For Colored Girls

What do Billy Crudup, Denzel Washington and Tom Cruise all have in common?

Well they have all been known for their “oh that’s why you’re a movie star” good looks, but that’s the wrong answer.

The right one is that they are all originally from New York, and before they hit the big show, they were smaller town boys.

While the heart of the East coast show biz industry lies in Manhattan, just an hour or so outside of the big city, an abundance of art and culture is just waiting for countrywide recognition. In fact, many emerging artists all over the Empire State start out in their hometown before trickling into New York City.

I should know. I’m one of them.

And although Poughkeepsie (one of New York’s upstate cities) may not be my hometown, it is for some of the actors I directed in my latest theatrical endeavor, For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When The Rainbow Is Enuf, by Ntozake Shange.

A production made possible by my collaboration with Poughkeepsie’s New Day Repertory Company, the show took place at the Family Partnership Center in celebration of Mother’s Day.

Regional actress Soyal Smalls played the role of stage manager and kept the show afloat by keeping the actors on board and up to speed.

“You really don’t get a real feel for the industry until you have been on both sides,” she said. “Working both onstage and behind the scenes is the ultimate experience in the theatre–making it happen from all angles.”

The play itself is a collection of poems that tells the stories of various women that remain nameless throughout the show—traditionally women of color. However, this production was done with colorblind casting. Diversifying the show was the main goal to really make it a Mother’s Day weekend for women from all backgrounds and walks of life.

The cast included Ashley Osadon, Casey Cephas, Nasarima Foster, Jennifer Reid, Reina Onorato, and Chanel Tolbert.

“Working on For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow Is Enuf was a great experience that helped me learn I can juggle a lot of things at once,” Ashley said.

Considering the long length of certain monologues, the short rehearsal process, and the fact that getting the cast in one room was like getting an exclusive pre-wedding interview of Mariah Carey’s recent and very surprising nuptials—juggling was necessary.

According to film director and producer Robert Cohen, “nothing so distinguishes great acting–in any style, in any historical period–than the feeling that the actor has the potential to ‘go off’ at any moment and to unleash an explosion–a flood of lava that will be totally uncontrolled and uncontrollable. Great acting always dances with danger!”

Dangerous is certainly one way to describe the text of this show. Written in 1975, the monologues may have dated cultural references, but the experience of the women captured in the writing continues to resonate with modern audiences. Shange tackles issues like love, rape, domestic violence, self-esteem, and abortion while peppering the show with much-needed comic relief.

“If I ever poured my heart out to a guy and got heart broken, if I ever was raped or beaten. I’m not alone,” Nasarima said. “I share an experience with a myriad of women. I need them and they need me.”

That sums up the nature of the show, and although the topics may be heavy, by the time you leave the theatre, you feel surprisingly light. I did my part to aid in this small wonder by selecting Jimmy Cliff’s “I Can See Clearly Now” as the final song in the show.

For now, the run may be over, but with my cast ecstatic about their current accomplishment, talk of an autumn revival already has me happily planning out my post-summertime agenda.