
In celebration of African-American History Month and Women's History Month, Rowan University's Department of Theater & Dance presents Ntozake Shange's groundbreaking 1975 play For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide/When the Rainbow Is Enuf on February 27 at 2 and 8 p.m. and February 28 at 8 p.m. This Obie Award-winning play is a collection of movement poems that deal head-on with what it means to be a woman of color in America. A New Jersey native, Shange's work does not shy away from complex social issues of racism, love, self-respect and depression. Yet, she reaches the audience using personal moments of joy, laughter and sadness that everyone can understand. She creates nameless but fully-dimensional characters in a "single statement" she calls a "choreopoem." Director Elisabeth Hostetter keeps the integrity and meaning of Shange's triumphant play but hopes to, as she noted, "fuse it with contemporary relevance through the eyes of young women still struggling with some of the same problems their grandmothers faced." The cast includes Kimberly Davis of Cape May Court House, NJ; Jennifer DeQuattro of Brigantine, NJ; Kelly Nicole Hailey of Sicklerville, NJ; Jouliana Jean Paul of Elizabeth, NJ; Deanne N. Johnson of Hillsborough, NJ; Osen Osagie of Southampton, NJ; Victoria Leigh Potillo of Clayton, NJ; Maria Rojas of Millville, NJ; Nicole Taylor of Pennsauken, NJ; Elisha Washington of Woodbury, NJ; and Khalilah Williams of Newark, NJ. The music and movement used reflects a variety of eras and styles including gospel, hip-hop, jazz, Motown, Latino, Creole, and rock-and-roll. The director and the cast hope to show that, though "we still have a long way to go in making the world a better place, by building a strong sense of community and personal pride, we grow stronger and better everyday." The production will be held in Tohill Theatre, located in Bunce Hall on the campus of Rowan University. Tickets are $10 for general admission, and $5 for students, staff, alumni and seniors. For tickets and information, call the box office at (856) 256-4545.
Article continues below
advertisement

Author: Press Release-Rowan