Plays for Production
Vital Signs
Vital Signs follows the life of a nameless inmate, who finding himself locked in solitary confinement, makes a ritual of the continual retelling of his life story. His story is a not so gentle reminder that there are those who took up the call for freedom and justice, and as a result are living out their lives in prison. African-American political prisoners who helped change the nation, only to be forgotten, and abandoned by those whom they sought to protect.
Written by William S. Carroll
Otherworld Lovers
Otherworld Lovers takes us to the cultural landscape of the Cote d’Ivoire to trace the story of a newlywed couple plagued by a gentle, yet jealous spirit. The wife returns to the village of her ancestral roots in order to unlock the mystery of her infertility and the increasing visitations she has from an Otherworld Lover. Otherworld Lovers, a romantic drama, explores the themes of gender roles, traditional values, and religion in modern day west Africa.
Written by Shepsu Aakhu
Piece-meal Clan
Piece-Meal Clan centers around Desmond and the family of mostly unrelated individuals which has been pieced together for him, or by him to provide stability. Tensions arise when Desmond’s long absent father attempts to claim a place for himself inside the clan. We have an opportunity to view the internal dynamics of the clan, and the relationships that maintain it both as a social institution in African-American life, and as a volatile backdrop for a boy coming of age.
Written by Shepsu Aakhu
Within the Dream
Within The Dream examines the technological and historical legacy passed on to “Gen Xer’s”. What generation has ever inherited their parents and grandparents history, not in faded newspapers, novels, history books, and paintings, but rather in media footage, movies, and soundscapes, frozen yet faded, all magnetized, digitized, and pre-package for your consumption?
What does it mean to inherit such bounty, such responsibility? What relevance, if any, do these “artifacts” from the last half of the twentieth century have on a new generation Within the Dream examines the difficulties of two siblings struggling to answer these very questions?
Written and Directed by Deidre Searcy
The Glow of Reflected Light
The Glow of Reflected Light is loosely based upon the Canadian communities founded by William King, Hiram Wilson, and Josiah Henson. It is an exploration of the historical context which ushered such communities into being, and the myriad paths which brought about their inevitable decline. The Glow of Reflected Light provides some rare and enormously valuable glimpses into the interior lives of American slaves, freemen and women, fugitives, freedom fighters, and nation builders. This provocative drama has been exhaustively researched, sampling a wide variety of manuscripts and archival materials in the United States and Canada. The result is a story which resonates with the authentic voices of ordinary people in extraordinary circumstances.
Written by Shepsu Aakhu
Directed by Mignon McPherson Nance
Kosi Dasa
A magical landscape of myth, ritual, and folklore await in Shepsu Aakhu’s Kosi Dasa. “Stories are passed from mouth to mouth, with the supple caress of secret words wrapped inside a full kiss”. No Eyes and Diata are a young couple, flirting with love as they await their passage into adulthood. Their lives are changed forever as each must accept sacrifice in the name of community, family, and spiritual beliefs. Told using elements of traditional African storytelling, African and Indian Dance, Brazillian and Asian combat styles, and live musical accompaniment, Dasa examines the beliefs which bind one spirit to another, individuals to community, and community to it’s divine aspects.
Written by Shepsu Aakhu
Directed by Mignon McPherson Nance
Kiwi Black
Kiwi Black is a piercing take on class, the American work ethic, and the non-traditional family, as experienced by two complex and conflicted characters. With gritty realism, abstract humor, and blurred boundaries Joe and Lennox (father and son) serve up the challenges of their evolving relationship, and the tumult of their interior lives. Lennox as described by his father is ”...trying to turn the corner on being a man”. Joe as described by his son is ”...willing to do anything to survive”.
Aspirations of a college education come into conflict with the realities of collection agencies and the daily hustle to make ends meet, leaving Joe and Lennox to navigate their relationship through uncharted territory .
Written by Shepsu Aakhu
Directed by Mignon McPherson Nance
Relevant Hearsay: Stories from 57
At fifty years of age Shirley Carney began to write short stories. Her stories reflect the journey of a black woman nearing a half century of living. Ms. Carney’s voice is distinctive and her characters capture the complexity of her varied experiences. She was born in rural Mississippi, transplanted to Chicago by her teens, served in the Navy during the Vietnam era, and became an unwed mother, all before her 21st birthday. Now living in Texas she continues to straddle the fence between urban sensibilities and rural practicality. She says of her stories, "Some are true. Some mostly true. Some "Dragnet". The names have been changed to protect the innocent."
Stories written by Shirley Carney
Adapted for the stage by Shepsu Aakhu and Mignon McPherson Nance
Directed by Mignon McPherson Nance
Notes from the Bottletree
Danger, art, beauty and a haunted past drive this provocative new play set in “intown” Atlanta. This modern lyrical tale exposes a passionate young photographer, Jules, as she searches for clarity in both her life and work. Her father has recently passed away, and Red, her estranged brother, is on his way to Atlanta from his most recent prison stay for an unwelcome visit. The brother and sister must face their shared memories and determine what is to be done with the family home. In the midst of this struggle, Jules, with the help of her painter/sculptor boyfriend Che, is putting the finishing touches on a photography exhibit and art installation that could be her big break. Jules is a woman trying to reconcile her past, present and future while coming to terms with her relationships with the three important men in her life.
Written by Addae Moon
Directed by Andrea J. Dymond
The Divine Order of Becoming
This story takes place in the moment when life takes a sharp, distinct turn. With poetry, prose and the conjuring of memory’s past, we watch a young women struggle to let go of the relationship that she and her mother developed during her 20’s. We mourn with her as she applies the lessons passed to her through lecture, argument, and out right silliness to rise above the pain of loss.
Written by Carla Stillwell
Directed by Kimberly Crutcher
Softly Blue
How do two people ever find each other in twenty first century America? And when they do find each other how do they ever get to know each other? Our society is full of illusion, isolation, and overt deception. Can you trust the people that you invite into your life? Can you trust your own judgment when it comes to finding companionship?
Written by Shepsu Aakhu
Directed by Mignon McPherson Nance
Well-executed…A showcase for the playwright’s considerable virtuosity…
…this is your perfect date play.
Mary Shen Barnidge—Windy City Times
Blaxploitation the Remix
A collection of original sketch performances that are unabashedly courageous and provocative in their take on race, class, and American politics.
Written by Inda Craig-Galvan, Kevin Douglas & Carla Stillwell
Directed by Kim Crutcher
Blaxploitation 2 - You Know How We Deux
Blaxploitation 2 continues in the tradition of the critically acclaimed Blaxploitation: The Remix. This production is a collection of original sketch performances that are unabashedly courageous and provocative in their take on race, class, and American politics.
Written by Inda Craig-Galvan, Kevin Douglas, Carla Stillwell
Directed by Terry Cullers
Trouble the Water
We are troubled by the water. The many facets of our experience with the primordial element continue to impact our lives. On the surface Trouble the Water is an exploration of a company of souls separated by the coming of a hurricane. But deeper lays the questions of faith, family, and the legacy of our collective trauma. It is not the blame game that drives this story. Not a tale of levees, politicians, and government failings. We are less concerned with the cause, than we are with the effect. The generational connection between time and place has been severed. Trouble the Water is a story of these souls, and their efforts to find their way out of the water, and back to each other.
Written by Shepsu Aakhu
Directed by Mignon McPherson Nance
FIRST WORDS
FIRST WORDS
Written by: Aaron Carter
Directed by: Chuck Smith
MPAACT’s new production paints a rare picture of autism in the African American community. FIRST WORDS explores how hope can distort our perceptions of reality. Barbara is desperate to communicate with her autistic son. In spite of her husband’s objections, she secretly begins expensive, untested therapy. It may cost her the family she is fighting to keep together. The production features Scott Baity Jr., Lauren Malara, Andre Teamer and Tina Marie Wright.
TAD IN 5TH CITY
TAD IN 5TH CITY
Written by: Carla Stillwell adapted from the poetry of Orron Kenyatta
Directed by: Carla Stillwell
TAD IN 5th CITY walks us through the journey of young Tad Brown and his family. But this is just as much the story of a neighborhood, as it festers under the weight of poverty, gang violence and addiction in the aftermath of the ’68 Chicago riots.
The production features: David Goodloe, Shayla Jarvis, Eddie Jordan III*, Sidney Miller, Andre Teamer*, introducing Destin L. Teamer and Sati Word*
Underground Poetry Jam
Hosted by: Carla Stillwell
That’s “jam,” and not “slam,” because a "jam" is a virtual love fest. Poets present their art in a non-competitive environment without fear or ridicule. Come underground and share the experience.
Fridays @ 10:30pm
The Greenhouse Theatre Center
2257 North Lincoln Avenue, Chicago
Tickets Only $10
MPAACT Dance Jam
Feb. 5th - African Dance
Feb. 12th - Modern Dance
Feb. 19th - Hip Hop
Feb. 26th - Mixed Night (All Dance Styles)
Tickets are: $7 for students and $10 for adults
We're preforming on the stage of the Jeff Recommended "Ghosts of Atwood" in the Greenhouse Theatre @ 2257 Lincoln Ave. All shows begin @ 10:30pm
JOIN US AS WE SHOWCASE CHICAGO'S MOST TALENTED DANCERS!!!!!
A Brown Tale
$10 Single Pass
A Brown Tale: The Da Da Revisited By James T Alfred
A comedic narrative about an African-American male that examines life in the projects, romance within the Black Church tradition, and working in the inner-city public school system.
Friday August 26th @ 7:30pm,
Saturday August 27th @ 5pm and 9pm
Sunday August 28th @ 2:30pm
CLICK HERE to read the latest 'We Are MPAACT' blogs
Speaking in Tongues: The Chronicles of Babel
Previews: September 16th - 24th
Opening: Sunday, September 25th @ 3pm
Closes: Sunday October, 30th
Showing every Thursday, Friday and Saturday @ 8pm, Sundays @ 3pm
The Greenhouse Theater Center 2257 N. Lincoln Ave.
Written By: Shepsu Aakhu*** Directed By: Andrea J. Diamond*
Culled from hours of interviews Speaking In Tongues: The Chronicles of Babel explores the oral histories of an extended family living in Chicago’s now demolished Washington Park housing project. Three generations come together to chronicle the complex story of their lives, the life of their building, and the impact of this uniquely American social experiment. Speaking In Tongues is not a fictionalized account of the urban poor. Utilizing a documentary style of staging, this play endeavors to preserve the authentic voices of a population that is seldom allowed to speak for itself in the American conversation.
The Reviews: CHICAGO READER
***Denotes Founding Member
*Denotes Resident Artist
CLICK HERE to read the latest 'We Are MPAACT' blog!!!
Fall Solo Jams
$12 Single Pass
$20 Weekend Pass
$80 Premium Pass (includes all shows)
$7 With Speaking In Tongues: Tower of Babel ticket stub (same day only).
All Shows Start At 11pm (except Sept. 28)
The Greenhouse Theater Center 2257 N. Lincoln Ave.
Friday Oct 28
Kristin E. Ellis - Slaying your Goliath
Have you let fear creep into your life and stop you dead in your tracks? Are you tired of your Goliath ruling your world? Then today is the day where you will slay your Goliath and send him back into the hell he belongs in. Through this anointed teaching we will identify: Who and what Goliath is, and how the biblical story of David and Goliath can in fact inspire us to slay our giants.
Saturday Oct 29
John Steven Crowley - Searching for Love in the B.A.B.B.U.* - A Musical Journey
What the hell is it all about…life, liberty, the pursuit of happiness. From the Womb to the Tomb. It is the one singular thing we all have in common. The Journey, the Quest, the Search for … LOVE … One man’s odyssey. Searching for Love in the B.A.B.B.U.* (*Big Ass Bad Beautiful Universe)
**Denotes Company Member
CLICK HERE to read the latest 'We Are MPAACT' blog!!!
Sweet Home
Previews: January, 27th - February 4th
Opening: Monday, February 6th @ 7pm
Closes: Sunday, March 11th
Showing every Thursday, Friday and Saturday @ 8pm, Sundays @ 3pm
The Greenhouse Theater Center 2257 N. Lincoln Ave
Written By: Keith Josef Adkins* Directed By: Kimberly Crutcher*
Strange things are happening in Sweet Home. A once thriving black town, it is now an urban wasteland with a peculiar problem: all the black boys are missing. When Demus, a quirky young genetic engineer, stumbles into Sweet Home seeking refuge, he quickly finds himself tangled in the bizarre mystery. He also must make a choice—become the next missing black boy, or engineer the perfect indestructible black boy and save Sweet Home forever.
*Denotes Resident Artist
CLICK HERE to read the latest 'We Are MPAACT' blog!!!
Winter Solo Jams
A late night foray into the world of one-person performance.
Opening: Wednesday, February 8th @ 8pm
Closes: Saturday March 10th
Showing every Friday and Saturday @ 11pm
The Greenhouse Theater Center 2257 N. Lincoln Ave.
Tickets Only $12!!!
Wednesday February 8th @ 8pm- Opening Performance and Panel Discussion
Performances by Tim'm T. West and Jonathan Kitt. Panel with Chuck Smith (Resident Director MPPACT, The Goodman), Timothy Douglas (Artistic Director Remy Bumppo) Jocelyn Prince (Artistic Dir. Sankofa Theatre Co., Artistic Assoc. Victory Gardens).
FREE TO THE PUBLIC!!!!
Friday, February 10 @ 11pm
Tim'm T. West
Ready, Set, Grow: A Coming of Age Story
Critically acclaimed rapper and Spoken Word Artist Tim'm T. West speaks to the question: What becomes of little black boys who've considered suicide robbed of any rites of passage? Inspired by the works of James Baldwin, Hélène Cixous, and his mentors Ntozake Shange and Carl Hancock Rux, Tim'm offers a coming of age story, through spoken word, rap, movement, and song, that suggests an inalienable right to these rites. Moving through the complex maze of American poverty, racism, sexism, and sexuality, "Ready, Set, Grow" suggests that "waiting for superman" may not be as empowering as becoming a super man. How do we save ourselves? How do we respect the diversity and complexity of black male experience when so many young men, objectified and stigmatized at birth, are sucked into a system recycling defeatist and hopeless futures. One man, through his own transparent, vulnerable, and redemptive experiences offers one way he strives in spite of racism, poverty, homophobia, HIV/AIDS. Surely there are other ways: Ready. Set. Let's Grow!
CLICK HERE to purchase tickets!!!
Saturday, February 11th @ 11pm
Kristiana Rae Colon
Cry Wolf
Poet, actress, and playwright Kristiana Colón weaves a tapestry of poem, lyric, metaphor, and monologue to excavate the wolves of our imagination. Gliding between naturalism and surrealism, ethnographic persona and autobiographical voice, this collage of portraits explores questions of gender, mental health, and politics.
CLICK HERE to purchase tickets!!!
Friday, February 17th @ 11pm
Mateo Smith
Life: According to Thelma Dale
The piece tracks the unusual going's-on of the elderly but spicy Matriarch Thelma Dale Johnson. The audience has somehow "shown-up" on her doorstep and she invites the group on a journey through the ups and down's of the life she's known...Her life, as she see's it. Unaware, Thelma Dale is upstaged by her hip and fresh grandson, Jerome who shows up to "set all accounts straight." The voice of reason and blatant truth, Jerome serves as the antithesis to Thelma Dale's ideologies of everyday southern life. The audience then is left to answer, on their own, whether or not what Thelma divulges as "life" is actually myth, fact or on a blurred line in-between.
CLICK HERE to purchase tickets!!!
Saturday, February 18th @ 11pm
Nicole Mithcell
Nowever
Creative Flutist Nicole Mitchell will present her first solo performance featuring an interweaving of her prose with her music in NOWEVER. Nicole Mitchell is known for her work in jazz, but this event will premiere a window into her personal story – hardships, dreams, love and otherworld adventures illustrated through her words and original music.
CLICK HERE to purchase tickets!!!
Friday, February 24th @ 11pm
Osiris Khepera
The Fag-tionary
Exploring acceptance (& the lack thereof) of different sexualities from around the globe, particularly as it affects those of us from the African Diaspora. The Fag-tionary is an evening of poetry, drag, and cultural celebration.
CLICK HERE to purchase tickets!!!
Saturday, February 25th @ 11pm
Jonathan Kitt
Superman, Black Man, Me! A Stage Essay
All Black men are supermen, some just haven’t tapped into it yet.” Jonathan Kitt chronicles the supermen and the situations that helped to shape his character. Expressed through thoughts, questions, opinions, rants, and drama, this performance piece juxtaposes the mythology of two things: the great white superhero that dons a red and blue suit to save the day and the challenges of being a classic Black man fighting for truth, justice, and the American way.
CLICK HERE to purchase tickets!!!
Friday March 2nd @ 11pm
Wardell Clark
The Ground on Which He Stood: A Tribute to August Wilson
Combining his Legendary Theatre Communications Group (TCG) address, his Final Interview with Suzan Lori-Parks from American Theatre Magazine, while showcasing his specific writing style with select Aria's from his Cycle for a night of Insight, Celebration and Homage.
CLICK HERE to purchace tickets!!!
Saturday, March 3rd @ 11pm
Coco Elysses
You Can't Hide
You Can't Hide explores the shock, realization, gifts and fears surrounding the impact mother’s have on their daughters. Y'vette, takes us on comical journey through short stories and song on the things that make her smile and squint inherited from her mother.
CLICK HERE to purchase tickets!!!
Friday, March 9th @ 11pm
Elana Elyce
Acceptable Plagiarism
A product of total collaboration, Acceptable Plagiarism, is created (not stolen!) entirely with the work of other writers (and some folks who've never written at all). Invited to write anything they'd like for this project, contributors submitted monologues, poems, stories-and even a few one-liners, for Elana to share in performance. Some of it explores their personal relationship with the performer, some of it contains words that have been lying on the shelf waiting for a voice, and some of it is just plain imagination. All of it is original, inspiring and fun.
CLICK HERE to purchase tickets!!!
Saturday March 10th @ 11pm
William Kurk*
Sector 9
Original compositions by William Kurk, written in the pseudo-broadway spirit.
CLICK HERE to purhase tickets!!!
*Denotes resident artist
CLICK HERE to read the latest 'We Are MPAACT' blog!!!
Baseball Music: The Sweetest Sound
Opening: Sunday, February 12th @ 6pm
Closes: Sunday, March 4th @6pm
Showing Every Sunday @ 6pm
The Greenhouse Theater Center 2257 N. Lincoln Ave.
Written By Sati Word** Directed By Marie Cisco**
Buck O’Neil was a true ambassador of baseball. An athletic, soft handed first baseman and longtime manager of the Kansas City Monarchs, a talented scout eying young stars from Billy Williams, Oscar Gamble and Ernie Banks for the Chicago Cubs to Bo Jackson for the Kansas City Royals and the Major League’s first black coach. As the driving force behind the Negro League Hall of Fame on the corner of 18th and Vine in Kansas City, Buck O’Neil was the last to tell the stories of the great ballplayers that had long passed before him, a responsibility he never took lightly. In 'Baseball Music: The Sweetest Sound' Buck takes us through the glorious victories and the heartbreaking defeats of a life dedicated to the game of baseball and the tales of those who left us too soon for their voices to be heard.
**Denotes Company Member
CLICK HERE to read the latest 'We Are MPAACT Blog'!!!
Bodies
Previews: May 11th - 20th
Opening: Sunday, May 20th @ 3pm
Closes: Sunday, June 24th
Showing every Thursday, Friday and Saturday @ 8pm, Sundays @ 3pm
The Greenhouse Theater Center 2257 N. Lincoln Ave.
Written By: Carla Stillwell** Directed By: Chuck Smith*
The church is a place of faith and refuge, salvation and hope, support and nurturing. The religion oils the machine, but it's the people—the Reverend, his wife, the deacons and the sisters--who makes sure that it runs. But, the New Light Missionary Baptist Church with church heads the Rev. Joseph Black and his wife Corena Black are different. When it comes to dealing with family, well it's a bit more complicated. The reverend's brother Calvin has encountered a few troubles. Ten Years ago his marriage ended abruptly leaving him to raise his young daughter alone. As questions of his sexuality begin to surface, Rev. Joseph thinks the answer is for his brother to marry a woman from the church, but Corena, begins to think there are other questions to be asked and she finds herself confronting the lengths she'll go to maintain her niece's well-being.
**Denotes Company Member *Denotes Resident Artist
CLICK HERE to read the latest 'We Are MPAACT' blog!!!