The Story Theatre Announces Cast & Creative Team For MARIE ANTOINETTE AND THE MAGICAL NEGROES

The Story Theatre has announced their return to the stage. The Story will kick off their third season with a production of Terry Guest's Marie Antoinette and the Magical Negroes. Guest, a Governing Ensemble member, served as The Story's Resident Playwright from 2019-2020, receiving three developmental workshops over the course of a year, culminating in a staged reading of Marie in early March 2020.

Marie Antoinette and the Magical Negroes
by Governing Ensemble Member Terry Guest^
Directed by Ayanna Bria Bakari^ & Terry Guest^

CAST
Jim Crow: Keith Illidge
King Louis XVI: Jack Morsovillo
Mammy: Amber Washington
Marie Antoinette: Brenna DiStasio^
Sambo: Maya Vinice Prentiss
Sapphire: Saran Bakari
Savage: Brianna Buckley

u/s: Cat Christmas, TJ Thomas, Jourdan Lewanda

CREATIVE TEAM
Stage Manager: Jo Chalhoub
Ast Stage Manager: Lauren Peters
Dramaturg: Ada Alozie
Scenic Designer: Yeaji Kim
Costume Designer: Racquel Postiglione
Lighting Designer: Dan Friedman
Sound Designer: Willow James
Technical Director: Ana Daniela
Master Electrician: Liz Gomez
Production Manager: Lucy Whipp^

^denotes a member of The Story Governing Ensemble

From the playwright, Terry Guest:

"To say that things have changed since the March 2020 reading of Marie Antoinette and the Magical Negroes would be a laughable understatement! Life-altering events like the international uprising for Black lives, the pandemic, the assault on our capitol, etc have made the questions raised by this piece all the more necessary. What happens when Black people grow tired of sitting down and turning the other cheek? Do we scream? Pray? Should we be peaceful? Should we riot? Can the tools used in the past possibly work for the future or do we need to write a new script? Using a company of Black storytellers and the backdrop of the French Revolution, I hope to explore these questions in a way that is as messy and complicated as public execution. Wanna join the riot?"

The Story Theatre poses questions, rather than providing answers. They develop and produce new work that is whimsical, melancholic, mythic in vision, and intimate in scale. They are run by a governing artistic ensemble, who ensures their work is actively dismantling racism and inequity, while cultivating community through activism and catharsis.

Location: 6157 N Clark St, Chicago, IL 60660

Run: January 13, 2022 - February 13, 2022

Tickets go on sale December 8, 2021. Visit www.thestorytheatre.org for more information.

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