I just returned from the great Opening Night of Intimate Apparel by Lynn Nottage. Joining in the warm reception awarded the show were past and present Board leaders Ric and Rhona Arenstein, Roy Burgess, Phyllis and Paul Galanti, and Charlotte and Andy McCutcheon; Bifocals stalwarts Carlene and Tom Bass, Vaughan Gary, Lyde Longacre and Tom McGranahan; and audience member extraordinaire Essie Simms (a painful bout of sciatica was not about to keep her away from an Opening Night).Also making merry were beloved volunteers Bob Boyd, Jean Hartley and Elizabeth Prevatt; loyal staff members Ford Flannagan, Jackie Gann, Lucas Hall, Russell Rowland, Wendy Vandergrift, Jennings Whiteway and Ginnie Willard; and alumna of our recent London/Paris trip Anne Ayer.
As always, several of our treasured actors were at the head of the line to welcome this terrific show to its new life in Richmond, including Robin Arthur, Tony Foley, Scott Melton, Robyn O’Neill, Stacey Reardon, Jill Bari Steinberg, Eddie Tavares, Erin Thomas and Robert Throckmorton. To whomever I’m leaving out, please forgive me. It’s late.
Director Steve Perigard, Stage Manager Chase Kniffen, Lighting Designer Lynne Hartman, and Light Op Lynwood Guyton all graciously accepted kudos as the audience waited for the actors to emerge from the dressing rooms and join the party. When they finally appeared, the six actors who comprise our remarkable cast (Adanma Onyedike [Ida to her friends], Tawnya Pettiford-Wates, Jennifer Massey, Andy Nagraj, Katrinah Lewis and Chris Lindsay) were showered with justly deserved praise and affection. 
I will leave it to others to critique the show, but suffice it to say that Phil Whiteway and I are very proud of the production and all of the talented artists involved. We’re looking forward to a long and glorious run of this beautiful and important new play. If you enjoy great theatre, this is one you won’t want to miss.
2 comments:
Why is it that when white drama groups do plays about black people, they always show black women in their underwear and/or in sexually compromising positions with men? Living Word Stage Company, Richmond's only black drama group, treats black women with respect. That's why Living Word is so needed. Is this what we want our daughters to see?
We established this blog to enable an open conversation between Barksdale Theatre and others in the Metro Richmond family. We believe that open conversation is healthy and positive. Progress is never achieved through silence; understanding and respect come with patience and candor.
In light of this, I appreciate the opinions expressed in the previous comment. With respect, I offer this response.
First, I agree with the opinion that Living Word Stage Company is needed. I believe that Living Word is a vital member of Metro Richmond’s cultural community, and we are all richer for their presence. In addition to working as Artistic Director of Barksdale Theatre, I’m the Artistic Director of Theatre IV, Barksdale’s sister company. Under my leadership, Theatre IV helped to get Living Word on its feet by allowing the young company to use our Empire Theatre home for free for their entire 2005-06 Season.
Second, I agree that black women have faced and continue to face cultural denigration that must be addressed. At the risk of alienating those who hold an opposing view on this complex issue, I am among those who support firing or boycotting entertainers who use their celebrity to promote misogyny and racism, whether it’s Don Imus or Snoop Dog or Nelly.
Finally, I applaud any parent who takes his or her responsibility seriously. I believe parents should always speak out when they feel like their child, or children in general, are being exposed to “entertainment” that is potentially hurtful or dangerous.
The deeply held principles that are reflected in the three paragraphs above are the same principles that make me so proud of our production of "Intimate Apparel." Beautifully and sensitively written by a black woman playwright, Lynn Nottage, "Intimate Apparel" is, above all, a play about the respect that is due to every human being, even if an individual seems inconsequential or unimportant within the ruling social context of the day. The play is about the dignity and power of the human spirit, and the strength that can be marshaled by even the most powerless to rise above their circumstances and command their world. The play has universal themes, but chooses to focus on the power and glory of black women.
I do not know, but I suspect that our anonymous commenter has not seen "Intimate Apparel." I suspect that she is reacting to photos that appear in our blog entry, depicting, as she says, women in their underwear and in positions with men that have the potential for sexual compromise.
The play uses these images and situations not to define black women as sexual objects or victims, but rather to exalt their ability to rise above the circumstances into which they have been placed by society. The play is about triumph. Is this what I want my daughter to see? You bet.
Perhaps this is a good time to mention my perspective on matters of race as they relate to professional theatres. Although I understand and respect the perspective of the commenter, I do not consider Barksdale Theatre to be a "white drama group" or a "white" theatre. I don't think theatres have color unless their mission specifically stresses a particular racial focus.
Barksdale's mission indicates a commitment to the entire community. It is this commitment that led Barksdale in the 1950s to become the first performing arts group in Virginia to admit racially mixed audiences, thereby breaking the back of the Jim Crow laws of that time. It is this commitment that led Theatre IV to become the first major arts organization in Virginia (with a budget of $1 million or greater) to elect an African-American Board President. In fact, Theatre IV has now been led by three African-American Board Presidents. Anthony Keitt, Barksdale's current Board President, is also African-American.
I thank and respect the opinions of all those who choose to comment on our blog entries. I encourage you to see our work, particularly "Intimate Apparel," and hope that our plays will prompt continuing conversation.
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