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As its 36th season comes to a close, Port City is has announced its 2014-15 productions. The season will begin with “Black Hole” by Jean Koppen, Port City’s first “Playwright Incubator Project” production, in which the company works with a local playwright to provide a creatively stimulating environment to develop original theatrical works. The season will continue with “In the Next Room” by Sarah Ruhl, “Shining City” by Conor McPherson, and “Stick Fly” by Lydia R. Diamond.
Port City Playhouse is staging its final production of the 2013-14 season, “Blues for an Alabama Sky,” by playwright Pearl Cleage, May 2-17.
The show is a bittersweet story of five friends at the end of the Harlem Renaissance and the onset of the Great Depression. Directed by Eleanore Tapscott, the play is Port City’s fourth ‘Salute to the American Voice’ production. Numerous social topics envelop the play, such as raging unemployment, homelessness, the fight for reproductive rights, homophobia and brutal gay bashing. “The playwright may have written ‘Blues for an Alabama Sky’ in 1995 and set it in 1930,” said Tapscott. “But its umbrella themes of cultural intolerance and desperate times/desperate measures are quite relevant in 2014.”
A central theme of the play is self-awareness — what a person thinks they are and how they are perceived by others, and how others actually perceive them, said Tapscott. “I wanted the audience to understand the importance of self-awareness and truth. Self-awareness leads to understanding and allows us to make informed, conscious choices.”
Tapscott said she loves the Harlem Renaissance time frame and the outpouring of African-American creativity it unleashed — at a time when Josephine Baker was viewed not as a black artist but as an artist in France.
“I think telling the story of this group of five people and the racial and society struggles they experience illustrates that despite the progress we've made, there is still a lot more work to be done,” added Tapscott.
Producer Sydney-Chanele Dawkins said she first saw the play three years ago in the African Continuum Theatre’s production directed by Walter Dallas, and she still gets goose bumps when she thinks about it.
“‘Blues for an Alabama Sky’ is a beautiful, meaningful play bringing to life vibrant characters, and as Pearl Cleage says, it ‘speaks the truth to the people,’” said Dawkins.
“You can't have a heartbeat and not be affected by the power and mission of Pearl Cleage's writing,” added Dawkins. “That's why I am psyched to share this wonderful storytelling with the citizens of Alexandria and our extended theater-loving community.”
Actor Mack Leamon plays Leland Cunningham, a transplant to Harlem from the South who’s seen some tragedy and isn’t quite healed — but with clear definitions of right and wrong. Leamon said doing a period piece presents unique challenges with its customs, style, culture, and even technology of the time period, which all impact behavior. “It is a difficult task for the actor to identify those differences, recognize how they would affect behavior and incorporate them into your behavior in a true and honest way,” he said.
“As people, we tend to judge things and view things through the prism of our own lives and experiences,” he said. “And that usually makes us view things as very black and white.”
He added, “In reality, there are many different shades of gray. If I put myself in the shoes of another person, I can understand how they are who they are. I hope audiences can appreciate this idea in all of the characters in the play.”
Guy Jacobs, played by Malcolm Lee, is an energetic fashion designer who dreams of being one of Josephine Baker’s costume makers in Paris. “Guy is flamboyant, but he’s also passionate and determined about his work and his friends,” he said. “So I want to make sure it’s portrayed exquisitely on stage.”
Lee added, “I want the audience to take away the bond that these characters have, as well as the struggles that they were dealing with during the Harlem Renaissance. The characters are all from different avenues of life, but they all find a way of handling their dilemmas together.”
Actor DeJeanette Horn plays Sam, a.k.a. “Doc,” who he describes as a giving man who cares very much about the people in his community. “Unfortunately for him, the close connection with the community also exposes his soul to the tough realities of life in 1930s Harlem.”
He said, “I would like for people to see that our lives are an opportunity to experience great and wonderful things… We all may not get to Paris, but at least we can help a fellow man and let the good times roll in the process.”
Actor Christine Wells plays the character of Delia Patterson, a social worker at a family planning clinic. “Delia is all too aware of the sacrifices and consequences that women made and endured during that time, especially when facing pregnancy, whether planned or unplanned,” she said. “As a result, she becomes an ardent activist for family planning and for women’s right to the use of contraceptives.”
Wells added, “One main challenge I have had during this play is identifying and defining Delia’s character, and being able to illustrate that onstage and in rehearsals.”
Actor Lolita Clayton plays Angel, the entertainer embroiled socially in the Harlem Renaissance movement. “Truly though, her profession, love-life, and her relationships are all consciously or unconsciously fostered by the slowly aging diva with her survival as the ultimate goal.”
Clayton also said, “I hope that audiences will leave with a reminder that a life driven by fear is no life at all. Each of us has a responsibility to dream extraordinary dreams for ourselves,” she said.
“Blues for an Alabama Sky” runs Friday-Saturday, May 2-3, 9-10 and 16-17, and Tuesday, May 13, at 8 p.m., with Saturday matinees on May 10 and 17 at 2 p.m. Port City performs at 1819 N. Quaker Lane, Alexandria, VA. General admission tickets are $18 for adults, $16 for seniors, students and military, and $14 for groups of 10 or more. Visit www.portcityplayhouse.org.