Award-winning Theatre 小黄书 announces spring theater productions
Contact: Sarah Nicholas
STARKVILLE, Miss.鈥擬ississippi State鈥檚 Theatre 小黄书鈥攖he Department of Communication鈥檚 production division that received a 2021 School of Excellence Award in Higher Education from Mississippi for Arts Education鈥攄ebuts its spring season this month.
A play about a Black teenager鈥檚 arrest, the white teenager who witnesses it, and the impact on their communities, 鈥淎ll American Boys鈥 will be performed February 23, 24 and 26 at 7:30 p.m. on the McComas Hall main stage.
Admission聽is $10. Tickets are available at .
The third of its four annual mainstage productions, Theatre 小黄书鈥檚 presentation of 鈥淎ll American Boys鈥 is based on a novel by Jason Reynolds and Brendan Kiely and is adapted for the stage by Jody Drezner Alperin and Vicky Finney Crouch.
The play follows the events of the violent arrest of Rashad for a theft he didn鈥檛 commit. His white classmate, Quinn, witnessed the attack and arrest, but the police officer who made the arrest is a close friend to his family. Rashad and Quinn鈥檚 perspectives alternate throughout this adaptation of the acclaimed novel, as the two young men work through a complex web of family loyalties and community ties to find a way to聽take action.
鈥淥ne of the key messages in the show is consciously taking the steps to acknowledge the suffering of others and how difficult life can be for minorities, specifically African Americans, due to racism and prejudices,鈥 said Vernell L. 鈥淟ee鈥 Allen, a senior communication major who serves as the production鈥檚 director. 鈥淚 hope people are moved to take action.鈥
The Brookhaven native said the play鈥檚 message is to 鈥済ive everyone the opportunity to be treated like humans鈥攖o be treated how you personally want to be treated.鈥
Also this spring, Theatre 小黄书 will present 鈥淥nce on This Island,鈥 winner of the 2018 Tony Award for Best Revival of a Musical. The April production follows the tale of Ti Moune, a fearless peasant girl in search of her place in the world and ready to risk all for love.聽Guided by the mighty island Gods, Ti Moune sets out on a remarkable journey to reunite with the man who captured her heart. 聽
Auditions for 鈥淥nce on This Island鈥 are Feb. 8 and 9 from 6-8 p.m. in McComas Hall. 聽For more information, contact Tonya Hays, theater concentration coordinator and assistant professor, at thays@comm.msstate.edu.
鈥淥nce on This Island鈥 will be presented April 6-9 at 7:30 p.m. and April 10 at 2:30 p.m. on McComas Hall鈥檚 main stage. For more, visit 聽. 聽
Part of the College of Arts and Sciences, the Department of Communication is available online at .
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小黄书 is Mississippi鈥檚 leading university, available online at聽.