RAGE by Janelle Gray Program

Celebrating local dance, theatre and art in the

Dallas Arts District.

Rage

Presented by Janelle Gray

March 31 – April 9, 2022

PRODUCTION TEAM Director………… Tiana Kaye Blair Assistant Director……….Tharmella Nyahoza Stage Manager……….Ruby Pullum Set Designer……….Johnny Eppes Costume Designer……….Bruce R. Coleman Light and Sound Designer……….Jack Piland Props Designer………..Ruby Pullum

CAST LIST Washer Woman/Mother 2/Lilian Andrews/Frances Clark

.………………Victoria Angelina Cruz Enslaved Woman/Freed Woman/Atsila Nave/Esther James

……….………. Jazzay Jabbar Atsila Tolbert/Mollie Stevenson/Nevaeh Harris ……….

…..……………Tharmella Nyahoza Grieving Woman/Tired Woman/Mother 3/Carolyn Foster/ Kyla Myles….…..Natasha Wells Young Enslaved Woman/Mother 1/Minnie Howard/Evelyn Walker.……. …..Catherine Whiteman

MONOLOGUE EVENTS Although these characters are fictional, all events referenced in the show are true.

Scene 1

Cherokee Slave Revolt, 1842

Scene 2

Slave escape plan to become a Maroon, 1863

Scene 3 Nationwide Streetcar Boycott 1900-1906, 1903 Scene 4

The Mink Slide/Bottom Riot, 1946

Scene 5

Response to Elsie Roxborough, 1949 Response to Mona Manet, 1949

Scene 6

The Wake of Beulah Mae Donald, mother of Michael Donald, 1988

Scene 7

The News Story of Mae Walls Miller, 2003

Scene 8

University of Chicago Racist Prank, 2013

Scene 9

Anywhere, USA, 2022

RAGE History Breakdown

ABOUT THE PLAY While in class, Janelle was asked, “If slavery and Jim Crow were so bad, why weren’t there more rebellions?” RAGE is Janelle’s answer to that question, pushing us to re-evaluate what we call rebellion. It explores the experiences of Black US-ian women throughout the history of the United States, allowing them to take their place on stage to share their stories of strength, resilience, perseverance, and struggle. RAGE honors the spirit and tenacity of our foremothers and is a dedication to no longer ignore the voices of Black women. This play encourages the audience to witness varying methods of rebellion as they truly are and displays moments of Black women’s greatest resistances against dehumanization and degradation.

BIOS CAST (in alphabetical order) Victoria Angelina Cruz originates from Birmingham, Alabama and is currently finishing her last semester of Graduate School at Southern Methodist University, earning a degree in Theatre Performance. Her recent credits include the World Premiere of The Yaelmihkiensploke (Southern Methodist University). She also made her professional theatre debut as Mrs. Fezziwig and Ms. Dilber in A Christmas Carol (Dallas Theater Center). She has a passion for classical work and enjoys new and devised work. She plans to continue working in Dallas, becoming more involved with the DFW theatre community.

Jazzay Jabbar is Seattle born and Dallas raised. She is a multi-faceted creative, an actress, singer, poet, and playwright with a few mean dance moves. Her love of acting on stage has spanned almost two decades.

Jazzay’s recent credits include the World Premiere of Denise Lee’s Funny You Don’t Act Like a Negro (Theatre

3) and other local productions such as Red Cotton, After Her Soul Left, and Forget Me Not. This will be the first time performing in two years! It is a great feeling to be a part of a project with a magnificent team, cast, and crew.

Tharmella Nyahoza (Ensemble/ Assistant Director) is from West Palm Beach, Florida. She is a proud Burundian actor, director, singer, and writer. She is currently in her third year at Southern Methodist University, working towards her BFA in Theatre. Her recent credits include the World Premiere of The Yaelmihkeinsploke

by Dylan Guerra, Hurt Village, The Black Album 2020 (Southern Methodist University), and The Exonerated (G-star Conservatory). Tharmella is passionate about being a vessel for telling stories that empower and magnify diverse voices and display the spectrum of humanity, in all its beauty and chaos, on a local and global scale. She would like to thank God and her family and friends for the abounding love and support they have poured into her. She would also like to thank Tiana Kaye Blair for believing in her and inspiring her artistry.

Natasha Wells is a Houston native and graduate of Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts in Dallas. She completed her vocal studies with her Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance at Dallas Baptist University and her Master of Music in Voice and Master of Liberal Arts degrees at Southern Methodist University. Natasha’s recent credits include Soul Rep Theatre’s Shakin The Mess Outta Misery, Kitchen Dog Theater’s Get Up, Stand Up!, and Lyric Stage’s Abyssinia. She was a nominee for an Irma P. Hall Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical as well as a Column Award nominee for Best Featured Actress in a Musical and Best Actress in a Play. She also recently released her debut solo R&B single, “Confounded Love.” She is excited to make her debut with the All A Gray Area in RAGE.

Catherine Whiteman is thrilled to be part of the original cast of RAGE. Her previous credits include Dotty in the Soul Rep Regional Premiere of Dot, Angela Davis in Soul Children Rep’s production of Angela’s Mixtape, and Mother Shaw in AART’s production of Crowns. Catherine

is proud to have performed (ages ago) in the cast of Po’ which opened the theater at the South Dallas Cultural Center. During her ten-year hiatus from the stage, she performed as a storyteller in schools, libraries, and festivals all over the state. She was also busy raising two fine young men and keeping a roof over their heads at her “day gig” as a producer, writer, and anchor for Irving Community Television Network (ICTN).

PRODUCTION/CREATIVE TEAM Janelle Gray (Playwright/Producer) is a creative and instructor from Dallas, Texas. She is a creative writer, blogger, podcaster, producer, teacher, student, and creative writing consultant with experience in assistant directing short films. Producing and publishing under her company, All A Gray Area, to date she has four published books, a CD, and a portfolio of plays, short films, TV series, and feature films. As an academic, her interdisciplinary methodology explores the connections between creative works, history, and actions toward justice and equity in creative and academic spaces. Gray holds a Bachelor of Arts in Communications and Spanish from Stephen F.

Austin State University, a Master of Liberal Arts in Creative Writing and Literature, as well as a Graduate Certificate in Social Justice from Harvard University Extension School. She is a doctoral student at The University of Texas at Dallas where she teaches Rhetoric.

Gray is also the founder and co-producer of Echoes Media — a social justice organization dedicated to eradicating discrimination by promoting platforms to unseen communities. She is passionate about empowering others to use their voices and share their stories in an effort to foster a more empathetic and connected global community.

You can find her professional work at www.allagrayarea.com, her creative work at www.janellegray.com, and her work with Echoes Media at www.echoesofthestruggle.com.

Tiana Kaye Blair (Director) is a professional director, actor, educator, culture worker. Her directing work includes Spell 7 (Prairie View A&M University), Dutchman (Metamorphosis Theatre), Mlima’s Tale; Libra Season (Second Thought Theatre), Working (Dallas Theater Center), Hurt

Village (Southern Methodist University). She is a member of the Dallas Theater Center’s Diane and Hal Brierley Resident Acting Company where some of her acting credits include: penny candy, Steel Magnolias, In The Heights, The Great Society, Hair, and The Mountaintop.

Blair is a SoulWork artist and a member of Progress Theatre, an international touring ensemble committed to using art to encourage social consciousness, and cross-community dialogue amongst audiences diverse in race, age, and spiritual background. She holds a B.A. from Prairie View A&M University and an M.F.A. from Southern Methodist University.

Ruby Pullum (Stage Manager/Props Designer) is a certified CCO, professional stage manager, choreographer, director, designer, and performer in the DFW area. She has worked on various shows including The Forever Quest (Cry Havoc Theatre), a Regional Premiere of The Residents of Craigslist (Millennial Poison Theatre Co.), A Raisin In The Sun (Water Tower Theatre), and In The Heights (NTPA Rep).

She would like to thank her sister and her partner for always being a constant in this aspect of her life and constantly supporting her wild dreams. A big thanks

must also go to the entire cast and crew for everything each one of them has poured into this piece.

Bruce R. Coleman (Costume Designer) has been working as a theatre professional in the Dallas/ Ft. Worth area since 1985 when he started his directing internship with Theatre Three. That relationship with T3 lasted for 20 seasons, two of which he served as Interim Artistic Director. As a designer, director and playwright, Bruce’s work has been seen at Uptown Players, MainStage in Irving, Our Productions, Stage West, Circle Theatre, New Theatre Company, The Pocket Sandwich Theatre, Echo Theatre, The Undermain, Pegasus Theatre, Junior Players, 1:30 Productions and Upstart Productions. Right before the pandemic, The Dallas Children’s Theater and Bruce’s Original Script ANDI BOI were the recipients of the national TCG Grant for original works. Bruce is a proud member of the RAGE team. As a multi-award-winning artist, he makes his home in Oaklawn.

Johnny Eppes (Set Designer) has over twenty years of experience in design and construction of projects ranging from automotive and aeromotive to furniture and carpentry. His most recent credits have been film with Flight of the Phoenix, Love Between Takes, and the awardwinning Nail Gun.

Jack Earl Piland (Light and Sound Designer) is an award-winning light designer and playwright. He most recently designed lights for Pocket Sandwich Theatre’s final Mockingbird Lane show, Ebenezer Scrooge. He would like to thank Janelle for the opportunity to design for RAGE, his loving wife Kathryn for putting up with him, and his soon to arrive daughter Maurie.

2022 BROADWAY SEASON MUSIC BY SARA BAREILLES (“LOVE SONG,” “BRAVE”)

ATTPAC.ORG/BROADWAY

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