Final Show A Hit!

The final show was awesome. The cast and crew did a great job bringing it home. Enough money was raised to pay for the services to record the video and have it edited for distribution. Admittance was free for all Morgan students with a valid school ID and $5 for general admission. So...the amount of money we raised was a healthy amount to pay for costs for the production and for video editing services. Yeay!

Our casting party was after the last show. Everyone in the show had up to two people present who was there to support them. The cast circled up to give thanks and give testimony of what the highlights were for them throughout the preparation of the show. It was an almost tearful moment for everyone but the mood was lightened with fun pictures and good food.

The final show was recorded and will be the show that will be on DVD. DVDs of the show will be available soon for purchase for $5. Contact us at shadesofblackplay@gmail.com

Several of the cast members and the director, Khadijah Ali-Coleman, will be performing next in the upcoming production of the Vagina Monologues to open in the MSU Student Center Theater on March 5, 2008, running until March 6. Email the director of the Vagina Monologues production, Susan O'Hara at susan_ohara_aep@yahoo.com for more information.

Wednesday, February 13, 2008

Day Two of Shades of Black Has Even Larger Audience!

(actors in Shades of Black: a thought in progress- (l to r) Actress Tiffany Hathorn getting her make-up done by Brittainy Bell, actor Brendan Jackson in closing scene, actress Keairra Adams smiling for pre-show shot and actress Krystal Dynasty Brown as the main character "Moon")

Over 200 audience members packed the Morgan State University Student Center Theater to catch the second day showing of Shades of Black on Wednesday, Feb. 13, 2008 at 7:30pm.

My lovely cast

Day Two of Shades of Black Has Even Larger Audience!

(actors in Shades of Black: a thought in progress- (l to r) Actress Tiffany Hathorn getting her make-up done by Brittainy Bell, actor Brendan Jackson in closing scene, actress Keairra Adams smiling for pre-show shot and actress Krystal Dynasty Brown as the main character "Moon")

Over 200 audience members packed the Morgan State University Student Center Theater to catch the second day showing of Shades of Black on Wednesday, Feb. 13, 2008 at 7:30pm.

Opening Night Is A Hit Despite Weather

The weather was horrendous. Forecasters called for sleet. And we got sleet. The freezing rain that continued into the night was not expected though. A bus-load of youth from Covenant House Washington had reserved tickets to attend and they were stuck in two hours of traffic before making it to the play late. The weather was just that bad. That's why we were shocked to even have the 120+ people that showed up the first night. It was fabulous.

(photos of audience members on opening night)

The audience was interactive-- talking aloud to characters-- and enthusiastic, applauding after each scene. The actors had a great time. There were few technical glitches I'm responsible for (poor communication with the tech) but all in all, it was a great first day run! I was so proud.

(photos of actresses in the play Shade of Black: a thought in progress on Feb. 12, 2008)

Rehearsals Heat Up as Opening Approaches

Rehearsals for Shades of Black: a thought in progress are more frequent now as the play's opening approaches. It is pretty nerve-racking. The actors are students of Morgan State University's AEP ARTist Collective, so attending rehearsals during the weekday have been maneuvering tricks as it has been challenging coordinating everyone's different schedules. But we're doing it!

It has been exciting because we are receiving calls from people from different locations who have heard about the play and are planning to attend. The cast is filled with nervous excitement.

During rehearsals, the scene that never fails to give everyone chills is the scene with the characters Contradiction and Seela, his sister. The two actors, Jerron Gerald and Devan Renee Prescott sizzle on the stage.

The set is pretty simple-- four black boxes where actors either sit or stand on. Our set manager, Dave Lewis, is also working on creating a makeshift backstage for us, since the stage we will be in will not have the traditional backstage. Everything on our end seems to be coming nicely. However, technical issues in the theater still arise and we detected a leak after a recent heavy rain. We'll see. Fingers crossed.