Black History Month: East Orange Actor Takes On 'For Colored Girls...'

EAST ORANGE, NJ — If you recently got an email from East Orange actor, singer and dancer Dana Hawkins, the signature line contained the motto that she lives by: "Passion is born when you catch a glimpse of your true potential."

The quote from writer Fred Smith speaks to the dedication and hard work that Hawkins has poured into her artistic endeavors, including the theater.

According to a news release from the Bloomfield-based 4th Wall Theater, Hawkins has a resume steeped in acting, musical theater, voice and dance, including a stint with the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre and experience as an intern at the Dance Theatre of Harlem.

Hawkins will play the "Lady in Green" in the Bloomfield-based 4th Wall Theater's upcoming production of Ntozake Shange' uniquely titled "for colored girls who have considered suicide when the rainbow is enuf," a staged reading and "choreopoem" that weaves together 20 separate poems with music, movement and narratives to tell the stories of love, empowerment, and struggle and loss in a complex representation of sisterhood of African-American women.

The show - part of the theater's tribute to Black History Month - will run two nights at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 16 and Friday, Feb. 17, at the Westminster Arts Center at Bloomfield College. For more information or to purchase tickets, visit www.4thwalltheatre.org, or call (973) 996-8484.

When asked what attracts her to the piece, Hawkins cited the bond the women shared in their stories.

“I am so excited for the audience to see the truth of these women," Hawkins said. "What we go through and how we feel when we go through it. Sometimes it’s hard for women, especially black women, to share their truth because we are used to or 'trained' to just keep on moving. What [the play] makes clear, is that just because we press on, that doesn't mean we don't hurt.”

Hawkins is also slated to choreograph the musical Sister Act for interACT Theatre Productions.

• See related article: Bloomfield’s 4th Wall Theater Celebrates 20 Years Of Living On The Edge

Article courtesy of 4th Wall Theater

Photo courtesy of Tom Schopper

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