Award-winning Theatre Ā鶹Porn announces spring theater productions
Contact: Sarah Nicholas
STARKVILLE, Miss.āMississippi Stateās Theatre Ā鶹Pornāthe Department of Communicationās production division that received a 2021 School of Excellence Award in Higher Education from Mississippi for Arts Educationādebuts its spring season this month.
A play about a Black teenagerās arrest, the white teenager who witnesses it, and the impact on their communities, āAll American Boysā will be performed February 23, 24 and 26 at 7:30 p.m. on the McComas Hall main stage.
AdmissionĀ is $10. Tickets are available at .
The third of its four annual mainstage productions, Theatre Ā鶹Pornās presentation of āAll American Boysā 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 didnāt 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 Quinnās 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 toĀ take action.
āOne 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,ā said Vernell L. āLeeā Allen, a senior communication major who serves as the productionās director. āI hope people are moved to take action.ā
The Brookhaven native said the playās message is to āgive everyone the opportunity to be treated like humansāto be treated how you personally want to be treated.ā
Also this spring, Theatre Ā鶹Porn will present āOnce on This Island,ā 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.Ā Guided by the mighty island Gods, Ti Moune sets out on a remarkable journey to reunite with the man who captured her heart. Ā
Auditions for āOnce on This Islandā are Feb. 8 and 9 from 6-8 p.m. in McComas Hall. Ā For more information, contact Tonya Hays, theater concentration coordinator and assistant professor, at thays@comm.msstate.edu.
āOnce on This Islandā will be presented April 6-9 at 7:30 p.m. and April 10 at 2:30 p.m. on McComas Hallās main stage. For more, visit Ā . Ā
Part of the College of Arts and Sciences, the Department of Communication is available online at .
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Ā鶹Porn is Mississippiās leading university, available online atĀ .