“From the Mississippi Delta” is an autobiographical play by Endesha Ida Mae Holland. It covers more than four decades of her life, from growing up in poverty in Mississippi to her involvement in the Civil Rights Movement and her academic achievements. The play was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize.
Michelle Blackmon directed this wonderful production. She says “We are introduced to strong Black women struggling to create a sense of self worth in the midst of poverty and degradation, and ultimately rejoice with them at they unassailably rise above it to become role models for the next generation.”
A.A. Cristi, another director shared this background “Playwright Endesha Ida Mae Holland, Ph.D. (1944-2006) was born in Greenwood, Mississippi. During the 1940s and 1950s, Greenwood was an impoverished Delta community where Black people lived in fear of their lives. Raped by a white man on her 11th birthday, expelled from school, a prostitute at 12 and a mother at 15, Holland was headed in the wrong direction; that is, until the civil rights movement came to her town. She was swept into the momentum, participating in sit-ins, mass rallies, even going to jail with other activists, and her life was transformed. Holland earned her GED, and in 1966 she moved north to Minneapolis. Subsequently, Holland earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees as well as a doctorate from the University of Minnesota in American studies, with a concentration in theatre arts (playwriting).”
Blake R. York and his wife Jen York, worked miracles with the set design. We see through the old broken lathes and into the blue sky that sparkles with possibilities.
The actors are identified by the coloring of their clothes: Red, Yellow, and Gray/Blue.
We first saw Sonia Alexis (Red) in the wonderful performance of “Tartuffe” at CenterStage, along with “Dirty Rotten Scoundrels”, (we saw both performances twice) and “A Christmas Carol”.
Whitney Crawford (Yellow) made her Tacoma stage debut in this production. She began acting at the age of seven. She portrayed a whimsically young girl as well women.
Canae Machelle Gray (Blue) is making her second TLT appearance with “Mississippi.” She first appeared on stage at Little Rock Central High School. Here in Tacoma she portrayed Countess Andrenyi in TLT’s fantastic production of “Murder on the Orient Express”.
This production is rated for ages 16 and up. This show contains scenes of racial, physical and sexual violence, coarse, racially charged language indicative of the time and setting during The Jim Crow South and the Civil Rights Eras, Racial Iconography of the time period and simulated alcohol and tobacco use.
The three women do a fantastic production together. This is a wonderful production, please, go see these women.
The play runs through June 23.
https://tacomalittletheatre.csstix.com/event-details.php?e=462
