Review: TONI STONE at Three Bone Theatre

Who Is Toni Stone?

As an African American, I have always been proud to have a great knowledgebase of our African American History...even in sports. I am acquainted with African American football stars like the great Jim Brown and Walter Payton. I know about African American tennis pioneers like Althea Gibson and Arthur Ashe. I have heard of famous Negro league baseball players like Jackie Robinson, Hank Aaron, Satchel Paige, and Josh Gibson. But...who is Toni Stone? I had never heard of her! Last night, Three Bone Theatre, an all-female theatre company (Becky Schultz, Executive Director, and Robin Tynes-Miller, Artistic and Operations Director) answered that question for me in their depiction of the stage play, Toni Stone, written by a female African American playwright, Lydia R. Diamond, based on the book, Curveball, The Remarkable Story Of Toni Stone, written by Martha Ackmann. Before I dive into the storyline, I would like to give kudos to the director, the illustrious Professor Corlis Hayes, for the transformation of the black box in the Arts Factory into a baseball diamond, dugout, nightclub, and brothel, which wasn't a small task. In addition, I would be remised if I did not mention the superb acting by the lead actor, Nasha Shandri. Through her brilliant portrayal, Toni Stone found a place in my personal ancestral hall of fame.

So, let's add some details to the question, "Who Is Toni Stone?" Born as, Marcenia Lyle Stone, Toni Stone, is the first African American woman who played professional baseball with an all-male team, The Indianapolis Crowns. This autobiographical stage play is about more than baseball...it's about stereotypes, love-life expectations, discriminations within and outside Toni's race, and the will and courage to survive "against all odds". It depicts the struggles of a Black woman living out her passion from childhood (collecting baseball cards and stats) to adulthood (actually playing with such greats as Satchel Paige). It takes place during an era when Black men were segregated from playing in the major leagues and women (especially a black woman) were not expected to excel in what were considered as male dominant careers outside of their homes. Yet, Toni kept reaching high above the stars to accomplish her goal. Oftentimes, Toni faced double discrimination...ostracized by her teammates, (some who she was better than) whose egotistical views screamed loudly that baseball was no place for a woman and expressed that she should be home "baking biscuits" for her husband. Speaking of husband, Toni eventually married Alberga (Keith Logan), a prominent businessman, whose relentless pursuit could have been seen as a means to conquer and control this woman whose entire world was consumed by baseball. It's interesting to see the advancement of their relationship from "baseball talk" at Jack's tavern to a romantic relationship that cumulates into marriage. At times, when Toni became uncomfortable with his advances...she would resort to her familiar ground, spewing out baseball stats. She finally gives in, which created another challenge, balancing her duties as a wife and her outside career as a baseball player. She made an attempt to be a dutiful wife. At some point, Toni had to choose between baseball and her marriage, and of course she went with her first love...baseball. An omen to our current times, women are often faced with challenges that their male counterparts don't have to consider like choices between career or family. Some African Americans share the viewpoint that you have to do ten times as much to accomplish the same feat as your counterparts. So being an African American and a woman, one could speculate that those odds could possibly double.

Another interesting aspect of Toni's life is her relationship with the female character, Millie (Robert Rankin), whose profession could be described as a "lady of the evening". During those times, Black baseball players could not share the same living accommodations as their White counterparts; therefore, they had to stay in any places that would house them. One of those places was a brothel that Millie worked. So, as the men spent time exercising their pleasures, Toni and Millie developed a platonic friendship. Their friendship was at times conflicting and at times endearing.

Toni Stone hit a homerun for me. There were so many takeaways. I left feeling educated, inspired, empowered, and enlightened much more than I was when I came. It inspired me even the more to continue to be a trailblazer in my field. I am empowered to reach higher beyond the stars. Again, kudos to Three Bone Theatre for addressing such a historical piece. Great cast! Great direction! Great production. Your opportunities to see this riveting and thought-provoking masterpiece is this Friday (8/26, 9/1 - 9/3). You will not be disappointed.

**To Purchase Tickets To Toni Stone And To Receive More Information About Three Bone Theatre visit website: https://www.threebonetheatre.com/

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