Alliance Presents World Premiere By Pearl Cleage

The Alliance Theatre is pleased to announce the world premiere of ANGRY, RAUCOUS AND SHAMELESSLY GORGEOUS by acclaimed Atlanta author and playwright, Pearl Cleage. In this funny and hopeful new play, artists from different generations and worldviews must find a way to reconcile their different beliefs and make peace with lingering ghosts from the past. The play looks closely at women as they age, their place in society as they age, and how women's voices are heard and when throughout their lives. Directed by the Alliance Theatre's Artistic Director Susan V. Booth, ANGRY, RAUCOUS AND SHAMELESSLY GORGEOUS will premiere on the Alliance's newly renovated Coca-Cola Stage from March 20 - April 14, 2019. Opening Night is Wednesday, March 27, 7:30 p.m.

Cleage serves as the Alliance Theatre playwright in residence and is a renowned poet, activist, novelist, and playwright. Her eight novels have been recognized by The New York Times, the Oprah Book Club, and others. Her many plays have been commissioned and performed internationally.

ANGRY, RAUCOUS, AND SHAMELESSLY GORGEOUS was commissioned for the Alliance's 50th anniversary season and marks Cleage's eighth production to have its world premiere at the Alliance Theatre. It also marks the fourth collaboration between Cleage and the Alliance Theatre's Jennings Hertz Artistic Director, Susan V. Booth. Booth directed the world premieres of Cleage's What I Learned in Paris and The Nacirema Society Requests..., as well as the 20th anniversary production of Blues for an Alabama Sky.

In ANGRY, RAUCOUS, AND SHAMELESSLY GORGEOUS, actress Anna Campbell and director Betty Samson ignited a major theatrical controversy in the 1970s with a performance of scenes from August Wilson's Fences that came to be known forever after as 'Naked Wilson.' To escape the critics, Anna and Betty accepted what they thought would be a temporary job in Amsterdam. Twenty-five years later, the women receive an invitation to return to the states where the infamous piece will open a women's theatre festival that promises to be 'angry, raucous, and shamelessly gorgeous.' Uncertain of what kind of reception she will get after so many years in self-imposed exile, and unmoved by Betty's reassurances, Anna's insecurity only grows when she meets Pete Watson, the ambitious young performer who has been chosen to recreate the role but whose theatrical experience is so far limited to the adult entertainment industry. In this new play about crossing generations, Anna and Pete must find a way to make peace with each other and lingering ghosts from the past.

"This is a story for anyone who has ever tried to build a bridge between generations, hoping to offer a lifetime of advice to some unsuspecting young person (who probably hasn't asked for it,) and discovered in the process that there is as much to learn as there is to teach," said Cleage. "Engaging in multi-generational relationships and conversations is a really enriching part of life, and now, especially, it's a big part of our national conversation."

ANGRY, RAUCOUS AND SHAMELESSLY GORGEOUS stars Je Nie Fleming (Alliance: A Christmas Carol; Bike America) as Kate; Marva Hicks (Broadway: Motown the Musical; Caroline, or Change) as Betty Samson; Vanessa A. Jones (Broadway: The Lion King; Caroline, or Change) as Anna Campbell; and Ericka Ratcliff (Alliance: A Midsummer Night's Dream) as Pete.

The creative team is led by Director Susan V. Booth (Ever After, Native Guard) and includes Collette Pollard, Set Designer; Kara Harmon, Costume Designer; Michelle Habeck, Lighting Designer; and Clay Benning, Sound Designer.

Performances are Wednesdays and Thursdays at 7:30 p.m., Fridays at 8:00 p.m., Saturdays at 2:30 p.m. and 8:00 p.m., and Sundays at 2:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m., March 20 - April 14, 2019, on The Coca-Cola Stage at Alliance Theatre. There will be an additional performance on Tuesday, March 26 at 7:30 p.m. There will be no 2:30 p.m. performance on Saturday, March 23. There will be no 7:30 performance on Sunday, April 14.

Tickets start at $20 and are available at The Woodruff Arts Center Box Office in person or by calling 404-733-5000. Tickets are also available online at www.alliancetheatre.org/gorgeous. Discounted rates for groups of 10 or more are available by calling 404.733.4690.

A matinee performance for student groups will take place on Thursday, April 11, at 10:30 a.m. This performance is recommended for grades 9+ and supports curriculum standards: ELAGSE9-10RL3, ELAGSE9-10RL4, ELAGSE9-10RL9, ELAGSE11-12RL3, ELAGSE11-12RL5, ELAGSE11-12RL6, ELAGSE11-12SL1, SSCG8, SSCG15, SSCG16. For ticket information, contact allianceschoolday@woodruffcenter.org or call 404.733.4661.

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