Theatre Arts Professor Sidney Monroe Williams is directing his second production with the UofL Rep Company, “Zomo the Rabbit: A Hip Hop Creation Myth.” The play, which is a remix of a West African trickster tale, follows Zomo, a young rapping rabbit on a quest for power who learns the creative value of cooperation while unwittingly creating hip-hop culture. This interactive show fuses hip-hop music, playful costumes and Louisville landmarks which are sure to engage children and their families.

The cast for the production is comprised of this year’s second-year Master of Fine Arts candidates, including Tyler Tate (Zomo the Rabbit), Jordan Tudor (Sky God), Caisey Cole (Leopard), Alex Gordon (Wild Cow) and undergraduate Aliyah Brutley (Big Fish). The ‘MC’ of the production is undergraduate, CeCe Philips, who serves as the stage manager. Third-year MFA candidate, Xavier Harris, serves as the ‘B-Boy,’ creating 90s hip-hip choreography for the production. New faculty member Jerome Wills is the ‘graffiti artist’ and ‘DJ’ as he creates the set and sound design. The mastermind behind the 90s fashion is UofL’s costume-designer, Melissa Shepard.

“I have to express my gratitude for this fierce ensemble and crew that manage to cram flips, choreography, lightning set changes, rhyming and audience interaction into 60 minutes of pure goodness,” Williams said.

The show is recommended for youth in kindergarten through 6th grade. The debut is��this weekend at UofL before the show hits the road for a number of area school performances along with other engagements, including a .

“Zomo the Rabbit: A Hip Hop Creation Myth” plays 11 a.m. Oct. 19 and 1 p.m. Sun., Oct. 20 at Thrust Theatre, 2314 S. Floyd St. Tickets are $5. to purchase tickets.��

“We’ve been waiting to share our love of hip-hop with you,” Williams added.��

The season’s five mainstage shows, along with a production, were either written by black playwrights, feature black characters or address race as a central theme.

“Our season is a rare, unique opportunity for the community to grapple with broad, wide-ranging African American experiences,” said department chair Kevin Gawley. “With few exceptions, regional theaters usually present only one minority play a season. Our season brings the African American experience to the forefront, delving deeply into crucial questions surrounding race, past and present.”

Johnny Jones, director of the African American Theatre Program, said the idea for the season got rolling in the classroom.

His students read “” by Suzan-Lori Parks, a creative essay that asks the question: What constitutes a black play? They also discussed August Wilson’s seminal speech “,” which makes the case that “African American theatre is distinct, distinguished and fully deserving of the kind of funding and respect too often reserved for white culture and institutions.”

His students researched the mix of plays offered at regional theaters around the country and found that each typically does only one minority play in a season. ��

As the season’s theme emerged, so too did questions Theatre Arts hopes audience members and the community can consider together.

“I really want people to think about how these plays speak to America as a whole, not just one group of people — that really is the goal,” Jones said.

The department will offer programming with each show, like talk backs and panel discussions, to facilitate those kinds of conversations.

The season presents a unique opportunity for graduate students in the African American Theatre Program, as well. Most of them are earning Theatre Arts’ , a program of study like no other. Of the 12 grad students, 10 are of African descent.

The department has done thematic seasons before, with a season of women playwrights two years ago and last years’ lessons of the past, stories of the future theme which examined historic stories in a current context. But the uniqueness of the season is already turning heads.��

Jones said that when the department was at the National Black Theatre Festival this summer, someone compared ���Ǵڳ�’s current Theatre Arts to Yale’s drama department in the 1990s, when it was a particularly strong leader in drama exploring race.

“As a third-year MFA student, I am proud to be a part of a legacy that promotes the work of black artists,” said Kala Ross. “I am honored to tell the stories of my people as they are stories for all people. In August Wilson’s speech ‘The Ground on Which I Stand,’��he says, ‘All of human life is universal, and it is theater that illuminates and confers upon the universal [or] the ability to speak for all men.’ A��theatre department that embraces blackness speaks to the social awareness of the program. A ‘season of black plays’ is another season of excellence.”��

A Season of Black Plays

• Sept. 19-29: “King Hedley II” by August Wilson. Directed by Baron Kelly. The ninth play in August Wilson’s 10-play cycle, the play examines African American life in the 20^th Century. The play tells the story of an ex-con trying to rebuild his life in 1985.

• Oct. 19-20: “Zomo the Rabbit” by Psalmayene 24. Directed Sidney Monroe Williams. ���Ǵڳ�’s , a troupe of graduate students who annually perform for dozens of schools, will present “Zomo the Rabbit,” a hip hop take on the classic African tale.

• Nov. 7-17: “Fires in the Mirror” by Anna Deavere Smith. Directed by Ariadne Calvano. The play explores Black and��Hasidic��Jewish people’s perspectives on 1991 riots in��Brooklyn.�� �� �� �� ��

• Jan. 23-Feb. 2: “Detroit ’67” by Dominique Morisseau. Directed by Johnny Jones. Set to a Motown soundtrack, the play unpacks the 1967 race riots that ravaged Detroit.��

• Feb. 20-March 1: “Six Degrees of Separation” by John Guare. Directed by Geoffrey Nelson. Characters examine the premise that everyone is connected by a chain of six acquaintances.

• April 8-19: “Milk Like Sugar” by Kirsten Greenidge. Directed by Sidney Monroe Williams. Play follows a trio of teen girls who make a pact to get pregnant together.��

All plays are at Thrust Theatre, 2314 South Floyd St., except for “King Hedley II” and “Six Degrees of Separation” which will run at The Playhouse, 1911 South Third St. Evening performances start at 7:30 p.m. Sunday matinees are at 3 p.m.

Purchase season tickets, which are $50, . Tickets for individual performances also are available or call 502-852-6814. Additional events occur throughout the year. For the most up-to-date scheduling go online.��

“Fabulation” is a social satire about an ambitious, haughty African-American woman, Undine Barnes Calles, whose husband suddenly disappears after embezzling all of her money. Pregnant and on the brink of social and financial ruin, Undine retreats to her childhood home in Brooklyn’s Walt Whitman projects, only to discover that she must cope with a crude new reality. Undine faces the challenge of transforming her setbacks into small victories in a battle for self-affirmation. Written by Lynn Nottage, “Fabulation” is a comeuppance tale with a comic twist.

is the visiting director for the production. Thompson hails from St. Louis, where she’s an actress, director and��assistant professor of acting and directing at the University of Missouri-St. Louis.��Thompson is also a UofL alum, having earned her Masters in Fine Arts in Acting and graduate certificate in African American Theatre in 2012. UofL’s Theatre Arts Department offers the only such graduate certificate in the country.��

Thompson is excited to be back and shared some thoughts with UofL News about the production.��

UofL News: What makes this production of ‘Fabulation’ unique?

Thompson: The cast of this production make it special. We have a cohesive ensemble including undergrad and grad students and alumni. The rehearsal space has been filled with such enthusiastic energy. They have supported and encouraged each other and continue to lift each other up in process. This bond created a safe artistic space for actors to grow and take risk. ��

UofL News: What makes this show timely and relevant for audiences now?

�ճ�dz�����Dz�:��At the core of ‘Fabulation,’ we find the consequences of lack of authenticity. In today’s climate of social media, we see displays of�� people showing�� their ‘fabulated’ lives through filters and snapshots. This story illustrates what happens when the representative self gets stripped away.���� ��

UofL News: What has been challenging and/or rewarding about this show for you?

�ճ�dz�����Dz�:��I have the deepest gratitude for the opportunity to come back to direct. It’s one of those full circle moments that creates pride and allows you to examine your own growth. It’s been surreal walking through the halls of the department, taking in how everything has changed, yet remained the same. It still feels like home.������

UofL News: You’re a graduate of the African American Theatre Program, what brought you to the program initially?

�ճ�dz�����Dz�:��In my undergad at Clark Atlanta University, several of my classmates came to the program. When searching programs, I contacted many of them and became interested in the AATP. The fact that it’s the only graduate certificate in the country for African American Theatre was impressive. ��

UofL News: How did the program help shape you as a performing artist and theatre maker?

�ճ�dz�����Dz�:��Graduate students are given a myriad of responsibilities, all of which provide experience and training to be multi-faceted in a vast area of the arts after graduation. An essential element for sanity in juggling all of this is discipline, organization and planning. Last September, I taught and was in rehearsal for a show I was directing during the day and in rehearsals for a show as an actor in the evenings. This is typical for an artist but prior to the skills I required from the program, being able to manage all of those projects would have been impossible.

UofL News: Any lessons you learned as a student at UofL that you bring to this show now?

�ճ�dz�����Dz�:��I learned to trust the process and to trust myself. The�� program has allowed me to boldly stand on my creative choices and freed up the doubt that plagues many young artist of not feeling equipped to compete in this industry. A phrase I have shared with the cast and one that is a guiding principle for my life: ‘You are enough.’

The show starts at 8 p.m. Feb. 23 and 24 and at 3 p.m. Feb. 25. It resumes at 8 p.m. March 1-3 and at 3 p.m. March 4 in the Playhouse Theatre, 1911 S. 3rd St. Tickets are $8 for UofL students, $12 for other students and alumni, faculty, staff and seniors and $15 for general admission. to purchase tickets.��

The two-woman play, written by Endesha Ida Mae Holland, powerfully depicts the life of Wells, a civil rights activist and journalist who led the fight against lynching at the turn of the century.

Theatre Arts Chair Nefertiti Burton is directing the show, which she has also performed in numerous times in the past. It artfully weaves historical fact and creative imagination, she said.

“This play absolutely has relevance for conversations about race and society that are taking place now,” Burton said. “It calls to mind the African concept of Sankofa, which means that you must look back and hold onto your past in order to chart your future.” ��

The play features Wells at different points in her life and stars Master of Fine Arts students Sidney Edwards and Mutiyat��Adé-Salu.

The show kicks off a season of five plays, all written by women.

“Miss Ida B. Wells” runs at 8 p.m. Sept. 22, 23, 28, 29 and 30 and 3 p.m. Sept. 24 and Oct. 1 at Thrust Theatre, 2314 South Floyd St. The play is available for touring after Oct. 22.

Season tickets are $50. Individual tickets are $15 for general admission, $12 for faculty, alumni and seniors and $8 for UofL students. To order tickets or for more information, click , call 502-852-7682 or email uofltheatrearts@gmail.com.

to see more photos from the show.

The fact that they all happen to be women ended up shaping the 2017-18 season.

“When we were selecting plays for the season, we noticed there were an abundance proposed that were written by women,” said Nefertiti Burton, department chair. “We thought, why not make it a theme and commit to it.”

So, the season became five plays, written by women.

“It’s a way for us to celebrate the new energy in our department,” Burton said.

The selections cover a wide range of experiences, perspectives and theatrical forms.��

“We’re inviting people to come and see themselves on stage, as the many, diverse women filling these roles,” Burton said.

• The season kicks off with the ’s rendition of “Miss Ida B. Wells,” Sept. 22-Oct. 1. The two-woman play, written by Endesha Ida Mae Holland and directed by Burton, powerfully depicts the life of Wells, a civil rights activist and journalist who led the fight against lynching at the turn of the century.
• ���Ǵڳ�’s , a troupe of graduate students who perform for dozens of elementary schools each year, will do a free public performance Sept. 24 of “Magic Tree,” a play��written by Burton and directed by Melissa Shepherd.
• “Our Country’s Good,” Nov. 10-Nov. 19, written by Timberlake Wertenbaker and directed by Baron Kelly, is based on the true life story of a group of convicts who’ve been deported to the colony of Australia. They found themselves required to act in a production of George Farquhar’s comedy “The Recruiting Officer,” which was staged in the penal colony of New South Wales in 1789.
• In “Eurydice,” Jan. 26-Feb. 4, playwright Sarah Ruhl reimagines the classic myth of Orpheus through the eyes of its heroine. Jenn Ariadne Calvano directs.
• “Fabulation: or the Re-����ֱ�� of Undine,” Feb. 23-March 4, from the African American Theatre Program, tells the story of a businesswoman whose life spirals out of control after her husband steals her money and leaves her. It was written by Lynn Nottage, the first woman to win the Pulitzer Prize for Drama twice.
• The season wraps up with “The Long Christmas Ride Home,” April 13-April 22, in which the past, present and future collide on a snowy Christmas Eve for a troubled family of five. Geoff Nelson and Charles Nasby co-direct the play by Paula Vogel, who is also a recipient of the Pulitzer Prize for Drama.

All plays are at Thrust Theatre, 2314 South Floyd St., except for “Our Country’s Good” and “Fabulation: or the Re-����ֱ�� of Undine,” which will run at The Playhouse, 1911 South Third St. All plays start at 8 p.m. with 3 p.m. Saturday or Sunday matinees.

To order tickets or for more information, call 502-852-6814 or click .

“This season capitalizes on the range and diversity of our department’s faculty directors and deepens our relationships with talented colleagues in Louisville’s theater community,” said Nefertiti Burton, chair of the department. “The plays we are offering this season will provide challenging performance opportunities for our students and stimulating, thought-provoking entertainment for our audiences.”

The season kicks off with August Wilson’s “Fences” Sept. 21-25 by ���Ǵڳ�’s African American Theatre Program. The drama examines the African American experience in the 1950s and is directed by Baron Kelly, who has acted in half of Wilson’s 10-play cycle in major regional theaters in Oregon, San Francisco and Los Angeles.

“King Lear,” an official event of , Louisville’s year-long celebration of all things William Shakespeare, runs Nov. 10-14 and Nov. 17-20.

The African American Theatre Program also presents “Baltimore” by Kirsten Greenidge Feb. 2-6 and Feb. 9-12. The play, directed by Burton,��raises evocative themes of diversity and tolerance��within the��setting of a college campus.

From��March 1-5, Russ Vandenbrouke directs “Vanya, Sonia, Masha and Spike,” a hit comedy by Christopher Durang��derived from the works of��Anton Chekhov.

The season wraps up April 19-23 with “Antigone.” Andrew Harris directs Sophocles’��classic Greek tragedy about sisters Antigone and Ismene who ask, which is mightier, the laws of God or man?��

All plays are at Thrust Theatre, 2314 South Floyd St., except for “King Lear” and “Antigone” which will run at The Playhouse, 1911 South Third St. All plays start at 8 p.m. with 3 p.m. Saturday or Sunday matinees.

Season tickets are $50, which saves as much as $25 on the purchase of all five plays. Individual tickets are available as well. To order tickets or for more information, call 502-852-6814 or click .��