BWW Previews: LETTERS FROM ZORA: IN HER OWN WORDS at Crossroads Theatre Company in New Brunswick

Crossroads Theatre Company in New Brunswick will open the 2014-15 season with the One Pearl and a Sphinx production of Letters From Zora: In Her Own Words. It will be on stage from October 9th through October 26th. This one-woman show delves into noted author Zora Neale Hurston's controversial views on segregation, integration and social justice.

Written by USC professor Gabrielle Denise Pina with an original score by Ron McCurdy, this daring piece showcases a life filled with artistic triumphs as well as abject poverty and self-doubt. Directed by Anita Dashiell-Sparks, Hurston's personal letters create an authentic multi-sensory dramatization brought to life by veteran actress Vanessa Bell Calloway in a production that will illuminate Hurston's words, life and distinct view of the jazz-age era.

Award-winning fiction novelist and playwright Gabrielle Pina declares, "Letters from Zora is an untold story about unbridled creativity who succeeded in a very difficult time in (African-American) history. It's a 3-demensioal representation of her life - a woman who reveled in her superior intellectual capacity. So audiences will laugh and cry."

Producing Artistic Director Marshall Jones, III states "I was really moved because the script was based on her actual letters. The play was developed with Zora's Estate so I appreciated that authenticity. To top it all off with Vanessa's gripping, humourous and insightful performance - that's a winning combination!"

Gabrielle Denise Pina is faculty member at the University of Southern California. Along with fellow USC colleagues Ron McCurdy and Anita Dashiell-Sparks Pina created Letters From Zora. She is nominated for the NAACP Theatre Awards for "Best One Person Show" along with Vanessa Bell Calloway, who is also nominated for "Best Lead Female" for Letters From Zora. Calloway's extensive career began on the Broadway stage in Dreamgirls before transitioning to television and film. Her works include Shameless, What's Love Got To Do With It, Love Don't Cost a Thing, among many others.

The creative team for Letters from Zora: In Her Own Words includes: Manuel Prieto, Original Scenic Design; Phil Kong, Lighting Design; Mylette Nora, Costume Designer; Margie Labadie, Projections Designer.

Since its founding in 1978 by Ricardo Khan and Lee Richardson, graduates of Rutgers' Mason Gross School of the Arts, Crossroads has been "dedicated to creating and producing professional theater of the highest standards of artistic excellence." According to its mission, Crossroads' work celebrates the culture, history, spirit and voices of the entire African Diaspora, and presents "honest and positive portrayals of people of color from around the world." Crossroads has provided an artistic home to such artists as George C. Wolfe, Avery Brooks, Ntozake Shange, Mbongeni Ngema, Vernel Bagneris, Guy Davis and the late Ruby Deeand Ossie Davis for the development and production of new works. It is one of a declining number of theaters dedicated to the production of and support of black theater, and the only black theater company to be honored with the Tony Award for Best Regional Theater in America (1999).

Crossroads Theatre Company is located at 7 Livingston Avenue in New Brunswick in the heart of the vibrant arts and restaurant district. Letters from Zora begins will be on stage from Oct. 9th through October 26th. Both evening and matinee performances are available. Ticket prices are $35 to $55. For ticketing and more information, visit www.CrossroadsTheatreCompany.org or call 732-545-8100.

Photo Credit: Courtesy of Crossroads Theatre Company

To post a comment, you must register and login.