Berry College Theatre Company presents The Colored Museum in February

Media release: The Berry College Theatre Company will present the next offering of their 2012-13 season, a satire about African-American history that begins with their arrival on slave ships and continues through to the 1980s when the play, George C. Wolfe's The Colored Museum, was written and first performed. The play challenges the "identity" choices Black Americans have made over many decades in response to oppression, racism and cultural disenfranchisement in this country. The Colored Museum marks the first BCTC production to feature an all-Black cast and is presented in cooperation with Berry's Office of Multicultural Affairs. The show will run for two weekends, opening on Thursday, February 14^th.  The play will be presented at Berry's E.H. Young Theatre located in Blackstone Hall.  John Countryman, Associate Professor of Fine Arts, directs The Colored Museum, a show that was coordinated to begin rehearsing in association with celebrations of Martin Luther King Day on campus.  Although the play is generally light-hearted and farcical, and contains a great deal of jazz-and-blues influenced music and a spattering of dance, its underlying themes are intended as a valuable reminder of the struggle for equality and recognition that African-Americans have experienced throughout their history. The final performance will be a Sunday matinee on February 24 at 2:00 pm.

 

            "The play imagines its various episodes as exhibits in a museum," Countryman explained, "and not only challenges assumptions about stereotypes but also the obstacles African-Americans have faced in their quest to assert an authentic and recognized identity in an adopted culture that, until fairly recently, has been predominantly Caucasian. The play is very relevant to the country's changing demographic and the election of America's first Black president.  The play will unapologetically challenge assumptions about the elevation of African-Americans in civic, political and cultural life in the United States."

 

"I want to see a world where differences are celebrated, explored, examined, smashed up against each other. It is the range of those voices that makes America what it is. To have only one voice - of any kind - is creating an artificial reality," said George C. Wolfe, when the play premiered at Joseph Papp's Public Theatre in 1987. Other than The Colored Museum itself, Wolfe's best-known creation has been Jelly's Last Jam, a musical about Black composer Jelly Roll Morton. He recently appeared as a fashion designer in the popular movie, The Devil Wears Prada.

 

            The Colored Museum is an ensemble production and features freshmen Amanda Jones, Chelsea Hunter, and Stephen Stamps, as well as sophomore Eric Eaton, and senior Jordan Ferrell, all of whom play multiple roles in the production.

 

            Laura Refro designed the abstract setting for the production. The period costume design is the creation of Associate Professor Alice Bristow and the lighting design is by guest artist Chuck Tedder.

 

            Performances of The Colored Museum will occur on February 14, 15, 16 and 21, 22, 23 at 7:30 pm as well as 2:00 pm matinees on Sundays, February 17 and 24. Patrons should be cautioned that the play contains graphic language and is not suitable for children.  Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for students.   Additional information and reservations are available by calling the Berry Theatre Box Office at 706-236-2263.