A SMALL OAK TREE RUNS RED Offered for Online Discussion Through READ TO RELATE

Theatre Memphis has announced its third script, A Small Oak Tree Runs Red, by Lekethia Dalcoe, and new dates in its Read to Relate series.

Read to Relate: A Theatre Memphis Interactive Play Discussion Group is an online reading and discussion group that reads works by American Playwrights of color and/or who are differently abled.

With the intent to include one or more of the discussed plays into future seasons at Theatre Memphis, the objective of this virtual experience is to broaden awareness of plays written by and about the BIPOC and/or differently abled communities (BIPOC: Black, Indigenous, and People of Color).

The online conversations will be held on the evenings of April 13 and 27, 2021, from 7 - 8:30pm. Discussions about the scripts are moderated by local Black theatre artists. The moderator will guide the participants through two virtual discussions about the literary and social context found in the text and production qualities of the play. Bria Brown will be the moderator for A Small Oak Tree Runs Red. Brown is a native Memphian, poet, co-founder of 901 HomeGrown, and Program Coordinator for Stax Music Academy.

To participate in the Read to Relate series, individuals read the play on their own and attend two virtual discussion sessions. There is a $15 fee to register and registered participants receive a copy of the script and a link to the scheduled discussions. Deadline for registration is April 8, 2021.

Scripts are available for pick up at Theatre Memphis, 630 Perkins Extended, Memphis, TN 38117. Registration can be completed or more information regarding the script can be found online at https://theatrememphis.org/read-to-relate. If fees are an issue for an interested participant or if you have additional questions, please contact the program manager at crutkauskas@theatrememphis.org.

Dalcoe describes her play, A Small Oak Tree Runs Red, in her own words. "Shackled, bound, and trapped within someplace between reality and make believe, lies swollen-bellied, bloodied Mary Turner, the accused murderer Sidney Johnson, and the loving husband Hayes Turner. All are haunted by the voices of the mob that resides in an abyss that tangles, throws, and switches the elements all in an effort of stopping the memories from coming forward. Their torture continues even in the afterlife. Sidney has reluctantly been given the task to force Mary to remember the horrible accounts of her lynching so they both can move on. In this world entangled in history and unforgivable acts against humanity, to forget is to forever perish, just like the countless stories before them trapped within old newspapers and forgotten memories."

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