WHAT: “the road
weeps, the well runs dry.” A World Premiere play.
WHO: Written by
Marcus Gardley. Directed by Shirley Jo Finney. Casting by Chemin Bernard,
C.S.A. Produced by The Latino Theater Company.
ADMISSION:
Regular performances- $40. LATC members, students, seniors and veterans, $20.
Thursdays $10- $15. Previews Thurs. $10- $20. Fri. $20.
Find out what's happening in Echo Park-Silver Lakefor free with the latest updates from Patch.
Find out what's happening in Echo Park-Silver Lakefor free with the latest updates from Patch.
This
production is part of what is being termed a Rolling World Premiere---that is,
it is being produced not only at Los Angeles Theatre Center, but at three other
theatres across the country as well, through the leadership of Lark Play
Development Center’s Launching New Plays into the Repertoire Initiative. The
consortium of theatres producing this play consists of the Latino Theater Company,
Perseverance Theatre in Alaska, Pillsbury House Theatre in Minneapolis, and the
University of South Florida. Information on all of the productions can be found
on the national blog http://theroadweeps.org
“the
road weeps, the well runs dry” is a story set in the mid-19th
Century town of Wewoka, Indian Territory (later Oklahoma), the first all-Black
town in the U.S., established by Black Seminole freedmen who had migrated the
Trail of Tears from Florida.
Number
Two, a Black man, and Trowbridge, a Seminole, shared a deep connection as youths in Florida. As adults,
they’ve grown apart, marrying women and beginning families. Trowbridge becomes
sheriff of Wewoka, and bests Number Two in a dispute over a parcel of land,
making them enemies. As fate would have it, Number Two’s daughter and
Trowbridge’s son fall in love, a love which cannot be denied, leading to murder
and bloody vendetta.
Complicating
matters further, Wewoka seems cursed, enduring a drought that extends into
decades. Constant vigilance is necessary, lest Wewoka be raided by the Creeks,
who practice slavery. Emerging Christianity is in conflict with the ways of the
old indigenous gods. The U.S. government wants to turn over Wewoka to the
Seminoles, the freedmen’s former enslavers. Wracked by conflict and thirst, it
will take a miracle to save Wewoka. Will that miracle arrive in time?
Marcus
Gardley is playwright. A professor of Playwriting at Brown University, he is
the recipient of an MFA degree from Yale Drama School and has been conferred
numerous honors and awards. His previous works include “Every Tongue Confess,”
“On The Levee,” “And Jesus Moonwalks the Mississippi,” “dance of the holy
ghost,” “like sun fallin’ in the mouth,” and “(L)imitations of Life.”
Shirley
Jo Finney directs. One of the city’s most honored directors, she is the
recipient of the Ovation Award, the L.A. Drama Critics Circle Award, the
Backstage Garland Award, the L.A. Weekly Award, and the NAACP Theatre Award.
Her many stage credits include “Stick Fly,” “Yellowman,” “In the Red and Brown
Water,” “Winnie,” “The Ballad of
Emmett Till,” “Gee’s Bend,” much more. She also directed several episodes of
the TV series “Moesha.” She is also an actor. Ms. Finney received an MFA from
UCLA. African American and Choctaw, Ms. Finney’s mother was born in Wewoka.
The
cast for “the road weeps, the well runs dry” includes Darrell Dennis, Elizabeth
Frances, Demetrius Grosse, Matthew Hancock, Brent Jennings, Monnae Michaell,
Simone Missick, Darryl Alan Reed, Montae Russell, Nakia Secrest and Shaun
Taylor-Corbett.
A
related photo exhibit about the Seminole People will be on display in the LATC Gallery prior to and
following all performances. It is
presented by local community partners the California African American Museum
(CAAM) and Native Voices at the Autry and will be curated by CAAM curator
Tiffini Bowers.
There
will be a series of events connected with the run of the show. The schedule
follows:
Thursday,
October 24. Preview performance and opening of the Seminole Photo Exhibit.
Friday,
October 25. Post-show meet and greet with Marcus Gardley.
Saturday,
October 26- Opening Night and VIP reception.
Sunday,
October 27- 1:00 p.m. pre-show conversation with Marcus Gardley and Shirley Jo
Finney, moderated by Elise Woodson of California African American Museum, in
the LATC Gallery.
Saturday,
November 2- Post-matinee conversation with Shirley Jo Finney.
Saturday,
November 3- Post-matinee panel: “Exploring African American and Native American
Spirituality.” Panelists include Rev. Dr. Cecil “Chip” Murray (USC), Phil
“Pompey” Fixico (Seminole descendant), Professor Hanay Geigomah (UCLA).
Friday,
November 8- Post-show reception with the cast.
Saturday,
November 9- Post-matinee discussion with Valerie Broussard Dismukes, author of
“The Red-Black Connection.” Books available for purchase and signing.
Sunday,
November 10- Post-matinee panel, “Exploring African American and Native
American Musical Traditions.” Panelists TBA.
Friday,
November 15- Post-show meet and greet with Marcus Gardley.
Saturday,
November 16- Post-matinee conversation with Shirley Jo Finney.
Sunday,
November 17- Post-matinee panel, “The Authentic Thanksgiving.” Panelists to
include Dr. Mishuana Goeman (UCLA).
Led
by the Lark Play Development Center, Launching New Plays into the Repertoire is
a national initiative to transform the American theater repertoire to reflect
shifting demographics and emerging issues of local, national and global
concern. This is accomplished by “creating a movement” around a single
playwright’s vision by a consortium of theaters that commit to developing and
producing what many consider “risky” plays and to engage in local and national
conversations about each play’s relevance and emotional impact.
Playwright
Marcus Gardley and his play “the road weeps, the well runs dry” are the
centerpiece of Cycle II. This initiative is made possible with leadership
support from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation with additional funding from The
Nathan Cummings Foundation.