University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff Theatre
Theatre season opens with Do Lord Remember Me
Continuing in this fourth year of theatre’s homecoming to the campus of the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff, Director of Theatre, Cheryl Collins, is proud to announce the 2011-2012 Lost & Found Season. The first production reflects the African American story, most of which has been forgotten or repressed, because of the horrifying circumstance of slavery. Do Lord Remember Me by James de Jongh is a dramatization of the WPA’s 1930’s era collection of former slave interviews. Actors lead the audience through the tears and laughter of true stories to find a way forward through the struggles of the past. The artistic legacy of African Americans is brought to light in the children’s show, Mufaro’s Beautiful Daughters (February 16-19, 2012), an East African folktale written by John Steptoe & adapted for the stage by Karen Abbott. It tells the tale of two beautiful sisters who travel the same road, but find themselves in wildly different circumstances. Chase Waites, Texas Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival Chair, says of the highly acclaimed Do Lord Remember Me, “What is going at UAPB?...Every year your productions get better and better.”
Not a performance, but a precursor, is the August Wilson Symposium presented by the Department of English, Theatre & Mass Communications, in partnership with the John Brown Watson Memorial Library System of UAPB, during the April 8-14, 2012 National Library Week Celebration. Prolific playwright, August Wilson sets the stage in 1911 to encapsulate the life of turn of the century African Americans building community & coming into self-realization. The second play in his Pittsburgh cycle, Joe Turner’s Come and Gone (April 19-22, 2012) forges on the road to reclamation with the John McLinn Ross Players as they bring to light that which was lost but is now found. Tickets for schools, community groups, and the general public are available as well as for season subscribers.
Avery Clark, a New York actor with a B.A. from the University of Arkansas, was impressed with the “strong acting and powerful storytelling” of Do Lord Remember Me at the state competition of the KCACTF. Make a plan on seeing the award-winning production November 17-20, 2011 on UAPB’s campus; as well as all of the plays in the 2011-2012 Lost & Found Season. Call 870-575-8428 or email skinner@uapb.edu for booking information.
Show dates and Times: (all productions directed by Cheryl Collins)
Do Lord Remember Me by James de Jongh November 17-20, 2011
7:30 pm Thursday, November 17-Saturday, November 19
3:00 pm Saturday, November 19 & Sunday, November 20
Mufaro’s Beautiful Daughters by John Steptoe adapted by Karen Abbott February 16-19, 2012
7:30 pm Thursday, February 16 & Friday, February 17
3:00 pm Saturday, February 18 & Sunday, February 19
Joe Turner’s Come and Gone by August Wilson April 19-22, 2012
7:30 pm Thursday, April 19 -Saturday, April 21
3:00 pm Saturday, April 21 & Sunday, April 22
Season Subscription Prices:
Golden Lion Subscription $25 (1 ticket per production)
Coalition Subscription $50 (2 tickets per production)
Lion’s Pride Subscription $100 (4 tickets per production)
