Chelsea Hunter, from left, Jordan Ferrell, and Amanda Johnson rehearse a scene from “The Colored Museum” which opens tonight at Berry College’s E.H. Young Theatre.
The satire about African-American history begins with the arrival of the slave ships and continues through to the 1980s when the play by George C. Wolfe was written and first performed. The play challenges the “identity” choices Black Americans have made over many decades in response to oppression, racism and cultural disenfranchisement.
“The Colored Museum” marks the first Berry College Theatre production to feature an all-black cast and is presented in cooperation with Berry’s Office of Multicultural Affairs.
Associate Professor of Theatre John Countryman will direct the show which is generally light-hearted and farcical, and contains jazz-and-blues influenced music and a spattering of dance. The play’s underlying themes are intended as a valuable reminder of the struggle for equality and recognition that African-Americans have experienced throughout their history.
“The play imagines its various episodes as exhibits in a museum,” Countryman said. “[It] not only challenges assumptions about stereotypes but also the obstacles African-Americans have faced in their quest to assert an authentic and recognized identity in an adopted culture that, until fairly recently, has been predominantly Caucasian.”
Performances of “The Colored Museum” will take place at 7:30 p.m. today through Saturday as well as Feb. 21-23 and 2 p.m. Feb. 17 and 24 in the E.H. Young Theatre on Berry’s campus.
Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for students. The play contains graphic language and is not suitable for children.
Additional information and reservations are available by calling the Berry Theatre Box Office at 706-236-2263 or emailing Richard Bristow at rbristow@berry.edu.
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