Vonnie Borden Theatre to present ‘for colored girls…'
Wednesday, September 20, 2017
by: Rene Abadie
HAMMOND – Just over 40 years ago, New York poet and playwright Ntozake Shange’s first
and most acclaimed stage performance of “for colored girls who have considered suicide/when
the rainbow is enuf” made its debut in Berkley, Calif.
Scheduled Oct. 3 – 6 at 7:30 p.m. each night, this award-winning and shockingly
honest portrayal of the inner and outer life of an American black woman will come
to Southeastern Louisiana University’s Vonnie Borden Theatre.
“For colored girls…” is considered unique within the genre of African-American
theatre. It has been considered a “choreopoem,” a term coined by Shange, which describes
a performance that incorporates poetry, dance, music, and song. Seven black women,
each clothed in a color of the rainbow, perform poems from a collection assembled
by Shange at the urging of her sister.
Tickets can be purchased from the Vonnie Borden Theatre box office located in
the lobby of D Vickers one hour before performance time. General admission tickets
are $15; $10 for seniors and non-Southeastern students; Southeastern students are
admitted free with university ID.
“It’s a very interesting production because there is no protagonist,” said Sarah
Balli, a senior from Bush, who is directing and designing the production as part of
her senior project. “It’s an ensemble cast of seven African-American females. There
are several scenes where they perform their pieces alone, but also many where they
perform together. Who performs what and with whom was put in the stage direction by
Shange, and I am staying as true to the text as possible.”
The piece, which won an Obie Award (Off-Broadway Awards) in 1977, includes 21
poems, each recounting or describing the good, bad, and ugly parts of Shange’s life
as a black woman living in 20th Century America. The performance is intended for an
adult audience because of subject matter content that includes rape, suicide and domestic
abuse.
“Shange revealed in interviews several years ago that she came up with the name
for this piece when she was driving down the highway while in a very dark emotional
place,” said Balli. “She had attempted suicide several times before then, and was
going back to that place until she saw a double rainbow over the highway. After she
passed through it, she began to feel much better. I think that kind of hope is actually
beautiful and inspiring.”
The cast of seven includes New Orleanians Taylor Bennett as the Lady in Yellow,
Kaysha Barra as the Lady in Green, Jordin Jones as the Lady in Red, and Raven Matthews
as the Lady in Brown; Shelley Sneed of Minden as the Lady in Purple; Ariana Robinson
of Prairieville as the Lady in Blue; and Breyanna Johnson of Dallas, Tex., as the
Lady in Orange.
Balli, who is white, said she consciously chose this piece to challenge herself
and expand her own understanding of race. With only half of the perspective necessary
to do Shange’s work justice, Balli relied heavily on the experiences of her cast to
bring the performance to life.
“To be a white woman directing a black woman’s play written for black women is
quite a humbling experience,” she said. “From our first table reading, I made it very
clear to the cast that this was going to be a very collaborative process. Although
I can connect to many of these poems as a woman, I can only connect with them to a
certain extent because ‘for colored girls’ was and is for women of color. I’m intentionally
creating a safe place during rehearsals for my cast to express what these poems mean
to them. By doing that, I hope to empower women of color and enlighten everyone else.”
For more information, visit southeastern.edu/theatre or call 985-549-2184.
