Farnsworth Invention (both at 1st Stage). A native Washingtonian, he has appeared with many area theatres over the past sixteen years: Wig Out! (Studio Theatre); King Lear (Avant Bard); Back to Methuselah: As Far As Thought Can Reach (Washington Stage Guild); The Freshest Snow Whyte (Imagination Stage); and Black Nativity (Theater Alliance). Other area credits include Two Trains Running and One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (Round House Theatre); Passion Play: a cycle,  The Last Days of Judas Iscariot (Forum Theatre); Kafka’s Metamorphosis (Synetic Theater), The Balcony and Mother Courage and Her Children (SCENA Theatre); and Orpheus Descending (Arena Stage). Many, many thanks to Tom, Laura, and the Cast and Crew.

Brian_Crane squareBrian Crane (Gonzalo) last appeared with Avant Bard as Bernard in There Is a Happiness That Morning Is. Other Avant Bard credits include Foka in Les Justes, Edward IV in Richard III, Sigmund in Secret Obscenities (Capital Fringe Festival), Steve in Small Craft Warnings, War in Peace, LeGrue in Red Noses, Lepidus in Caligula, Lodowick in Edward III, and DeNizza and Manco in The Royal Hunt of the Sun. Roles with The American Century Theater include Juror 11 in Twelve Angry Men, Frank Elgin in Country Girl, Leslie in Seascape, Woodley in Happy Birthday, Wanda June, the Producer in Hellzapoppin’, the Egg of Head in MacBird!, Harris in Tea and Sympathy, and Felix/Williams in Paradise Lost. He has also appeared as Clotaldo in Life’s a Dream with Journeymen Theatre.

Miles FoleyMiles Folley (Ferdinand), hailing from Washington, D.C., has been interested in acting since watching the cast of Homicide: Life on the Street eat crabs in a Baltimore seafood spot and make it look realistic. After his mentors from UDC told him to audition at AMDA (American Musical and Dramatic Academy) to learn more about the craft, his love for the artform has grown deeper. He is thankful to have attained more lessons about acting in plays such as In the Cut (DC Black Theatre Festival), Antony and Cleopatra (Virginia Shakespeare Festival), and The Very Last Days of the First Colored Circus (Restoration Stage). He is thankful and humbled to continue his growth in his debut performance at Avant Bard.

Emily GilsonEmily H. Gilson (Ariel) is thrilled to make her Avant Bard debut! Local credits include Sister James in Doubt at SeeNoSun Onstage; workshop readings in Avant Bard’s Scripts in Play Festival, Page-to-Stage at Kennedy Center, Ari Roth’s 2011 staging of his Born Guilty Cycle (Theatre Lab/Theatre J), and Source Festival. Emily is also an accomplished devised performer and founding collaborator with DC’s TBD Immersive, originating roles in In Cabaret We Trust and the celebrated Cabaret Rising at Dupont Undergound. Her debut short film, Silent Sentinel, is currently playing at festivals. She holds a BA in Drama and Medieval Studies from SUNY Purchase and also trained with Studio Theatre, Signature (Arlington, VA), and Shakespeare & Company (Lenox, MA). Love forever to JRHR. www.emilygilsonactor.com.

Christopher Henley squareChristopher Henley (Prospero) is a founding Ensemble Member of (as we were known then) Washington Shakespeare Company and was Artistic Director from 1996 until 2013. In our first Tempest (1993), he played Antonio; he directed our second Tempest (2004). He directed our first Lear (1994) and played The Fool and The King of France in last year’s King Lear. He also directed our productions of Hamlet, The Merchant of Venice, and the 2010 Richard III in addition to much else (including Caligula and Camille: a tearjerker). Other Shakespearean parts for us include Richard II, Falstaff, Henry IV, Lysander, Jacques, Horatio, Caska, Don John, Don Pedro, MacDuff, Son of MacDuff, Duncan, Donalbain, Cardinal Pandulph, and Antonio in The Two Gentlemen of Verona (Bard on Wheels version), in addition to many non-Shakespearean roles (most recently Truman Capote in Holiday Memories). Since retiring into the role of Artistic Director Emeritus at Avant Bard, he has been committing journalism as a Contributing Writer for DCTheatreScene.com: https://dctheatrescene.com/author/christopher-henley/.

Cam MageeCam Magee (Antonia/Stephano) has appeared in and/or dramaturged 20 of Avant Bard’s Shakespeare productions. Her past credits include Gloucester in King Lear, Aurélie in The Madwoman of Chaillot, Eleanor/Pembroke in King John, Juno in Juno and the Paycock, and Hannah Jelkes in The Night of the Iguana.  She has appeared at Arena Stage, Shakespeare Theatre Company, Folger Theatre, Theater J, Source Theatre, Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company, and Washington Stage Guild (for which she received a Helen Hayes nomination playing Mrs. Cheveley in An Ideal Husband).  She is a company member of Avant Bard, Rorschach Theatre, and Shakespeare for the Young (www.shakespearefortheyoung.com).

Camille Pivetta (Ariel) is ecstatic to be working with an amazing team on Avant Bard’s production of The Tempest as her first professional show. She is currently a junior at Yorktown High School, and a part of their unique Theatre Arts Program, where she has obtained most of her training and has been exposed to experiences with companies such as Avant Bard, Synetic Theater, and Signature Theatre. She is grateful to have been raised in the Washington area, where there is such a passion towards the arts, and to be surrounded by mentors and friends who continuously help her grow.

Reginald Richard (Ariel) is honored to be making his debut with Avant Bard. Just recently he was deemed runner-up in the winner-take-all actor competition, Monologue Madness. And weeks before he made his debut at Arena Stage in the political thrill ride, The Great Society. Aside from establishing himself as a fellow thespian, Reginald also teaches at the accredited National Conservatory of Dramatic Arts, where he received his training. His local stage credits include Exit, Pursued by a Bear (Barabbas Theatre); The Most Spectacularly Lamentable Trial of Miz Martha Washington (Ally Theatre Company); Ballast (Source Festival); and The Last Burlesque (Pinky Swear Productions). He would like to personally acknowledge his mother, Pamela Richard, Alan Sharpe, Doug Wilder, and Nan Ficca for their continuous support throughout his theatrical journey over the years.

Alyssa Sanders squareAlyssa Sanders (Sebastia/Trinculo) as always is thrilled to be working with Avant Bard, where she was most recently seen as Goneril to Rick Foucheux’s Lear in King Lear. Other roles include Emilia in Avant Bard’s Othello and Beth in Peter’s Alley Theatre’s Dinner with Friends. Other local theaters she has worked for include Quotidian Theatre Company (Company Member), Lean & Hungry Theater (Company Member), Venus Theatre, Studio Theatre, Adventure Theatre. Training: American Academy of Dramatic Arts, Brandeis University, Studio Theatre Acting Conservatory. www.alyssasanders.com

CREATIVE TEAM AND PRODUCTION CREW

Tom-Prewitt-368x460-Photo by C. Stanley PhotographyTom Prewitt (Director), now in his sixth season as Artistic and Executive Director of Avant Bard, most recently staged King Lear, Holiday Memories, Othello, and the Helen Hayes Award-winning production of Visible Language. Other Avant Bard credits include celebrated productions of William Shakespeare’s King John, Six Characters in Search of an Author, and No Man’s Land. He has directed Off Broadway at The Public Theater, Drama Department, Jean Cocteau Rep, Castillo Theatre, and Blue Heron Theatre, as well as locally for Woolly Mammoth (eleven shows, including Cooking with Elvis, starring Rick Foucheux), Signature Theatre, Round House, Theater of the First Amendment, South Coast Rep, Portland Stage Company, Shakespeare Santa Cruz, Delaware Theatre Company, and New Mexico Rep. Prewitt’s production of Sins of Sor Juana by Karen Zacarias won the Charles MacArthur Award for Outstanding New Play (Theater of the First Amendment), and his staging of Ian Cohen’s Lenny and Lou received Helen Hayes Award nominations for Outstanding Resident Production and Outstanding New Play (Woolly Mammoth). His production of Nathan the Wise (also nominated for the MacArthur Award) was taped and broadcast by PBS affiliate WETA. He has taught acting, directing, playwriting, and theatre history at NYU, Manhattanville College, University of Maryland, and George Mason University. Prewitt’s abiding interest in education and theatre for social change continues this year through partnerships he helped to develop with HB Woodlawn Secondary School as well as Arlington-based 296 Project, which works with veterans and their families, using the arts to overcome effects of PTSD and traumatic brain injury. He currently serves on the Board of Governors for theatreWashington/Helen Hayes Awards, the Artistic Advisory Panel for the Mead Theatre Lab Program (CulturalDC), and Arlington County’s Four Mile Run Valley Working Group. Prewitt studied with Jerzy Grotowski at Columbia University, was awarded fellowships from Theatre Communications Group and the Drama League of New York, and received his undergraduate degree with honors from Harvard University, where he majored in English and Comparative Religions.

Sandra L. Holloway (Assistant Director and Choreographer) choreographed and directed this year’s revival of The Gospel at Colonus and is now delighted to work with the artistic team and cast of The Tempest!  Some of Sandi’s choreographic credits in musical theater include: For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow is Enough for Theater Alliance , Eyes at Howard University, I, Too, Sing America for the Howard Players, Alexander’s Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day at the Kennedy Center for Performing Arts, tigertigertiger at Theater of the First Amendment, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum and Guys and Dolls for the GMU Players, among others.  Some of her concert dance works have been featured at the Lincoln Theater Black Choreographers Showcase, Dance Theater of Harlem’s 40th Anniversary Celebration, Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts Hi-Arts Hip-Hop Theater Festival, Hollow Dance In Concert at Howard University Cramton Auditorium and Ira Aldridge Stage, The 45 Degrees Project (a partnership between Joy of Motion DC and Deeply Rooted Dance Company in Chicago, IL), New World Dance Company in DC and is currently working with Hill Dance Academy  in Pittsburgh, PA.  Her work has been included in concert dance seasons for Collage Dance Company in Memphis, TN.  Sandihas worked with directors and choreographers including Mike Malone, George Faison, Diane MacIntyre, Kenneth Daugherty, Linda Gravatt, Nick Alcott, Ed Gero, Tom Prewitt, and other really interesting and influential artists. Sandi is the Artistic Director of City at Peace, a youth development organization that uses the arts to effect social change, and is the founder of the holloway arts project (the hap).  She is the recipient of the National Association of Regional Ballet Choreographers Conference Award, Mayor’s Arts Award in Arts and Education for City at Peace, GAEA Foundation Sea Change Artist Award for Arts and Activism, the 2015 Paula Giddings Arts Award and was a 2014 Presenter at Alternate ROOTS Festival Week.  Sandi is a graduate of the University of the Arts, Philadelphia, PA.

Greg StevensGreg Stevens (Set, Costume, and Props Designer) is a Helen Hayes Award nominee and has directed, designed, built, or painted sets or costumes for over 150 shows in DC, NYC, San Diego, and elsewhere. Favorite shows include Emilie: La Marquis du Châtelet Defends Her Life Tonight (set); Suddenly Last Summer (directed); Oldest Profession (set, costumes); The Amish Project (Helen Hayes nomination, set); The Cole Porter Project (co-wrote, directed, designed); Vampire Lesbians of Sodom (set, costumes); The Saint Plays (set, costumes); Boston Marriage (set). Founding company member of Helen Hayes Award–winning Factory 449.

Jos. B. Musumeci, Jr.Jos. B. Musumeci, Jr. (Lighting Designer) has designed the scenery for Othello, Nero/Pseudo, and King John with Avant Bard, and is excited to return as Lighting Designer for The Tempest. Other recent work includes scenery for Flying V’s Fights 3: The Secret History of the Unknown World and You, or Whatever I Can Get, and the lighting for Twelfth Night, Spring Awakening, and Beyond the Sunset at St. Mary’s College, where he has just completed his first year as Technical Director and Lighting Designer, after a decade and a half as the Director of Theatre and Events at the Bender JCC of Greater Washington.

Andrew Bellware (Composer)  has designed sound and composed music for hundreds of productions. He was a founding member of the now-defunct off-off Broadway theater company Manhattan Theatresource in Greenwich Village. He has designed for the Wooster Group, worked for the New York Shakespeare Festival, and designed off-Broadway musicals Sidd and La Gioconda. With Avant Bard stage manager Laura Schlachtmeyer producing, he has directed more than a dozen science-fiction feature films, which have been distributed all over the world.

Ralph DerbyshireRalph Derbyshire (Technical Director) is an Arlington native. He has worked throughout the DC region for the last 15 years, though most notably with The Smithsonian Folklife Festival (2002-08, 2010-15), GWU’s Lisner Auditorium (2007-12), as well as many local crewing companies setting up special events. He has held the titles Master Carpenter, Master Flyman, Assistant Stage Manager, and Shop Foreman. He also works and volunteers with the National Folk Festival as well as several other festivals locally and around the country. This is his first show with Avant Bard, and he is excited to bring his skills back to real theatre.

Laura Schlachtmeyer (Production Stage Manager) is delighted to continue working with Avant Bard after Nero/Pseudo (2014) and TAME. (2016). Recent mainstage productions include I Killed My Mother (Spooky Action); Laura Bush Killed a Guy, Adult Entertainment (The Klunch); and This Is All Just Temporary (Convergence). Proud recipient of the NYIT Award for Outstanding Stage Manager.

____

The Tempest plays May 31 to July 1, 2018, at Gunston Arts Center Theatre Two, 2700 South Lang Street, Arlington, VA. Tickets are available online or by calling 703-418-4804.

CLICK FOR TIX.

 

 

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Lauren Gunderson’s Natural Shocks Reading to Address Gun Violence

March 30, 2018

Natural Shocks logo & tagline


A staged reading, part of a nationwide weekend of theater activism against gun violence

A WSC Avant Bard production at 1st Stage

Monday, April 23, 2018, 7:30 pm

Natural Shocks
A new play by Lauren Gunderson
Starring Sara Barker
Directed by Stevie Zimmerman
Stage Manager: Laura Schlachtmeyer

 

10yearsHEADER

1524 Spring Hill Rd, McLean, VA 22102 (for driving and Metro directions, click here)

For more information, email boxoffice@avantbard.org or call 703-418-4808.

About the event:

Lauren Gunderson has made her new play Natural Shocks available royalty-free for local readings in order to raise money to address gun violence the weekend of April 20, 2018—the 19th anniversary of Columbine and the day of the National School Walkout.

Contributions collected at Avant Bard’s April 23 reading of Lauren Gunderson’s Natural Shocks at 1st Stage will go to support Moms Demand Action.

Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America, a 501(c)4 and part of Everytown for Gun Safety, was formed to demand common sense gun laws from our legislators and businesses. This nonpartisan grassroots movement has grown to include a chapter in every state across the country. Moms Demand Action educates, motivates, and mobilizes supporters to take action that will result in stronger laws and policies to save lives.

Your online donation right now to Moms Demand Action will help create an America free from everyday gun violence. To give, click on the state chapter of your choice:   Virginia   Washington, DC   Maryland


If you can’t make Avant Bard’s reading April 23, check out Tonic Theater Company’s reading of Natural Shocks featuring Lise Bruneau and directed by Kelsey D. Phelps Friday, April 20, 2018, at 2:00 pm at The Arlene and Robert Kogod Cradle at Arena Stage at the Mead Center for American Theater, 1101 6th St SW, Washington, DC 20024.

About the play

Natural Shocks is a 65-minute, one-woman play that bursts to life when we meet a woman waiting out an imminent tornado in her basement. She reveals a final secret that puts the reality of guns in America front and center. The play is part confessional, part standup, and part reckoning. The reading will feature Sara Barker, recently acclaimed for her performance in Avant Bard’s production of Gunderson’s play Emilie: La Marquise du Châtelet Defends Her Life Tonight.

Excerpt

SHE: So yeah: door locked, window closed, stay away from the window, bunch of blankets down here somewhere, bottled water for sure, gun in the closet, I’m re-reading Sense and Sensibility so that’s in here in case I get bored, (bored in a tornado, Jesus), there’s a – what’s this? Oh of course: a really old copy of Field & Stream because he won’t throw anything away because we’re definitely going to need to reference an article about duck calls from 2001.

Y’all got wigged out when I said there’s a gun in here didn’t you.

You’re not those kinda people are you? I get that. I respect that. I don’t really like guns myself, but I grew up around them and you gotta be able to protect yourself. This is a messed up world. I have a right to a gun, you have a right to think I’m nuts. That’s all we need it say about it.

(Pause)

It’s in the closet. There’s a safe under my boots. It’s not gonna bite you.

Though I should definitely make sure it’s not going to go off if a goddamned tornado hits this house. That’s all I need. A pistol in a tornado.

Hear Lauren talk about…

…her commitment to ending gun violence and how theater can be used as a means of social change.

https://www.kqed.org/forum/2010101864798/lauren-gundersons-new-play-takes-a-stand-against-gun-violence

A note from Lauren

Lauren Gunderson
Lauren Gunderson

I was a junior in high school when Columbine happened in 1999 and it spurred me into activism instantly. I wrote an op-ed in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution shaming the NRA and their spokesman Charlton Heston, who were holding their annual conference only an hour away from that mourning community. I organized a student protest at the GA statehouse; I went to Washington to speak to my Senators. I was berated by our local conservative radio talk shows: called ignorant, naive, and unAmerican. I was 17, a teenager like all those amazing kids in Parkland who are taking up the cause of their lost classmates and making the biggest difference in this issue I’ve seen in my lifetime.

Nineteen years later here we are, another school shooting, but finally a freshly invigorated and seemingly unstoppable movement brewing. I happened to be working on a new one-woman play based a bit on Hamlet—called Natural Shocks—about a quirky, chatty woman with a dark truth she needs to share. I was just starting to send it out to trusted colleagues when the Parkland school shooting happened. And I saw how brave and tireless and convincing these kids were in saying “no more gun violence.” And then I read that the most vocal of them were theatre kids.

So instead of closing my eyes and thinking back to being a junior and watching the news in horror curing my AP US History class and thinking those poor mothers and please god someone do something about this… I posted a query on facebook asking for help with this play in the wake of this new violence. My friend and fellow theatre activist Christina Wallace reached out immediately, read the piece, and said “Let’s do this.”

So now the play is yours. Whoever you are. On April 20th, read it, experience it, use it to raise money for Everytown or Mom’s Demand Action. Use it to start conversations, to build networks of support, to gather people and give them some place to go to congregate and say enough.

Of course, to contradict Hamlet, the play is not the thing. You are. Your community, your company, yourself. Any play is just the metal that attracts the lightning. We are the lightning – actor, artistic team, audience, community. We are the undeniable force of nature that will light up this darkness and change it forever.

On April 20th, whether you can produce a reading, attend an event, march with the National Walk Out protest, or donate in any way…
Let’s do this.

Lauren

About the performer

Sara Barker, photo by Teresa Castracane Photography
Sara Barker, photo by Teresa Castracane Photography

Sara Barker  has worked with Avant Bard on Emilie: La Marquise duChâtelet Defends Her Life Tonight (Emilie), King Lear (Edgar), Othello (Desdemona), Orlando (Orlando), Mary Stuart (Elizabeth), Six Characters in Search of an Author (Stepdaughter), The House of Yes (Jackie-O), The Cherry Orchard (Varya), The Mistorical Hystery of Henry (I)V (Hotspur), Lulu (Lulu), and The Miser (La Fleece). Credits also include Factory 449’s 448 Psychosis and Closet Land, Rorschach’s A Maze (Oksana), Scena’s The Importance of Being Earnest (Algernon). NYC credits include The Brick’s King Lear (King Lear), Hipgnosis Theatre’s The Winter’s Tale (Paulina), and various devised works with directors Lear DeBessonet and Josh Fox. Sara is a graduate of St. John’s College and a company member with Avant Bard, Factory 449, Rorschach Theatre, and The Klunch. www.sarabarker.com/acting

About the playwright

Lauren Gunderson is the most produced living playwright in America of 2016, the winner of the Lanford Wilson Award and the Steinberg/ATCA New Play Award, a finalist for the Susan Smith Blackburn Prize and John Gassner Award for Playwriting, and a recipient of the Mellon Foundation’s 3-Year Residency with Marin Theatre Company. She studied Southern Literature and Drama at Emory University, and Dramatic Writing at NYU’s Tisch School, where she was a Reynolds Fellow in Social Entrepreneurship. Her work has been commissioned, produced, and developed at companies across the U.S. including South Coast Rep (Emilie, Silent Sky), The Kennedy Center (The Amazing Adventures of Dr. Wonderful and Her Dog!), The O’Neill, The Denver Center, San Francisco Playhouse, Marin Theatre, Synchronicity, Olney Theatre, Berkeley Rep, Shotgun Players, TheatreWorks, Crowded Fire, and more. Her work is published at Playscripts (I and You, Exit Pursued By A Bear, The Taming, and Toil And Trouble), Dramatists (Silent Sky, Bauer, Miss Bennet), and Samuel French (Emilie).

A clickable map of the national weekend of theater activism against gun violence


Produced by special arrangement with THE GERSH AGENCY
41 Madison Avenue, 33rd Floor, New York, NY 10010
Any inquiries for the Play shall be sent to Leah Hamos, The Gersh Agency, lhamos@gersh.com.

Afterchats on Common Good Inspired by The Gospel at Colonus

February 24, 2018

CPIP logo purpleInspired by the story in The Gospel at Colonus of an ancient city that welcomed an outcast refugee, Avant Bard’s Saturday afternoon Unscripted Afterchats will feature four special guests who, through their work, connect people by lifting them up in affirmation and esteem. These speakers come from a variety of disciplines and backgrounds, but all share in a spirit of community building that welcomes and unites the best in everyone.

Gospel 18 250x250The Gospel at Colonus plays at Gunston Arts Center, Theatre Two, 700 South Lang Street, Arlington, VA 22206. The Afterchats will begin right after a 2 p.m. Pay What You Will matinee and last about 20 minutes. (Pay What You Will means you can name your price at the door, or reserve a ticket online for a $10 minimum.) For more information, go to avantbard.org/tickets or contact Quill Nebeker, quill@avantbard.org, 703-418-4808.

ALERT: Due to the popularity of THE GOSPEL AT COLONUS, advance online PWYW reservations are recommended to guarantee a seat.

Saturday, March 17, 3:30 p.m.

Nina Tisara squareNina Tisara (Photographer of the “Converging Paths.” “United in the Spirit,” and “Sanctuary” series exhibited in the lobby during The Gospel at Colonus). Meet the heart behind the lens, and chat about what it’s like to bear witness to more than 70 places of worship, all in our own backyard.

 

Saturday, March 24, 3:30 p.m.

Marcellus Hartsfield R squareMinister Marcellus Hartsfield (Founder of Anointed Hands Sign Interpreting Ministries). Meet the sign interpreter for the March 23 performance of The Gospel at Colonus, and chat about what it takes to unite hearing and Deaf cultures in love and understanding.

 

Previous Afterchats

Saturday, March 3, 3:30 p.m.

Kenton Rogers 300x300Kenton Rogers (Singer Oedipus, ordained preacher, and gospel music recording artist). Meet one of the newest additions to The Gospel at Colonus cast, and chat about the intersection between theatre, theology, and uplifting song.

 

Saturday, March 10, 3:30 p.m.

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Minister Becky Sanders (Executive Director of the Women’s Ecumenical Choir). Meet the director of the choir for The Gospel at Colonus, and chat about what it’s like to unite six denominations and more than 50 women in one voice.

 

 

Click on this pic to find tix.
Click on this pic to find tix.

WHO’S WHO IN THE GOSPEL AT COLONUS (2018)

February 2, 2018

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Click on this pic to learn more about the show.

Meet the amazing cast, choir, and creative team behind the revival of this powerful and uplifting gospel musical.

The Gospel at Colonus is a soaring celebration of transcendence and the fragility of life. The music is an inspiring fusion of Black church gospel with blues and Motown. The show’s message of redemption and hope is sorely needed right now.

CAST

A.J. CalbertA.J. Calbert (Theseus) hails from the cornfields of Illinois and is excited to make his debut with Avant Bard. A.J. studied acting at the Studio Theatre Acting Conservatory and holds a BS in Chemical Engineering from the University of Illinois and an MBA from Yale University. His previous shows include: Romeo & Juliet (Capulet), Prince George’s Shakespeare; A Christmas Carol (Young Scrooge and others), Chesapeake Shakespeare Company; Oedipus the King (Creon, Teiresias), Lean & Hungry Theatre;  DC State Players present: Agamemnon (Agamemnon), Barrelhouse Theatre.

Jessa Marie Coleman squareJessa Marie Coleman (Ismene), a native of Ellicott City, MD, began her journey with music from early childhood. Graduating from Stevenson University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Film/Theatre/Video, she began performing professionally regionally at Toby’s Dinner Theatres in Columbia and Baltimore. Soon after, she joined Royal Caribbean cruise lines as a lead singer. In addition to travelling the world through song and dance, Jessa has performed as a backup dancer for the artist M.I.A at the 2010 Oktoberfest at Merriweather Post Pavilion. Also in 2016 she was featured in the FKA Twigs Baltimore dance documentary. Her credits include ArtsCentric: Sister Act (Michelle), Memphis (Ensemble, Felicia u/s), Snapshots (Natalie), For Colored Girls… (Yellow); Royal Caribbean: Majesty (Lead Vocalist), Grandeur (Lead Vocalist); Toby’s Dinner Theatre: The Color Purple (Nettie), Hairspray (Dynamite), Buddy Holly Story (Apollo Singer), Ragtime, All Shook Up, Beauty and the Beast, Cats (Syllabub), Phantom of the Opera, Sophisticated Ladies (Ensemble). Jessa is thrilled to be a part of such a talented cast and incredible project! She gives infinite thanks to her mother, father, Todd, and all those friends and family who have continued to support her toward her destiny! Shine on!

e'Marcus Harper-Short 2018 squaree’Marcus Harper-Short (Creon), who is also Musical Director of The Gospel at Colonus, is a performer with extensive recording, touring, and television credits. Among the artists he has worked with as keyboardist, vocalist, or conductor: Carlos Santana, MC Hammer, Lionel Richie, David Murray, Davey Yarborough, Walter Hawkins, Tramaine Hawkins, Li’l Richard, Aretha Franklin, Billy Preston, and Michael Jackson.

William Thomas Newman Jr.  (Preacher Oedipus) is a busy and familiar stage, screen, TV, and voiceover performer. He most recently played the title roles in Sophocles’ Oedipus the King and Shakespeare’s Othello with Lean & Hungry Theatre. He won critical acclaim as Jack in The Winter’s Tale. His theatre credits also include starring roles in Plaza Suite, Ceremonies in Dark Old Men, and Let’s Get Sanctified. On network TV he played the role of Hal Johnson on the daytime serial Somerset, and his motion picture credits include Suspect and Lee Daniels’s The Butler.

Ayana Reed squareAyana Reed (Antigone), a native Washingtonian, graduated from Duke Ellington School of the Arts and obtained her BM in Vocal Performance from George Mason University. Her versatility is showcased through performances such as an opera debut in Italy and a starring role in the Helen Hayes Awards nominated blues musical Blackberry Daze. She loves bringing meaningful stories to life on stage. www.ayana-reed.com

Kenton Rogers 2Kenton Rogers (Singer Oedipus), native of Paterson, NJ, presently residing in Baltimore, MD, is an accomplished recording artist, actor, and ordained preacher. He has performed Off-Broadway (in God’s Creation and Black Nativity) and on stages across America and internationally. Kenton made his recording debut on Melvin Williams’s project Live! In Living Color performing the duet “Time Is Running Out.”  He then signed with Blackberry Records and released his freshman project, Just Look at Me, which yielded the classic and still popular “God Has Never Failed Me.” In addition, he released his sophomore project, Alive & Pressin’ On, featuring gospel superstars the Williams Brothers, Paul Porter, the late Willie Neal Johnson, and the late Albertina Walker, who blessed him with standout selections “Jesus Will Fix It,” “Hold to God’s Unchanging Hand,” “Help Me Lord,” “I Wanna Go,” and “God Is.”

Rafealito Ross (Balladeer) is a lyric tenor and a Washington, DC, native. metropolitan area. He is a graduate of George Mason University (B.M., Vocal Performance) and Catholic University of America (M.M., Vocal Performance). Currently Rafealito teaches choral music in the Prince Georges County school system and private voice at Falls Church Music Conservatory, and he serves as the Director of Music at Mount Pleasant Baptist Church in Herndon, VA. As an emerging artist, Rafealito has performed the roles of Ferrando in Mozart’s Cosi Fan Tutte; The Conductor in Pasatieri’s La Divina; King Kaspar in Menotti’s Amahl and the Night Visitors; Rinuccio in Puccini’s Gianni Schicchi; Eisenstein in Strauss’ Die Fledermaus; Basilio in Le Nozze di Figaro and Tamino in Die Zauberflote, both by Mozart. In December 2003 Rafealito made his debut with the Old Bridge Chamber Orchestra as the tenor soloist in Handel’s Messiah and was invited to return for the 2004 performances. Rafealito has also had the opportunity to perform as a featured soloist in St. Moritz, Switzerland, and Salzburg, Austria. More recently Rafealito has performed the roles of the Tin-Man in an Off-Broadway production of The Wiz, a leading soloist in Langston Hughes’ Black Nativity, Goro in Puccini’s Madama Butterfly, Camille in Lehar’s operetta The Merry Widow, Romèo in Gounod’s Romèo et Juliette, and Don Ottavio in Mozart’s Don Giovanni. When Rafealito isn’t singing he enjoys exploring new restaurants and activities in DC; spending time with his dog Rocco, family, and friends; and watching marathons of A&E’s The First 48.  http://rafealitoross.weebly.com Twitter: @R2Tenor YouTube channel: Rafealito Ross

Greg WatkinsGreg Watkins (Polyneices), a born and bred Washingtonian, is a well-respected artist: singer, pianist, musical director, composer and arranger, actor, voice talent, and a brilliantly-pure entertainer. He is a graduate of The Duke Ellington School of the Arts and Howard University (BM, Music Education), and a former graduate student of Catholic University, where he pursued his masters in vocal performance. Greg is the recipient of the ASCAP Foundation/Cherry Lane Foundation/Music Alive Award in Honor of Dr. Quincy Jones (2008) for his outstanding work in production, composition, performance, and musical direction. He is also the recipient of the Coalition for African-Americans in the Performing Arts’ Emerging Artist Award (2015) for his exemplary work with children, his service to the community, and his many accomplishments as a rising performing artist. He has appeared in several operas including Steven M. Allen’s The Lyrics of Sunshine and Shadows for which he sang the original leading baritone role of quintessential novelist and poet Paul Laurence Dunbar and garnered media attention in the new PBS documentary Beyond the Mask, which chronicles the life of Mr. Dunbar. He has also appeared as an extra on Season 6.2 of the hit television series House of Cards. Effervescent renaissance man that he is, Greg has appeared as an actor in Avant Bard’s 2017 productions of The Gospel at Colonus  and King Lear, both of which were Helen Hayes Award Recommended. Some of Greg’s other theatrical credits include The Amen Corner, Black Nativity, Blues for a Royal Flush, Dreamgirls, and Sister Act. He has worked as a musical director locally and nationally on a number of productions including The Poet Warriors, which won the Capital Fringe Festival Best Musical Award in 2010. Additionally, he has worked in tandem with prolific Broadway and Sundance Film Composer Kathryn Bostic and Tony Award Winner Phylicia Rashad as co-music arranger and musical director for the nationally acclaimed staged reading of Christina Ham’s Four Little Girls. Greg’s talents as a singer and pianist have even taken him from the White House and John F. Kennedy Center to international soil: Germany, Russia, Italy, China, Antigua and Barbuda, and Colombia. Greg serves as the artistic director of The MusicianShip Washington Youth Choir and resident musical director and instructor of the Children’s Theater Workshop.

Gregory K Wright R squareGregory K. Wright (Choragos), a native of Alexandria, VA, graduated from T. C. Williams High School, attended Howard University, and graduated from The University of the District of Columbia with a bachelor of arts degree. He  teaches in the Special Education Department at Francis C. Hammond Middle School, coordinates Counselors in Training at Burgundy Farm Country Day School, and is director of music and fine arts at Woodlawn Faith United Methodist Church, all in Alexandria, VA. Married for 26 years, Gregory and Barbara M. Wright have three children, Michael, Marissa, and Matthew Wright. Gregory loves to sing and offer outreach services to those in need, and he is thankful for new opportunities to fellowship with others.

GOSPEL CHOIR

Minister Becky Sanders (Founder and Director of the Women’s Ecumenical Choir) is a native of Alexandria, VA. She is also a remarkable minister and vocalist who has traveled extensively in various countries fulfilling the great commission of the Word of God. She has ministered throughout the United States and has traveled abroad to France, England, Denmark, Germany, Italy, Austria, Holland, and Norway. She has performed as a background singer for such legendary and stellar award-winning artists as Richard Smallwood, Edwin Hawkins, Walter Hawkins, Yolanda Adams, Jennifer Holliday, Tramaine Hawkins, Twinkie Clark, and Michael Jackson. She has also been a vocalist with such nationally acclaimed gospel groups as “The Wesley Boyd Gospel Music Workshop Choir,” “Jeremiah Murphy and Judah,” and “El Shaddai.” She has appeared on the dramatic stage with world-renowned actors such as Morgan Freeman, and Carl Lumbly and was part of the cast of the 1984 production of Gospel at Colonus presented at Arena Stage. She is a much sought-after music clinician, workshop facilitator, and motivational speaker.

Click on this pic to find tickets.

The Women’s Ecumenical Choir of Alexandria, VA, was divinely inspired by God and placed on the heart of Minister Becky Mays. The initial purpose of the group was to provide music for the Women’s Day Service at Ebenezer Baptist Church in March 2007. Approximately 40 women, representing various churches throughout the faith community came together for the single purpose of lifting up the Name of Jesus through song. Since then the choir has traveled to Bear, Delaware; Edwardsville, Virginia; Albany, New York; Buffalo, New York; West Virginia; Hardeeville, South Carolina; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; and Atlanta, Georgia, ministering God’s Word through song. They were the featured artists at the City of Alexandria’s Mayoral Inauguration, the Alexandria Branch of the NAACP Officers Installation, and in August 2011, they ministered for the Tuskegee Airman’s Gospel Luncheon. The choir is the first Gospel Choir to be included in the Alexandria Performing Arts Society’s yearly calendar. There are currently more than 65 women from the Baptist, Catholic, Episcopal, Methodist, African Methodist Episcopal, and Christian Methodist Episcopal religious backgrounds throughout the Washington, DC, Metropolitan area represented in the group. We are grateful for the support of all the Pastors of the churches represented. We are willing vessels with a strong desire to do God’s will. We are committed to carrying the Word through song and letting the lives we live speak for us.

Members of the Women’s Ecumenical Choir performing with The Gospel at Colonus are Angela Adams, Angela R. Gray, Sandy Taylor Hawkins, Robin Walker Shanks, and Kimberly A. Young.

MUSICIANS

JABARI EXUM

Jabari Exum (Percussion)—born Jabari Kibwe Jawanzaa Ibyn Yaha Exum (“Brave Honorable Dependable Son of John”)—is an electrifying performing artist born and raised in Washington, DC. He is a skilled percussionist in the West African / Latin tradition and is a prolific writer and performer of Hip-Hop music. He recently worked on the film Black Panther as tribal dance and movement coach.
www.jabariexum.com

e’Marcus Harper-Short (Keyboard).  See his performing bio above under Cast and his musical direction bio below.

ABOUT THE CREATORS OF THE GOSPEL AT COLONUS

Lee Breuer (Book and Lyrics) is one of America’s most innovative avant garde theatre artists. He is a founding co-artistic director of Mabou Mines, where his adaptations and direction have received critical acclaim. Notable works include Mabou Mines’ Dollhouse, J.M.Barrie’s Peter and Wendy, and Samuel Beckett’s The Lost Ones. He has directed 14 Obie Award–winning performances; won Obies for writing, directing, and sustained achievement; and has been nominated for Pulitzer, Tony, Grammy, and Emmy awards. He has also been the recipient of a Chevalier Des Artes et Lettres from the French Ministry of Culture and the MacArthur Foundation “Genius” Fellowship, among others. He has held positions at Yale University School of Drama and Stanford University.

Bob Telson (Music) has had a career as a composer and musician that has earned him an Academy Award nomination for his song “Calling You” from the movie Bagdad Café, as well as Pulitzer, Grammy, and Tony Award nominations for The Gospel at Colonus and Chronicle of a Death Foretold, an adaptation of the Gabriel García Márquez novel. Telson has composed soundtracks for American, French, German, and Argentinian films, as well as a ballet score for Twyla Tharp (Sextet). His songs have been recorded by many international artists, such as Barbra Streisand, Natalie Cole, George Benson, Joe Cocker, Celine Dion, Etta James, k.d. lang, Shawn Colvin, Caetano Veloso, Gal Costa, and George Michael.

CREATIVE TEAM AND PRODUCTION CREW

Sandra L. Holloway (Director and Choreographer) is delighted to work with the artistic team and cast of Gospel at Colonus!  Some of Sandi’s choreographic credits in musical theater include: For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow is Enough for Theater Alliance , Eyes at Howard University, I, Too, Sing America for the Howard Players, Alexander’s Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day at the Kennedy Center for Performing Arts, tigertigertiger at Theater of the First Amendment, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum and Guys and Dolls for the GMU Players, among others.  Some of her concert dance works have been featured at the Lincoln Theater Black Choreographers Showcase, Dance Theater of Harlem’s 40th Anniversary Celebration, Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts Hi-Arts Hip-Hop Theater Festival, Hollow Dance In Concert at Howard University Cramton Auditorium and Ira Aldridge Stage, The 45 Degrees Project (a partnership between Joy of Motion DC and Deeply Rooted Dance Company in Chicago, IL), New World Dance Company in DC and is currently working with Hill Dance Academy  in Pittsburgh, PA.  Her work has been included in concert dance seasons for Collage Dance Company in Memphis, TN.  Sandihas worked with directors and choreographers including Mike Malone, George Faison, Diane MacIntyre, Kenneth Daugherty, Linda Gravatt, Nick Alcott, Ed Gero, Tom Prewitt, and other really interesting and influential artists. Sandi is the Artistic Director of City at Peace, a youth development organization that uses the arts to effect social change, and is the founder of the holloway arts project (the hap).  She is the recipient of the National Association of Regional Ballet Choreographers Conference Award, Mayor’s Arts Award in Arts and Education for City at Peace, GAEA Foundation Sea Change Artist Award for Arts and Activism, the 2015 Paula Giddings Arts Award and was a 2014 Presenter at Alternate ROOTS Festival Week.  Sandi is a graduate of the University of the Arts, Philadelphia, PA.

jennifer-l-nelsonJennifer L. Nelson (Original Direction) is a Washington, DC-based theater professional committed to principles that value human dignity, justice, and compassion. She is Resident Director of Mosaic Theater Company and brings more than 40 years of experience as an actor, playwright, administrator, professor, director, and two-term president of the League of Washington Theatres. She is Senior Advisor for Programming at Ford’s Theatre, and previously served for 11 years as the Producing Artistic Director of the African Continuum Theatre Company, where she directed more than 20 full productions and readings. She is a 26-year veteran of Living Stage Theatre Company, the former community-outreach program at Arena Stage. Locally she has directed productions at Ford’s Theatre, Round House, Woolly Mammoth, Theater of the First Amendment, Theater J, the Kennedy Center’s Youth and Family Programs, and more. Among other places, she has directed at Everyman Theatre in Baltimore; Hangar Theatre in Ithaca, NY; the Fulton Theatre in Lewisburg, PA; Penumbra Theatre in St. Paul, MN; and several Universities. As a playwright, Nelson won the Helen Hayes/Charles MacArthur Award for Most Outstanding New Play for her play Torn From the Headlines. She has taught at UCLA, the University of Maryland, George Washington University, and American University, most recently teaching “Theatre for Social Change” as an adjunct lecturer at Georgetown University. She is not able to be with us for this remount due to a commitment at Cleveland Public Playhouse.

e'Marcus Harper-Short 2018 squaree’Marcus Harper-Short (Musical Director/Keyboard/Creon) received the Helen Hayes Award (2015) for Outstanding Musical Direction for Black Nativity by Langston Hughes (Theater Alliance); a Grammy Award nomination (1998) for Best Traditional Gospel Recording as Conductor for Love Alive V: Walter Hawkins and the Love Center Choir; and a Hollywood NAACP Theater Image Award Nomination (2004) for Best Musical Direction for Da Kink in My Hair by Trey Anthony. Other credits include Musical Arranger for Three Mo’ Divas (PBS Special National) conceived by Marion J. Caffey, and Musical Direction for Invisible Life (Apollo Theater, New York) based on a book by E. Lynn Harris.In 2017 he was named a United States Arts Envoy by the U.S. Department of State.

Keta NewbornKeta Newborn (Stage Manager) is thrilled to be joining Avant Bard for her third production, having been the Stage Manager on King Lear and last year’s The Gospel at Colonus. As a freelancer, Keta has worked in the world of theatre for over 10 years. She has held several titles including Stage Manaager, Assistant Stage Manager, Venue Manager, Production Assistant, Light & Sound Board Ops, and now Production Manager. Her past credits include The New Play Festival (Young Playwrights’ Theater), Little Thing, Big Thing (Solas Nua), Yellowman (Anacostia Playhouse), Black Nativity and Dontrell, Who Kissed the Sea (Theater Alliance), Leto Legend and Failure: A Love Story (The Hub), Disgraced, Secret Garden, and Gidion’s Knot (Next Stop), and The Last Days of Judas Iscariot, How We Got On, and Gidion’s Knot (Forum), The Flick and How We Got On (Company One). Keta would like to thank the whole WSC Avant Bard cast, crew and the Gunston Theatre for being apart of an amazing shows!  She thanks G_d for the opportunity to be used as one of His vessels, working to bring His work of art into the hearts of many while doing what she loves. www.newbornketa.com

Tim Jones (Scenic Designer) is presently the Props Shop Supervisor and an instructor at the Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center at the University of Maryland.  He has also worked as a freelance Scenic and Props Designer throughout the Washington, DC, area.  His design work has been seen on stage at African Continuum Theatre, Theater J, Kansas City Rep, Morgan State University, and Everyman Theatre, as well as the Kennedy Center Theatre for Young Audiences.  Tim is a native of Prince Georges County, MD, but has lived and worked throughout the United States.  He holds an MFA in Scenery and Properties Design from the University of Memphis and a BA in Communication from Salisbury State College.

John D. AlexanderJohn D. Alexander (Lighting Designer) is excited to make his debut with Avant Bard. His recent designs include the national tour of The Migration: Reflections of Jacob Lawrence presented by Step Afrika!, Yellowman by Dael Orlandersmith, Blackberry Winter by Steve Yockey, Darius and Twig by Caleen Jennings, and the national tour of Anne and Emmett by Janet Langhart Cohen. http://www.johndalexanderdesign.com

Clare Parker squareClare Parker (Costume Designer) is a freelance costume designer newly located in Washington DC. She recently graduated from The University of North Carolina School of the Arts with an MFA in Costume Design. She has designed for theatre companies in DC and North Carolina including The In Series, Peppercorn Children’s Theater and Triad Stage. Her credits include Jacques Brel: Songs from his World (The In Series – Costume Designer); Having Our Say (Triad Stage – Costume Designer); Maisy and Sprout (Peppercorn Theater – Costume Designer); The Italian Straw Hat (A. J. Fletcher Opera Institute – Costume Designer). Education: MFA candidate in Costume Design, University of North Carolina School of the Arts; BFA in Costume Design and Technology, Southern Oregon University. clareparkerdesigns.com

Ralph DerbyshireRalph Derbyshire (Technical Director) is an Arlington native. He has worked throughout the DC region for the last 15 years, though most notably with The Smithsonian Folklife Festival (2002-08, 2010-15), GWU’s Lisner Auditorium (2007-12), as well as many local crewing companies setting up special events. He has held the titles Master Carpenter, Master Flyman, Assistant Stage Manager, and Shop Foreman. He also works and volunteers with the National Folk Festival as well as several other festivals locally and around the country. This is his first show with Avant Bard, and he is excited to bring his skills back to real theatre.

Jose Nunez copyJose Nunez (Properties Designer) is a native of the Maryland area. He recently graduated from Ohio University with an MFA in Production Technology, with a focus in Properties Design. He is excited to be working with Avant Bard!

Maegan Clearwood (Original Resident Dramaturg) is a dramaturg, teaching artist, and arts journalist who has served as the Director of Audience Engagement at Avant Bard, Literary Associate at the Eugene O’Neill Theater Center, and Dramaturgy Apprentice at the Olney Theatre Center. Selected dramaturgy credits include: TAME., A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Holiday Memories (Avant Bard); Lizzie: The Musical (Pinky Swear Productions) A Bid to Save the World (Rorschach Theatre); Static (Source Festival); World Builders (Forum Theatre); I and You, The Piano Lesson, The Tempest, Colossal (Olney Theatre Center). As a critic and columnist, her work has appeared in On Stage Blog, HowlRound, and DC Theater Scene. BA in Drama and English from Washington College.

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The Gospel at Colonus plays February 22 to March 25, 2018, at Gunston Arts Center Theatre Two, 2700 South Lang Street, Arlington, VA. Tickets are available online or by calling 703-418-4804.

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WHAT’S THE GOSPEL AT COLONUS ALL ABOUT?

January 2, 2018

Gospel 18 Facebook cover photo 1

A hero in search of home, a classic story retold for today.

‘WHERE SHALL I FIND SANCTUARY?’

A Note from Tom Prewitt, Avant Bard Artistic and Executive Director

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Photo from 2017 production by DJ Corey Photography

The Oedipus story has many meanings, but at its core lies the concept of home. Oedipus thought he had found his home — the place of his highest triumphs, of his greatest wealth and esteem — only to suffer the harshest fate and the most terrible fall from grace that the cruelest gods could devise. As Sophocles tells it, in the course of one, hubris-filled day, he tumbled from the heights of fortune to the depths of terrifying self-recognition, and in the process lost everything, including the place that he called home. Condemned to a life of wandering, accursed in the eyes of all who met him, he spent the rest of his days trying to find a place of shelter, a sanctuary where he could live and die in peace.

And this is where the real drama of The Gospel at Colonus begins — not so much in the story of Oedipus or the daughters who guide him through his years of darkness, but in the reactions of those he meets along the way. Some view him as a living reproach, a pariah to be scorned; others summon the generosity of spirit to welcome him and give him comfort. These great-hearted souls are the true heroes of the play. The real test of a culture, the play suggests, lies in how it treats the weakest and most vulnerable in its midst. As a great thinker long ago preached, “Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.”

Gospel 18 336x280For over 27 years Avant Bard has presented the best of world drama, in productions that challenge audiences to see the plays’ meaning and relevance in a new light. The musical you are about to see fits firmly in that tradition, combining elements of African American and Greek culture in a bracing mix that allows us to see this ancient tale with fresh eyes. The story of a blind, homeless old man and his family — scorned by many, but welcomed by a few — takes on new urgency, especially at a time when so many from all over the world, fleeing from the horrors of their past, seek shelter in our midst. Sophocles suggests that the test of our own or any other civilization lies in how we respond to the challenge of outsiders among us. Will we reject them out of fear or prejudice? Or will we, in the words of another great thinker, hearken to “the better angels of our nature,” and give them the sanctuary they long for, the home that we all deserve?

In a time of great strife and civil unrest, the answers to such questions may well determine whether our nation — conceived in liberty and dedicated to the proposition that all people are created equal — can long endure.

WHY THE MYTH OF OEDIPUS CALLS TO US

A Note from Jennifer L. Nelson, the Original Director

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Photo from 2017 production by DJ Corey Photography

Mythologies are timeless, finding their origins in the need to understand how both extraordinary and mundane behaviors influence temporal realities that may otherwise seem to be out of human control. Providing stories of success and failure, they give us models for our own aspirations and frailties. They offer stories of women and men who rise to meet daunting challenges, often — but not always — unaware of the inevitable perils that will accompany whatever choices are made. Dragons, giants, sorcerers, ogres, fire pits and angry gods are timeless symbols of what may be encountered on the hero’s journey. Yet our classic myths (and our daily lives) also demonstrate how we humans are oddly immune to warnings: we fail again and again to heed prophecies and danger signs. We set common sense aside for pleasure and self-aggrandizement. We believe it is the individual hero’s divine task to overcome challenges — including peril and fear — and we believe it is possible.

Gospel 18 336x280The Gospel of Colonus is a hero story. It brilliantly pairs the classic Greek story of Oedipus with contemporary gospel themes and music.

Oedipus is the figure in Greek mythology who was fated by the gods to kill his father, then marry and bear children with his mother. When adult Oedipus becomes aware of what he has done, he falls into despair, abandons his throne, puts out his own eyes, and sets out to roam blind and alone through the land, seeking the forgiveness of death. The play invites us to witness and share the king’s suffering from our contemporary perspective — perhaps to find our own sense of peace.

For me, theatre always has the potential to transform the viewer. It invites us to step out of our daily lives and through the gift of imagination, experience what it might be like to be someone else; what it’s like to be part of events we might not ever personally encounter. We might, for example, imagine what we might do under the same circumstances as Oedipus. Through such imaginative interaction, we not only are engaged and entertained but are also hopefully enlightened.

THE BACKSTORY OF THE GOSPEL AT COLONUS

Photo from 2017 production by DJ Corey Photography
Photo from 2017 production by DJ Corey Photography

Oedipus was born to King Laius and Queen Jocasta of Thebes. The Oracle at Delphi told Laius that any son born of his union to Jocasta would be their downfall, so upon Oedipus’ birth, they instructed a shepherd to dispose of the child. The shepherd instead brought the young Oedipus to the court of Corinth, where he was adopted by King Polybus and Queen Merope.

Upon learning that the king and queen were not his biological parents, Oedipus consulted the Oracle at Delphi, who prophesied that he would kill his father and marry his mother. In order to protect his adoptive parents from this fate, Oedipus fled from Corinth.

On the way, he encountered a charioteer who, unbeknownst to Oedipus, was his biological father, Laius. Their quarrel escalated into a duel, which resulted in Laius’ death — and fulfillment of the first part of the oracle’s prophecy.

Oedipus next encountered the dreaded Sphinx, who besieged the city of Thebes and killed all travelers who failed to answer the riddle: “What goes on four legs in the morning, two at midday, and three in the evening?” Oedipus quickly realized that the answer was man — who crawls as a baby, walks on two legs in midlife, and walks with a cane as an old man — and therefore vanquished the Sphinx and entered Thebes a hero. There, Creon rewarded Oedipus with the title of king, and gave him his sister, Jocasta, to be his wife — thus fulfilling the second part of the prophecy. Oedipus and Jocasta had four children: sons Eteocles and Polyneices and daughters Antigone and Ismene.

Sophocles’ classic tragedy Oedipus the King, the precursor to Oedipus at Colonus, opens as a plague overtakes Thebes. Oedipus sends Creon to the Oracle at Delphi for help, only to learn that Thebes has been cursed because Laius’ killer had not been brought to justice. Oedipus sends for the blind prophet Teiresias, who reluctantly admits that Oedipus himself murdered the former king and that he is unaware of his true parentage. After Jocasta recounts that she and Laius abandoned their son because of a prophecy, Oedipus realizes the horrifying truth, and Jocasta hangs herself. Oedipus takes a brooch from her gown and blinds himself. Creon and the citizens of Thebes banish Oedipus for his sins and the bad luck he has brought to the city, and he is forced to wander for the rest of his days with his daughter Antigone as his guide.

The musical The Gospel at Colonus is adapted from Sophocles’ classic tragedy Oedipus at Colonus. As our story begins, Oedipus arrives at Colonus seeking solace and sanctuary in his last days.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR OF OEDIPUS AT COLONUS

Sophocles (c. 496 – c. 406 BCE) was, along with Aeschylus and Euripides, one of Athens’ three great tragic playwrights. A respected public figure, musician, athlete, and actor, he won his first accolades as a writer at the Dionysian festival in 468; he went on to write 123 plays, none of which won below second place in competitions. Seven of these works survive in full, including Oedipus Rex, Oedipus at Colonus, Antigone, and Electra. He is widely credited with such theatrical innovations as introducing a third actor to the traditional two, expanding the chorus from 12 to 15 players, and replacing the trilogy form with self-contained tragedies — all allowing for more complex, character-driven dramas.

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The Gospel at Colonus plays February 22 to March 25, 2018, at Gunston Arts Center Theatre Two, 2700 South Lang Street, Arlington, VA. Tickets are available online or by calling 703-418-4804.

 

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This program is supported in part by Arlington County through the Arlington Cultural Affairs division of Arlington Economic Development and the Arlington Commission for the Arts, and by the Virginia Commission for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Arts.

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