In case you missed it …

You can watch a clip from last Saturday’s Playwright Scholar Series event, From the Page to the Stage:

This is Steven Fedoruk reading part of “Monogamy Blues,” from The Brass Bed and Other Stories.
Ensemble members read excerpts from What Looks Like Crazy on an Ordinary Day, Deals With the Devil and Other Reasons to Riot, and [...]

Pearl’s Top 10

Plays are great not only to watch but to read and imagine the entire show how you would like to see it acted out.
To get you started here is a Top 10 list of plays recommended by Pearl Cleage from a 2001 article:
1. For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow is [...]

Friday photo rescue

Blues for an Alabama Sky, from the current Pearl Cleage season (this is from a tech rehearsal a few days before the show opened).

Cleage’s Early Career

Clearly, Pearl Cleage is currently primarily known as a novelist, playwright and poet. However, as pointed out by an audience member at last weekend’s post show discussion many people from Atlanta first recall her from her more publicly political years. In her early career she worked a number of media jobs, most prominently [...]

The Motivation behind the Words

In several of the post show discussions for Bourbon at the Border questions regarding the motivation behind Pearl’s writing have come up in reference to the powerful subject matters used in her writing. In a general sense, Cleage is zealous with regard to issues of black life she feels the need for a forum [...]

An interview with the director and producer

A few weeks ago, director Ron OJ Parson and I sat down with Dr. David Unumb, host of Northeastern Illinois University’s Vantage Point radio show (which airs Sunday mornings at 6:30 on WTMX), for an in-depth interview about Bourbon at the Border, Pearl Cleage and Eclipse Theatre Company in general.
In case you weren’t up early [...]

SLP vs. Cleage

In a rare event Eclipse has featured not one but two playwrights during its 2007 season: Pearl Cleage and Suzan Lori Parks. Both prolific African American writers - let’s take a moment and take a quick peek at each author.
Pearl Cleage
Born: December 7, 1948 in Springfield, Massachusetts but was raised primarily in Detroit, Michigan
Education: [...]

Flashback to September 1995

Eclipse’s production of Bourbon on the Border is set in September 1995. Here are a few events from that month to take us back.

The DVD media format is announced.
Hurricane Luis sweeps through an already busy hurricane season due to La Nina.
September 4th the 4th World Conference on Women opens in Beijing.
O.J. Simpson trial is in [...]

Ethnicity in Theatre

Last summer Time Out Chicago had a feature article discussing the race barrier in Chicago. Prior to the articles publication Eclipse had already announced their 2007 season playwright, African American writer Pearl Cleage. A mostly white theater company producing an entire season of theater by an African American playwright. Could this [...]

Bridge to Freedom

In the description of the setting for Bourbon on the Border Cleage states that one can see the Ambassador Bridge connecting Detroit, Michigan to Windsor, Ontario, Canada through the apartment window in May’s apartment. This bridge serves as a symbol throughout the piece. Here is a gorgeous picture of the bridge at sunset:

Dutchman

In Cleage’s Author Note for Bourbon on the Border she references LoRoi Jones’ Dutchman, which was produced in New York in March of 1964. Jones’ play tells a different story than that of the nonviolent activists of the Summer ‘64. His play delves into a darker side of the emotions felt by those fighting for [...]

Attention: Murder in Mississippi

It has been said by many and understood by most that the only reason the murders of three young civil rights workers in Mississippi in 1964 received national attention was because two white men were murdered. In fact, many historians would say that the only reason freedom summer got as much attention as it did [...]

Mississippi Burning

The most publicized murders from Freedom Summer were those of three young civil rights workers-a black volunteer, James Chaney, and his white coworkers, Andrew Goodman and Michael Schwerner. The trio set out to investigate a church bombing but were arrested that afternoon and held for several hours on alleged traffic violations. Their release [...]

Inspiration in Novels

I completely agree with Ron OJ Parson, director of Bourbon at the Border, in that Pearl Cleage has an overwhelming love of the written word. I would like to add, that she has a desire to send a positive message to the world. I find this to be the most apparent in her novels, particularly [...]

Play the love

I’ll get to watch the show this weekend; it’ll be the first full run through since we first gathered, and most of the production team will be there. I got a sneak peek last night, stopping by to watch Ron and the actors work through the first few scenes.
Before starting to work, Ron talked a [...]

Make plans with Pearl this fall

We’ve been making some changes to the blog recently - in addition to the Bourbon at the Border dramaturgical information and the sleek new layout (I think it’s sleek, anyway - let us know what you think), we’ve now added to the right-hand sidebar a link to a full calendar of Eclipse performances and events [...]

Why Pearl Cleage knocks me out, part four

Because of scenes like this - Charlie’s return home after spending time in a mental hospital:
(The sound of a key in the lock as Charlie enters. He has a slight limp. May stands, but does not move toward him. He closes the door, but does not move toward her. They stand looking at each other [...]

First rehearsal for Bourbon at the Border

The rehearsal process for Bourbon at the Border began last weekend with the designers presenting their ideas and the cast reading through the script together for the first time. We looked at pictures and notes from costume designer Elsa Hiltner, sketches and a model from set designer Kevin Scott (both of which I’ll post later), [...]

Get the story behind the story

We’ve added a new feature on the blog - over on the right, you’ll see a link to the Bourbon at the Border dramaturgical research. Click on that link and you’ll see the information that Sarah, our dramaturg for the show, has put together. It’s the same packet that we’ll be handing out to actors and [...]

Back to Pearl

After taking a couple of weeks to go exploring with Suzan-Lori Parks, we’re about to start rehearsals for Bourbon at the Border, the last in our year-long journey through the works of Pearl Cleage. The design team met last night to kick around some ideas and hammer out some logistics, and the actors will get [...]

Post-show discussion - Chain

We performed a staged reading of Pearl Cleage’s short play Chain this past weekend, and rising star Charlette Speigner ripped through a powerful performance as a 16-year old crack addict going through seven days of withdrawal after her parents chain her to a radiator.

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 [...]

Chain

This coming Saturday, we’re offering audiences an extra glimpse into the works of Pearl Cleage: a staged reading and discussion of Pearl Cleage’s powerful short play Chain. It’s a brutally honest and poetic exploration of drug addiction, family, religion, and personal salvation. Rosa, who is fighting literally and metaphorically to escape from what her life has become, speaks directly [...]

Pearls of Wisdom

In many of her works Cleage takes a woman that is “in a bad way” and takes a journey with her into a better place in life. The following are examples of this journey. Late Bus to Mecca displays Ava making her way down to Atlanta to get away from her bad place and make [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

Watch the acceptance speeches from the Jeff Awards

In case you weren’t at the Park West for the 34th annual Jeff Awards a few weeks ago, our friends at stagechannel have put together a compilation of all the acceptance speeches throughout the evening.
First up is Alfred Kemp, who barely had a chance to settle in before getting called up on stage to accept [...]

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 [...]

All of us are telling the same stories

That was one of Pearl Cleage’s comments from our March 24 One Playwright symposium; in the midst of a wide-ranging conversation with Ron OJ Parson, broken by performances of scenes from her plays, Pearl was asked about her tendency as an artist to write about the African-American experience, and how that affects her work and [...]

Listen to WBEZ interview with Pearl Cleage

I’ve been fighting to find the time to write about the last week’s worth of shows and discussions - in the meantime, click here to listen to Steve Edwards talking to Pearl Cleage on Chicago Public Radio’s 848. After tonight, you’ll need to click on “archive” and select the April 4 show. The interview, which [...]

Post-show discussion - Friday, March 23

The first post-show discussion of the 2007 season set the bar pretty high - playwright Pearl Cleage took center stage and answered questions from the audience after the show ended. It was an honor to have her with us, and an exciting night for me, for the actors, and for the audience.
Pearl talked about the [...]

Pearl Cleage Day

I must have missed the official announcement, but today was definitely Pearl Cleage Day in Chicago. We spent the day traveling the city with the wonderful playwright and novelist, celebrating and discussing her works. The day really began last night, when Pearl joined us for a post-show discussion after Blues for an Alabama Sky. The [...]

Opening night

Blues for an Alabama Sky opened on Sunday night, after a couple of fantastic previews. We got some great feedback from our preview audiences, kept making improvements right up to the end, and we’re all excited that the show is now off and running.
Our first post-show discussion is this Friday evening, and it will feature [...]

A hollering place

It’s a fun month (and year) for Pearl Cleage fans in Chicago - our production of Blues for an Alabama Sky opens tonight at the Victory Gardens Greenhouse Theater, Flyin’ West opened at Court Theatre yesterday, and Ms. Cleage herself will be in town next weekend, attending performances of each production and public discussions of [...]

Previews for Blues for an Alabama Sky begin tonight

Last night was final dress rehearsal - our first audience comes in tonight for a preview performance, and we’ll have previews at 8:00 this Friday and Saturday before the big opening Sunday night. The pictures here are from the last few days of tech rehearsals, as the actors and the design team have been putting [...]

Baby Brother’s Blues wins Image Award

Pearl Cleage’s novel Baby Brother’s Blues won the NAACP Image Award for best literary work in the category of fiction last Friday night.
Congratulations to Ms. Cleage, and to the rest of the winners.
Some other highlights: Forest Whitaker and Jennifer Hudson both kept their Oscar momentum going. Spike Lee’s documentary on the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina [...]

Why Pearl Cleage knocks me out, part two

Because of dialogue like this:
ANGEL: How hot does it get in Alabama?
LELAND: It’s pretty near always this hot down there. One way or another.
ANGEL: Well, it’s not always this hot in Harlem, but today it is. (A beat) Do you know what I mean?
LELAND: I’m not sure that I do.
ANGEL: What I mean is, it’s [...]

A Song for Coretta opens tonight at Spelman College

Pearl Cleage’s new play A Song for Coretta opens tonight in a world premiere at Spelman College in Atlanta. The play (which I haven’t read myself yet) focuses on five characters who share their stories while waiting in line to pay their respects to Coretta Scott King after her death in 2006.
After watching people stand [...]

Pearl Cleage nominated for 2 Image Awards

It turns out I’m not the only one knocked out by Pearl Cleage’s work - she’s been nominated for 2 NAACP Image Awards for her fiction and her poetry.
Baby Brother’s Blues is nominated for Outstanding Literary Work in the fiction category, and We Speak Your Names is nominated in the poetry category.
The award ceremony takes [...]

Why Pearl Cleage knocks me out, part one

I had this grand idea that I would spend the month of January, our brief down time in between seasons, to write regular posts explaining who Pearl Cleage is and why - in my opinion - she was chosen as our 2007 season playwright. As the cold month wore on, and the day job and [...]

A backstage tour of Spinning into Butter

Gerardo Cardenas, who played Patrick Chibas in our production of Spinning into Butter this past summer, shared with me a collection of pictures he took during the final week of rehearsals.
His pictures are beautiful - they’re intimate moments with the cast and crew as they make their final preperations. Take a look through the photo [...]