2008 Woodie Awards
For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow is Enuf finishes run
Alexis Richards
Issue date: 10/24/06 Section: Arts & Entertainment
African-American women have desperately needed a strong and unified voice in theatre for a long time. The societal repercussions of the Vietnam War and the Civil Rights Movement on the African-American community have been ignored and tossed aside as insignificant factors in the development of equality in American history.
In a truly vivid and successful ensemble work, Tom Humphrey, Head of the UNCG Theatre Department and director of the production, was able to bring together an ensemble of 6 women in Ntozake Shange's "For Colored Girls who have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow is Enuf."
Ntozake Shange calls her work a Choreopoem, a collection of poetry rather than prose, and what director Tom Humphrey describes as "a synthesis of dance, music, and drama." Working with a choreopoem was something new, unique, and challenging for Humphrey and the ensemble. With no stage direction or hint of the author's original intent within the text, Humphrey gave the work life and made it real for the actors and audience members. Using no props other than four black boxes, the engaged ensemble left the audience thinking, which good theatre always accomplishes.
In an interview Friday afternoon, Humphrey leaned back in his office chair and casually sipped his hot cup of Tate Street coffee. "It's a very important work in terms of form - it's very unique stylistically," Humphrey said. "It's also significant in terms of giving black women a voice."
When asked about the experience of directing, Humphrey explained, "in an academic setting you do as much teaching as you do directing… teaching techniques, teaching how to express..." Indeed, the women learned as much about themselves through character work as the audience members learned from the piece.
After the last performance of the show, the actresses, still in costume, met audience members in the lobby. Tomeka Allen who portrayed "Lady in Brown" wore a beautifully tailored brown dress and looked stunning after an hour and a half long performance. "I gained confidence and I learned to look at my flaws as beautiful, and accept myself," Allen said. "I learned how to be a black woman."
Wafiyyah White, who portayed "Lady in Yellow," stood next to Allen and said that when researching for the role, she looked at images of the 50's and 60's as well as talked with her parents about their particular experiences.
The only actress in the ensemble who was not African-American was Ashley Marie Ortiz. Having to relate to a culture and time that she herself had never experienced, Ortiz underwent a unique process, having to connect to experiences she never had to go through. "The transition from memorizing, to understanding, to living in whatever particular moment I had to on stage" was one of the challenges for Ortiz. "I wouldn't fully grasp it because you learn more and connect differently each time you perform these pieces."
In a truly vivid and successful ensemble work, Tom Humphrey, Head of the UNCG Theatre Department and director of the production, was able to bring together an ensemble of 6 women in Ntozake Shange's "For Colored Girls who have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow is Enuf."
Ntozake Shange calls her work a Choreopoem, a collection of poetry rather than prose, and what director Tom Humphrey describes as "a synthesis of dance, music, and drama." Working with a choreopoem was something new, unique, and challenging for Humphrey and the ensemble. With no stage direction or hint of the author's original intent within the text, Humphrey gave the work life and made it real for the actors and audience members. Using no props other than four black boxes, the engaged ensemble left the audience thinking, which good theatre always accomplishes.
In an interview Friday afternoon, Humphrey leaned back in his office chair and casually sipped his hot cup of Tate Street coffee. "It's a very important work in terms of form - it's very unique stylistically," Humphrey said. "It's also significant in terms of giving black women a voice."
When asked about the experience of directing, Humphrey explained, "in an academic setting you do as much teaching as you do directing… teaching techniques, teaching how to express..." Indeed, the women learned as much about themselves through character work as the audience members learned from the piece.
After the last performance of the show, the actresses, still in costume, met audience members in the lobby. Tomeka Allen who portrayed "Lady in Brown" wore a beautifully tailored brown dress and looked stunning after an hour and a half long performance. "I gained confidence and I learned to look at my flaws as beautiful, and accept myself," Allen said. "I learned how to be a black woman."
Wafiyyah White, who portayed "Lady in Yellow," stood next to Allen and said that when researching for the role, she looked at images of the 50's and 60's as well as talked with her parents about their particular experiences.
The only actress in the ensemble who was not African-American was Ashley Marie Ortiz. Having to relate to a culture and time that she herself had never experienced, Ortiz underwent a unique process, having to connect to experiences she never had to go through. "The transition from memorizing, to understanding, to living in whatever particular moment I had to on stage" was one of the challenges for Ortiz. "I wouldn't fully grasp it because you learn more and connect differently each time you perform these pieces."
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