Your server seeking out theatrical opportunities for your pleasure
| Caroline, or Change begins in the final months of 1963, a painful turbulent year as witnessed by the assassination of President Kennedy, the Birmingham church bombing, Martin Luther King’s March on Washington, and the Viet Nam War. |
Dobama & Karamu Performing Arts Center, Karamu House Present The Ohio Premiere of Music by Jeanine Tesori Jelliffe Theatre at Karamu House Performing Arts Theatre Directed by Sarah May, Musical Director Ed Ridley
|
Caroline Thibodeaux, a 39-year-old African American divorcee with four children barely survives as a $30 a week domestic for the Gellman family. Their 8-year-old son, Noah Gelman, who has recently suffered the loss of his mother and the arrival of a stepmother, idolizes her. Noah spends considerable time in Caroline’s basement domain equating Caroline’s importance and strength with that of the president of the United States. Although this tentative and touching relationship is shattered over loose change, Caroline, or Change is imbued with the confidence that change is possible; people are capable of working toward reconciliation and mutual respect.
Caroline, or Change is a remarkable piece of theatre in its coalescence of human struggle, passionate exploration of today’s critical issues and an exhilarating mixture of classical, R & B, Motown, Klezmer, and Negro spiritual music.
Producing a landmark Kushner play with our friends at Karamu Theatre brings together two of my fondest memories during my years at Dobama Theatre. During the 1990’s Karamu and Dobama shared a rich collaborative history bringing Cleveland audiences blazing productions of The Grapes of Wrath; My Children, My Africa; Distant Fires; Playland; and Fires in the Mirror. We staged the first “forced theatrical busing” when, during the intermission of 4 performances of My Children, My Africa, we bused audience members, via double decker buses, to the other theatre for Act II. (Joyce Casey, Artistic Director, Dobama Theatre)
Please continue to Full Story
| Caroline, or Change begins in the final months of 1963, a painful turbulent year as witnessed by the assassination of President Kennedy, the Birmingham church bombing, Martin Luther King’s March on Washington, and the Viet Nam War. |
Dobama & Karamu Performing Arts Center, Karamu House Present The Ohio Premiere of Music by Jeanine Tesori Jelliffe Theatre at Karamu House Performing Arts Theatre Directed by Sarah May, Musical Director Ed Ridley
|
Caroline Thibodeaux, a 39-year-old African American divorcee with four children barely survives as a $30 a week domestic for the Gellman family. Their 8-year-old son, Noah Gelman, who has recently suffered the loss of his mother and the arrival of a stepmother, idolizes her. Noah spends considerable time in Caroline’s basement domain equating Caroline’s importance and strength with that of the president of the United States. Although this tentative and touching relationship is shattered over loose change, Caroline, or Change is imbued with the confidence that change is possible; people are capable of working toward reconciliation and mutual respect.
Caroline, or Change is a remarkable piece of theatre in its coalescence of human struggle, passionate exploration of today’s critical issues and an exhilarating mixture of classical, R & B, Motown, Klezmer, and Negro spiritual music.
Producing a landmark Kushner play with our friends at Karamu Theatre brings together two of my fondest memories during my years at Dobama Theatre. During the 1990’s Karamu and Dobama shared a rich collaborative history bringing Cleveland audiences blazing productions of The Grapes of Wrath; My Children, My Africa; Distant Fires; Playland; and Fires in the Mirror. We staged the first “forced theatrical busing” when, during the intermission of 4 performances of My Children, My Africa, we bused audience members, via double decker buses, to the other theatre for Act II. (Joyce Casey, Artistic Director, Dobama Theatre)
What better way for us to open our season in partnering with Dobama on such an important story that resonates today. Joyce Casey approached me three years ago with deep passion about this profound piece of theatre, and we made it happen .It definitely fits within our mission here. This collaboration also brings director Sarah May back home to what maybe one of the theatre events of the season. (Terrence Spivey, Artistic Director, Karamu Theatre)
Caroline will be played by local Equity actress Sheffia Randall Dooley who starred in Once on This Island, Anything Goes, & Purlie at Cain Park. She has performed in Great Lakes Theatre Festival productions of The Tempest, Blithe Spirit, and Nickel and Dimed, a joint production with CPT. She was also seen in Cleveland Public Theater’s regional premiere of Pulp as Bing and in Our Town as Mrs. Webb. Ms. Dooley can also be seen on the nationally syndicated children’s television program Ask Gilby.
The complete cast of Caroline, or Change includes Colleen Longshaw (Dotty) recently seen in Cain Park’s production of The Wiz, Ayeshah Douglas, Katrice Headd, Stacey Wallace, Taresa Willingham, Darryl Lewis, Christian Flaherty, Hester Lewellen, Robert McCoy, Katherine DeBoer, Ron Cuirle, Kai LaShawn, Alexis Floyd, Aric Floyd and Justin Peck and Michael Rogan.
Well-known local director, Sarah May, will direct Caroline, or Change. Her past Karamu shows include Mulebone, A Soldiers Play, Oak and Ivy, Voodoo Macbeth, and The Me Nobody Knows. During the 1990’s she had the honor of directing acclaimed Dobama/Karamu co-productions The Grapes of Wrath, Fires in the Mirror, and Athol Fugard’s Playland and My Children! My Africa!
Sarah spent 10 years in New York City performing, directing, and developing educational programs for Playwrights Horizons, Henry Street Settlement, and Roundabout Theatre. In Cleveland she has served as Director of Education for Great Lakes Theatre Festival, Artistic Director of Karamu Theatre, and as guest director for most area theatres.
Sarah has been nominated for the Northern Ohio Live Award of Achievement in Theatre on six occasions, and won in 2001 for her Beck Center production of A Piece of My Heart. The Scene Magazine awarded her production of Six Degrees of Separation the “Best Theatre Production” of 2003, and The Diary of Anne Frank at Beck Center the “Best Theatre Production of 2006.”
Ed Ridley is the Music Director for Caroline, or Change. Ed’s recent productions include Love Janis, Five Guys Named Moe, Crowns, The Piano Lesson, Daughter of a Buffalo Soldier, and Tony & Tina's Wedding. He serves as Music Director for the Christian Fellowship Center Church; and as a music faculty member of CCC. Ed has Aretha Franklin, Lauryn Hill, Walter Hawkins, Jon Hendricks, and Clark Terry.
Caroline, or Change is produced with the support of the John P. Murphy Foundation.
Dobama & Karamu Theaters receive support from the George Gund Foundation, the Ohio Arts Council, CAC and the Cleveland Foundation.
|
All Performances at Karamu House, Performing Arts Center, 2355 E. 89th Street Wednesday, September 17 7:30 pm - Preview Performance Thursday, September 18 7:30 pm - Preview Performance Friday, September 19 8:00 pm - Opening Night followed by Reception Saturday, September 20 8:00 pm Thursday, September 25 7:30 pm Saturday, September 27 8:00 pm – Sold Out Performance Thursday, October 2 7:30 pm Saturday, October 4 8:00 pm Thursday, October 9 7:30 pm Saturday, October 11 8:00 pm Ticket Prices Regular Admission Preview Performances $10. Regular Performances Fridays & Saturdays $27 Students & Seniors Fridays & Saturdays $24 Reservations Tickets can be purchased at Dobama Theatre 216-932-3396 or online at www.dobama.org Ticketleap Karamu Theatre 216-795-7077 or online at www.karamu.com Brown Paper Tickets
|