WBTT to present play reading of 'Crumbs from the Table of Joy’

On June 17, Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe (WBTT) will take part in Project1VOICE/1PLAY/1DAY, an international play reading effort presented in association with 45 theater companies and other diverse institutions to celebrate African-American theater. This year, Project1VOICE has selected Crumbs from the Table of Joy by two-time Pulitzer Prize-winner Lynn Nottage for the readings.

Crumbs is a memory play told through Ernestine, a 17-year-old African-American woman whose family is dealing with its own realities of change. Reeling from the loss of his wife, Godfrey Crump – Ernestine’s father – is left with the sole responsibility of raising his two maturing daughters. The play addresses themes including a family disrupted, the bridging of cultural divides, a woman’s coming of age, grieving and bereavement, and the turmoil facing the U.S. in the early 1950s surrounding issues such as civil rights, women’s rights, racism, and religion.

Artists performing in the reading at WBTT are Syreeta Banks, Michael Kinsey, Amber Myers, Kathryn Parks and Jai Shanae. The director is Travis Ray. This is the fourth year WBTT has participated in Project1Voice; previous readings have included George C. Wolfe’s The Colored Museum, Dael Orlandersmith’s Yellowman, and last year’s Flyin' West by Pearl Cleage – WBTT will close its 2019-2020 season with the full production of that show.

Project1VOICE/1PLAY/1DAY – now in its ninth year – is an international, same-day, play reading series that revives and reintroduces neglected, forgotten and/or underappreciated seminal works by black playwrights for the American theater. The series also celebrates and honors the black global experience through partnerships that reflect the historical roots of each participating city. Project1VOICE, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit performing arts service organization based in New York City whose mission is to promote and support black theater, including black playwrights.

"While the shows we have presented have been very different, we have found the Project1Voice program to be a worthwhile endeavor. It is our hope that these readings will make people think and spark some spirited conversations," said WBTT founder and artistic director Nate Jacobs. "Our mission is to promote and celebrate the African-American experience and, through efforts such as Project1VOICE/1PLAY/1DAY, we can become part of something bigger than ourselves and work to explore and empower black identity."

The presentation of Crumbs will consist of actors reading from the script in a non-musical production. The reading will take place Monday, June 17, at 7:30 p.m. at the Education & Outreach Building adjacent to the WBTT theater (1012 N. Orange Ave., Sarasota). Tickets are $17 (includes $2 ticketing fee). Call the Box Office (941-366-1505).

About Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe
The Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe of Florida, Inc. is the only professional black theater company on Florida’s West Coast. The mission of Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe is to produce professional theatre that promotes and celebrates the African-American experience, to attract diverse audiences, to support and develop African-American artists, and to build the self-esteem of African-American youth. For more information about WBTT, visit the website at westcoastblacktheatre.org or call 941-366-1505.