Voices In The Dark Repertory Theatre Company Announces Its 2019 Season Spotlighting Disenfranchised Communities

Voices in the Dark Repertory Theatre Company is proud to present its 27th season line up of "The DREAM - REALIZED." In keeping with its mission, Voices has selected a trilogy of plays that exemplify and epitomizes both "the dream deferred, and the dream realized." Its mission: to present, produce and promote plays, films, art, dance, literary and musical interpretations that are artistic expressions of the "disenfranchised. In short, its mission is to promote understanding and goodwill between the sexes, races, and ethnicities through the Arts - the tie that binds.

"The plays, presentations, gallery displays, lectures, and book signings for the past 27 years have been carefully and meticulously selected to give a voice to the voiceless, and our 2019 season is no exception," said Tommye Myrick, founder of Voices. "This season's trilogy reflects the importance of celebrating and recognizing the fortitude and the audacity of human survival through adversity."

Beginning the season by answering the daunting question of Langston Hughes iconic poem "What Happens to a Dream Deferred," Voices is presenting the 60th Anniversary of Lorraine Hansberry's American Masterpiece A Raisin in the Sun. With an all-star cast starring award-winning television, stage, and film actress Carol Sutton as the matriarch of the Younger family, Voices answers the question.

A Raisin in the Sun opens March 15, 2019, at the Ashé Power House in New Orleans - 1731 Baronne St.

The second installment of this trilogy of dreams is the world premiere of Louisiana's first historical outdoor drama Le Code Noir, written and conceived by Tommye Myrick and Former Director Emeritus of the Institute of Outdoor Drama Mark R. Sumner. The title - Le Code Noir - comes from the French King Louis XIV's edict of 1685 which became law in Louisiana's Antebellum South. Unique to Louisiana, enslaved Africans could gather in the late 1700s and early 1800s in an area away from the Mississippi River called Place des Négres. This provision was permitted as part of a law called "Le Code Noir"- The Black Code.

Set in antebellum Louisiana, the centerpiece of Le Code Noir is Congo Square. This historical outdoor drama is a functional journey rather than a theoretical lecture on Louisiana history. The play dramatizes historical events while presenting and exploring themes in Louisiana and U.S. history. Focusing on regionally and nationally-recognized figures, the story chronicles the life of Santee (an 18-year-old enslaved African girl) who arrives at the port of New Orleans and the auction block in from Saint-Domingue in 1794. Her master sold her to privateers as he fled the Haitian Revolution. For the next two decades, she experiences significant events in American history that forever shaded Louisiana and its unique culture. These events include the Treaty of San IIdefonso, the Spanish cession of Louisiana to France, the Louisiana Purchase, the Revolt of 1811, the Battle of New Orleans, and of course, New Orleans' first Mardi Gras.

The third installment of the Trilogy of Dreams is Trans Scripts. Written by Paul Lucas, Trans Scripts features the stories of seven real-life trans women, enacted by a cast of almost entirely trans female actors. In keeping with Voices mission to give "voice to the voiceless," the riveting stories in this play reflect the lives of those who sought not to be noticed but understood. It will make its New Orleans premiere during National Transgender Month, November 7-10, 2019.

About Voices in the Dark Repertory Theatre Company
Voices in the Dark, Inc., a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization, began as an all African-American women's theatre company dedicated to presenting, showcasing and performing works written by and/or about the African-American woman. It was the brainchild of Producer/Director, Tommye Myrick, after reading poems and short stories written by her good friend and poet, Sharon Bridgforth. Inspired by the moving messages that paid homage and tribute to the plight of the African-American woman, Myrick established the first ever all African-American Women's Theatre Company in this country (featured in Essence Magazine). Soon, the company, which started with 13 female members, grew to a membership of 52 and included both men and women. Operating out of New Orleans, Voices in the Dark Repertory Company and its Artistic Director have produced over 50 productions and received numerous awards and recognition.

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