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

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.

Shades of Black Set To Debut

Educator and writer Khadijah Ali-Coleman writes original play to be produced at Morgan State University in February 2008. Baltimore, MD, November 07, 2007 --(PR.com)-- On October 24, 2007, dozens of Morgan State University (MSU) students answered a casting call for actors for the original play "Shades of Black: A Thought In Progress".

The play, written by writer and youth advocate Khadijah Ali-Coleman piqued the interest of students who had previously viewed the video intro of the play found on Facebook."I was intrigued," said one student. The video intro presents images of Black America-- inclusive of everything from Flava Flav to pictures of civil rights activists-- set to the song "A.D. 2000" by Erykah Badu. Ali-Coleman, founder of So Our Youth Aspire (SOYA), LLC, created the video to solicit those interested in participating in the play and to entice people to want to come and see the play when it comes to stage.

Ali-Coleman, a thirty-something year-old writer and community activist wrote the play in response to what she calls a pervasive assault on the senses of self-loving Black people. She incorporated her nonprofit So Our Youth Aspire (SOYA), LLC in 2005 to begin progressive work in reaching younger populations and feels her play continues that work. It aims at encouraging youth to be discriminating."This is not a play talking about why music is bad but rather looks at how allowing negativity to define you creates a domino affect on every aspect of your life. My hope is that the play will encourage people-- particulaly young people-- to critically think about all that they see, hear, believe and embrace."

Jacquelyn Thomas, an MSU student who was cast in the role of Black Shakespeare-- a spoken-word spitting sage who appears sporadically throughout the play-- believes that the play is reminiscent of George C. Wolfe's iconic play "The Colored Museum".

"The way it educates and entertains is done brilliantly," Thomas says

"Shades of Black: A Thought in Progress" will appear at MSU's Student Center Theatre on February 12, 13 and 14 in 2008. Call 443-885-3388 for ticket information. The play is produced by Morgan State University's Office of Residence Life as part of their Black History Month series.