This particular Lady in Red is played by Tiana McLean '04 in Ntozake Shange's play "Four Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow is Enuf," directed by Sheila Graham '03 and Germaine Dunn '03 in fulfillment of their Drew House project requirement. The production will be showing in the Frontroom this weekend.
All the characters in the play, which chronicles minority women's lives, are nameless. Rather, the quality that distinguishes each character is the color of her dress-there are ladies in red, orange, yellow and so on.
Graham and co-director/stage manager Germaine Dunn '03 first came upon "Colored Girls" in their Contemporary Black Theater course with Visiting Artist Woody King, Jr., who has produced both Broadway plays and the original production of "Colored Girls." Both Graham and Dunn were intrigued by how the play portrayed black women and wanted to bring it to the rest of the campus.
In its original form, "Colored Girls" was written for seven cast members. Graham and Dunn had to rework the play and split or add characters because of a huge turnout. They began planning in September and rehearsals started in October. "I have been excited about the play since I first read it, and I wanted to see it performed. It's been a pleasant and bonding experience working with the people involved with the play," said Dunn.
After viewing an impressive rehearsal, I was amazed by the breadth of issues and emotions encompassed by the play. Among the highlights were powerful monologues by Jillian Brewster '03 and Vanessa Olivier '01. Brewster's character addresses the interplay of gender and culture, as well as her disillusionment after her move to the oppressive "six blocks of Harlem." Olivier's Lady in Yellow discusses the "metaphysical dilemma" of colored women and laments that her "love was too delicate to have been thrown back on [her] face."
Kedeshia Spooner '03 choreographed the play's dance sequence, an upbeat number featuring jumps and controlled arm movements.
"If you had a big room filled with black women, at least one would identify with the woman in each scene. There are so many heart-wrenching things black women go through, and the play addresses the unity felt as black women," said cast member Ifeoma Anunkor '04 of the play's appeal.
Anunkor also felt that the play placed more emphasis on entertaining the audience than on heightening awareness about the lives of minorities. "Although a lot of the play is deep, I don't think there is a huge underlying message," she said.
The play addresses many of the trials and tribulations resulting from black women's interactions with black men. Black men are not portrayed favorably in the play. For the most part, they remain offstage (Jonathan Mosley '01 has the only male role), but they are ever-present as the targets of the women's diatribes.
After the Saturday performance, the Black Women's Group will sponsor a reception, as well as a raffle for a one-hour massage at a local spa. Proceeds from the raffle will go to the Witnesses for Peace Delegation to Cuba. Tickets are free and available on a limited basis at the Campus Center front desk. There is a suggested donation of $10, which will go to Drew House's spring festival.
Rounding out the cast are Beryl Dudley '04, Lianne Gibbs '02E, Teri Harris '01, Tene Howard '01, Lauren Johnson '04, Michelle Oliveros-Larsen '02, Renata Robinson '04, Tammy Stewart '04 and Schlawyea Turner-Blunt '02E.