Recurring Characters

As I have been reading through several of Cleage’s novels, starting with What Looks Like Crazy on an Ordinary Day and recently finishing Babylon Sisters. I was amazed and slightly caught off guard when characters from prior novels kept recurring. Crazy and I Wish I Had a Red Dress use a prominent character in both [...]

Post-show discussion - Sunday, July 29

This past Sunday we had our second post-show discussion for 2 by Pearl (the first, a small discussion following a League of Chicago Theatres Theater Thursday performance, included a brief backstage tour), and there were some really fascinating questions and answers and thoughts from audience and artists alike.

Ava’s Travels

Traveling coincidences?
In the Eclipse’s current production of Cleage’s Late Bus to Mecca the character Ava Johnson is beginning a journey from Detroit to Atlanta to possibly open her own hair parlor.
In Cleage’s novel What Looks Like Crazy on an Ordinary Day the character Ava Johnson takes a journey from being a hairdresser in Atlanta to [...]

Opening night

2 by Pearl opened Sunday night after a couple of great previews - we were working on the technical elements and directors Chuck Smith and Thomas Jones were giving notes to the actors through the weekend as we got ready for the opening performance.
One of the most interesting things to see (for me, anyway) is [...]

Hey, we’re on TV!

Stage Channel has two clips of 2 by Pearl currently running here.
If the link doesn’t take you right to the video, you may need to search for “2 by Pearl” on the Stage Channel site.
This is Alana Arenas and Frances Wilkerson, waiting for the Late Bus to Mecca. There’s also a scene from Hospice with Noelle Hardy [...]

Late Bus times two

In Late Bus to Mecca, Pearl Cleage introduces us to two women - Ava Johnson is a confident, talkative prostitute looking for salvation; and A Black Woman (ABW, as it’s written in the script) is a woman whose unknown past has bruised her spirit enough to make her silent throughout the play.
In the production Thomas Jones is directing [...]

Why Pearl Cleage knocks me out, part three

Because of dialogue like this:
JENNY: I told someone once that the music of Billie Holliday ran through my early life like a leitmotiv.
ALICE: What did he say?
JENNY: Why do you assume I was talking to a man?
ALICE: It’s a seduction line, Sister. I’m not that sick. What did he say?
JENNY: He said, “What’s a leitmotiv?”
(They both [...]

Tech week

We spent the hottest day of the year loading set pieces, furniture and lumber into the second floor studio of the Victory Gardens Greenhouse Theater yesterday - it’s always a fun day to step into the empty theater for the first time and start the process of filling it up.
The actors don’t move into the [...]

An early run through of 2 by Pearl

2 by Pearl had 2 full run throughs this past weekend, giving the designers a chance to see what each show looks like at this point and giving the actors an audience for the first time in the rehearsal process.

 As Hospice (right) began, director Chuck Smith called out some of the technical cues, giving us [...]

Costume design for 2 by Pearl

The design team for 2 by Pearl (myself included) gets our first look at a run through of both short plays tomorrow morning. For most of us it’s the first time we’ve seen the actors since listening to the first read through.
In addition to watching the rehearsal, we’ll also be meeting to talk about the design elements and give both [...]

Ali vs. Quarry: Rebirth of an American hero

In Late Bus to Mecca, Ava Johnson is waiting at a Greyhound bus station in Detroit for the bus to Atlanta, where Muhammad Ali is about to return to the ring to face Jerry Quarry.
After winning a gold medal in the 1960 Olympics and a heavyweight title in 1964, Ali was convicted of violating the [...]

Sharing space

Our upcoming production of 2 by Pearl features two one-act plays written by Pearl Cleage; Hospice and Late Bus to Mecca. One of the challenges in producing a collection of one-act plays is always the set design - how do you create a set that accommodates multiple stories and creates a cohesive world for the [...]

2 by Pearl

Rehearsals began this past Saturday morning for 2 by Pearl, a pair of one acts by Pearl Cleage that we’ll be opening in mid-July at the Greenhouse. Introductions were made, logistics were covered, and each designer spoke briefly about their thoughts and plans. The actors then read through Hospice and Late Bus to Mecca, and the [...]