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For Colored Girls

Presented by Hattiloo Theatre at Hattiloo Theatre

October 29-November 15, 2009

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A series of twenty poems, this play is performed through a cast of nameless women, each known only by a color: "Lady in Yellow." The performances of the nine actresses are focused on their specific stories; i.e., Lady in Green embodies youthful determination as she runs away from home to live with Dominican liberator Toussaint L’Ouverture. The play ends evoking the power of womanhood as the Lady in Brown begins the mantra “I found God in myself/ and I loved her/ I loved her fiercely.”

• At-a-
  Glance

  • Venue Info

    Hattiloo Theatre

    656 Marshall
    Memphis, TN 38103-3218

    Full map and directions

  • Admission Info

    Tickets: Thurs.: $18 (Adult)$15 (Senior, Student) $10 (Child 12 & under.) Fri./Sat.: $22 (Adult)$18 (Senior, Student) $10 (Child 12 & under.) Sun.: $18 (Adult)$15 (Senior, Student) $10 (Child 12 & under.)

    Info Phone: 901.525.0009

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  • Dates & Times

    Dates:
    October 29-November 15, 2009

    Times:
    Thursdays 7:30p.
    Fridays & Saturdays 8p.
    Sundays 3p.
    Recession Night ? Nov. 5, 2009, 7:30p ? all tickets $12.00.

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    • Event Name: For Colored Girls
      "Preview"
      Comment posted by: Bo List - ArtsMemphis Rants & Ravers from Memphis, TN, Oct 26, 2009
      

      It's been almost 35 years since Ntozake Shange's landmark play For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow is Enuf debuted off-Broadway - catapulting Shange to the forefront of... Expand

      It's been almost 35 years since Ntozake Shange's landmark play For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow is Enuf debuted off-Broadway - catapulting Shange to the forefront of contemporary social thinkers and illuminating the condition of the modern black woman for New York audiences. Since then, times have changed - but the continuing challenges that face black women have kept the play a staple of regional and community theatres. Opening October 29 at Hattiloo Theatre and directed by Patricia Smith, For Colored Girls returns to Memphis and a community where (for better and for worse) the play's themes are still alive and relevant. "The play is classic because the themes concerning black women have not changed much since 1975," writes Ekundayo Bandele, Hattiloo's Artistic Director. "Themes such as rape, low self esteem as a symptom of bad relationships, the need to bond with other black women, family, and the splendors and pains of love. Because these themes are the foundation of the play, it's relevant, not only for black women, but for a lot of women, in general." The play, a dance-y "choreo-poem" more than a traditional theatrical narrative, sees twenty of Shange's poetic expressions brought to life by an ensemble of seven nameless women (each wearing a different color scheme, they go by "Woman in Blue," "Woman in Orange," etc.). Often set in a bar (the first production, in Berkeley CA, was performed in one), this version is set in a sanitarium, "to heighten the healing aspect" of the play, according to Bandele. The title itself refers to a sense of healing, referencing "the breaking point of the human heart. Sometimes suicide is an attractive option when the pain of living becomes too much to endure." For Colored Girls's non-linear structure makes it an odd choice to be made into a film, yet Tyler Perry is slated to direct a 2011 release. Marquee names like Oprah Winfrey, Halle Berry and Angela Bassett are rumored to star (as well as Perry himself, though presumably not in his well-rehearsed drag). Can the vivid experience of the stage play be duplicated or expanded in movie theaters? Bandele is skeptical. "I don't think a film version will be able to capture the emotional torrent that runs from woman to woman," he says. "It's a play of poems, not dialogue; for that reason, I believe the stage version is best." Audiences will get their chance to see Shange's work as she first intended it. Collapse

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    Add review/comment

    • Event Name: For Colored Girls
      "Preview"
      Comment posted by: Bo List - ArtsMemphis Rants & Ravers from Memphis, TN, Oct 26, 2009
      

      It's been almost 35 years since Ntozake Shange's landmark play For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow is Enuf debuted off-Broadway - catapulting Shange to the forefront of... Expand

      It's been almost 35 years since Ntozake Shange's landmark play For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow is Enuf debuted off-Broadway - catapulting Shange to the forefront of contemporary social thinkers and illuminating the condition of the modern black woman for New York audiences. Since then, times have changed - but the continuing challenges that face black women have kept the play a staple of regional and community theatres. Opening October 29 at Hattiloo Theatre and directed by Patricia Smith, For Colored Girls returns to Memphis and a community where (for better and for worse) the play's themes are still alive and relevant. "The play is classic because the themes concerning black women have not changed much since 1975," writes Ekundayo Bandele, Hattiloo's Artistic Director. "Themes such as rape, low self esteem as a symptom of bad relationships, the need to bond with other black women, family, and the splendors and pains of love. Because these themes are the foundation of the play, it's relevant, not only for black women, but for a lot of women, in general." The play, a dance-y "choreo-poem" more than a traditional theatrical narrative, sees twenty of Shange's poetic expressions brought to life by an ensemble of seven nameless women (each wearing a different color scheme, they go by "Woman in Blue," "Woman in Orange," etc.). Often set in a bar (the first production, in Berkeley CA, was performed in one), this version is set in a sanitarium, "to heighten the healing aspect" of the play, according to Bandele. The title itself refers to a sense of healing, referencing "the breaking point of the human heart. Sometimes suicide is an attractive option when the pain of living becomes too much to endure." For Colored Girls's non-linear structure makes it an odd choice to be made into a film, yet Tyler Perry is slated to direct a 2011 release. Marquee names like Oprah Winfrey, Halle Berry and Angela Bassett are rumored to star (as well as Perry himself, though presumably not in his well-rehearsed drag). Can the vivid experience of the stage play be duplicated or expanded in movie theaters? Bandele is skeptical. "I don't think a film version will be able to capture the emotional torrent that runs from woman to woman," he says. "It's a play of poems, not dialogue; for that reason, I believe the stage version is best." Audiences will get their chance to see Shange's work as she first intended it. Collapse

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