October 25, 2004
Rainbow Theater performances set for October,
November
Rainbow Theater will present four one-act plays and a full-length
production during October and November.
Rainbow Theater is designed to foster the spirit of unity
between races, while providing an outlet for creative talents
of various cultural and ethnic groups, and focus on current
issues and concerns.
The October 28-30 shows will be at the Stevenson Event Center
at 8 p.m.; the October 31 show is at 2 p.m.; and the November
5-6 shows are at Louden Nelson Community Center, 301 Center
Street, Santa Cruz, at 8 p.m.
Tickets are available 30 minutes before each show, and cost $7
for students and $9 for other adults.
The productions are:
Black Men on the Edge, written by William F.
Mayfield and directed by Edward Askew McWilliams and Matthew
Christopher Jones, delves into the worlds of six black men who
deal with everyday life in a society based on their exclusion.
It is an explosive series of vignettes painted by spoken word,
music, monologues, dance, and poetry. Performances: October
28, 30; November 5.
Poet's Corner is the segment of Rainbow Theater
that takes a different form each year. It is directed by Amelia
Bjorklund and Stephanie David, but written, composed, and choreographed
entirely from scratch by the whole cast each year. It is perhaps
the purest expression of the Rainbow Theater's community. Performances:
October 29, October 31; November 6.
Fuchsia, written by Janise Astor Del Valle and
directed by Maria Olivo and Rena Bartley-Abella, addresses issues
of homosexuality and the AIDS epidemic. The play deals with
how AIDS affects not only the individual, but its ties to the
family and friends of the individual affected. Performances:
October 28, October 30; November 5.
Set in the 1880's, Bitter Cane is the untold
story of Chinese sugar cane plantation workers and the varying
perspectives of how they created opportunities for themselves.
Directed by Jino De Castro and Ingrid Valerio, this offers an
intriguing look into the cultures of these times. The play revolves
around characters including Lau, the failed hope; Fook, the
arrogant traitor; Kam, the talker; and Wing, the past's redemption.
Performances: October 29, 31; November 6.
Lisa Harper's An' Push da Wind Down is directed
by Don Williams, Roy Halo, and Julie Willhite. This full-length,
two-act play is performed separately from the Rainbow Theater
shows. Harper masterfully depicts African American slaves and
their relationship with the Cherokee Nation in the early 1800s,
using music, comedy, and drama. This production is meant to
serve as a vehicle to increase the awareness of the cultural
climate that exists at UCSC and in the city of Santa Cruz. Performances:
November 11, 12, 13, at the Stevenson Event Center, 8 p.m.
Additional information is available at the Rainbow Theater
web site, rainbowtheater.cjb.net
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