2008 - 2009 Theater Season

PLEASE NOTE NEW CURTAIN TIMES:
7PM ON THURSDAY, FRIDAY AND SATURDAY
3PM SUNDAY

Theater Productions

Bug
September 18th - October 19th, 2008
By Pulitzer Prize-winner Tracy Letts
Directed by Megan Sandberg-Zakian
A handsome drifter. A lonely waitress. A cheap motel. But what's that crawling across the bed? Reality slowly blurs and suspense turns to horror, as this darkly comic thriller explores the line between conspiracy theory and actual conspiracy. A tale of love, paranoia, and the grip of government, Bug will get under your skin.

This play contains some violence and brief nudity. Recommended for mature audiences.

Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 7pm
Sundays at 3pm


A Time of Fire
February 5th - March 8th, 2009
By Charles Mulekwa
Directed by Donald W. King
An unnamed African country. A civil war. A student, a thief, and a soldier. Who would you trust with your life? This electrifying new play by Ugandan playwright Charles Mulekwa brings us the story of crisis in Africa - not with media or hollywood gloss - but from an intimately personal point of view.

Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 7pm
Sundays at 3pm


Gem of The Ocean
April 9th - May 10th, 2009
By Pulitzer Prize-winner August Wilson
Directed by Don Mays
Guilt. Love. Heritage. World-renowned playwright, August Wilson, commences his charting of Black folks in America with this powerful, haunting tale of a spiritually tormented young man who pays a visit to the wise Aunt Ester on the eve of her 287th birthday. As the 20th century dawns and the legacy of slavery lingers, Wilson - and Aunt Ester - ask us "what use do we make of our freedom?"

Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 7pm
Sundays at 3pm

FIRST LOOK Reading Series

Your chance to catch a sneek peak at a new work for the American stage - and be part of the development process by letting us know what you think in post-show discussions.

Monday, January 12th, 2009, 7pm

Monday, March 23rd, 2009, 7pm

Monday, May 4th, 2009, 7pm

2007 - 2008 Theater Season

Theater Productions

The Etymology of Bird
April 10 - May 18, 2008
By Zakiyyah Alexander
Directed by Megan Sandberg-Zakian
Brooklyn, New York, 2008. Another long, hot NYC summer where B-boys, fly girls, and MCs mix with merengue, salsa, dancehall, and the new cop on the block. Birdy and Jermaine have known each other forever, but this summer, they see each other for the first time. The Etymology of Bird is a love story about our neighbors, our neighborhoods, and the choices we make that can change everything.

Thursdays at 7pm
Fridays at 8pm
Saturdays at 8pm
Sundays at 3pm

FIRST LOOK Reading Series

Your chance to catch a sneek peak at a new work for the American stage - and be part of the development process by letting us know what you think in post-show discussions.

Monday, October 22nd, 7pm: A Time of Fire by Charles Mulekwa

Monday, February 25, 7pm: Trojan Barbie by Christine Evans; Directed by Nadia Mahdi

Monday, April 28, 7pm: Shoeshine Safari by John ADEkoje

Two Can Play
October 4 - November 11, 2007
ByTrevor Rhone
Directed by Michael Rogers
Kingston Jamaica circa 1980. As bullets fly by the windows, Jim and Gloria fantasize about leaving their small, war-torn Caribbean nation for a new life in the US. But when fantasy meets reality, their marriage becomes the first victim of American-style idealism. Two Can Play is a romantic comedy that takes a hilarious and revealing look at the perils of love, marriage, and the American dream.

Thursdays at 7pm
Fridays at 8pm
Saturdays at 8pm
Sundays at 3pm


Tabanca: A Workshop Production
December 7, 8, and 9, 2007
Conceived and Directed by Donald W. King
Performed by The Black Rep 07/08 Affiliated Artists
Don't miss this evening of work generated by our talented 07/08 Affiliated Artists:John ADEkoje, Aaron Andrade, Cilla Julia Bento, Nehassaiu DeGannes, Elizabeth Anne Keiser, Keith Mascoll, Nadia Mahdi, Don Mays, Stephen Buescher, Bob Jaffe, Pamela Lambert, Michaelle Saintil, Mishell Lilly, Clayon McFarlane, Charles Mulekwa, Whit Wales, and Raidge

Providence, RI. Be the first to glimpse a new work in progress that interrogates constructions of race, class, and culture in America ... and the rest of the African Diaspora.

Thursdays at 7pm
Fridays at 8pm
Saturdays at 8pm
Sundays at 3pm

The Bluest Eye
February 2- March 9, 2008
Adapted by Lydia Diamond from the novel by Toni Morrison
Directed by Don Mays
Lorain, Ohio, 1941. 11-year-old Pecola Breedlove prays for the one thing she knows will change her life - eyes as blue as Shirley Temple's. The year the marigolds in Lorain do not bloom, Pecola's life does change - in unexpected and devastating ways. This vivid adaptation of Toni Morrison's much-lauded debut novel is the heartrending story of three girls coming of age in a world that is equal parts beauty and ugliness, love and hate, triumph and tragedy.

Thursdays at 7pm
Fridays at 8pm
Saturdays at 8pm
Sundays at 3pm

2006 - 2007 Theater Season

Theater Productions

Done by R.N. Sandberg
directed by Megan Sandberg-Zakian
April 12 - May 20, 2007
The Black Rep is proud to present the world premiere production of this dynamic new play based on interviews with over 100 teenagers. What really goes on between young people in the hallway, online, after school, outside the dance, under their breath, behind your back? The answers may surprise you. RN Sandberg gives us a rare insight into the complex world of teens - by turns tender and violent, angry and joyful, generous and cruel ... but always smart and real.

Thursdays at 7pm
Fridays at 8pm
Saturdays at 8pm
Sundays at 3pm

photo by Ron Hagerman

FIRST LOOK Reading Series

Your chance to catch a sneek peak at a new work for the American stage - and be part of the development process by letting us know what you think in post-show discussions.
September 25, 2006
February 26, 2007
April 30, 2007

The Colored Museum by George C Wolfe
directed by Don Mays
October 12 - November 19, 2006
Wolfe's now classic play with music unfolds in eleven sophisticated and hilarious "exhibits" that display the Black experience in America from the Middle Passage to the Temptations. This museum will make you laugh to keep from crying and ultimately challenge you to consider: is it possible to simultaneously honor and transcend a past that is so complicated in its beauty and pain?

Thursdays at 7pm
Fridays at 8pm
Saturdays at 8pm
Sundays at 3pm


Yellowman (Reprise Performances) by Dael Orlandersmith
directed by Don Mays
October 30 at Black Rep (7pm)
November 4 at Rhode Island College (8pm)
November 5 at 2nd Story Theatre (3pm)

A Workshop Production created and performed by The Black Rep 06/07 Affiliated Artists
December 8,9, and 10, 2006
Don't miss this evening of work generated by our talented 06/07 Affiliated Artists:
Aaron Andrade, Cilla Julia Bento, Nehassaiu DeGannes, Elizabeth Anne Keiser, Keith Mascoll, Nadia Mahdi, Don Mays and Raidge

Thursdays at 7pm
Fridays at 8pm
Saturdays at 8pm
Sundays at 3pm

Black Maria by Kevin Young
adapted for the stage and directed by Donald W. King
February 1 - March 11, 2007
Young's acclaimed collection of "noir poetry" comes to the stage in an original, musical adaptation. In Shadowtown, "soft-boiled" private eye, A.K.A. Jones, meets the dangerously attractive Delilah Redbone, a cabaret singer with a secret. "Boy and girl rendez vous: his place, her place, a no-tell motel, who can tell. Throughout, a hint of crime, or at least a world in which everyone's a suspect. Is she too good or bad to be believed? Can anyone be believed? Stay tuned."

Thursdays at 7pm
Fridays at 8pm
Saturdays at 8pm
Sundays at 3pm

Please see Calendar of Events for specific shows and times.