HOUSTON, April 10, 2008 (PRIME NEWSWIRE) -- The Ensemble Theatre will present Mark Clayton Southers' "Ashes to Africa," which is a touching rendition of the attempt to fulfill a grandmother's dying wish to be cremated and have her remains sprinkled over Africa, which ultimately results in an explosive internal family struggle. Ashes connects us to the real life co-existence of humor and seriousness and is a realistic and humorous portrayal of life.
Southers wrote this play a year before the Millennium when cremation was not common within the African American community. Since that time it has slowly made its way to being acceptable. Southers says, "The escalating cost of burying our loved ones is the number one reason why cremation has became a matter of choice for many of us. Writing about my personal experiences in life, as most playwrights do early in their careers, I found myself weaving stories and situations with minor twist and turns; just enough so as to not bring back the pain full throttle. I guess the most rewarding experience in all of this was to actually learn from my characters...about life and deep-rooted human feelings. At the very least, however, I wanted to share with you this much. If I reduced my thoughts to just a few mere words, unconnected in sentence but joined in thought, they would be -- respect, dignity, pride, love and journey."
While working as a heavy equipment operator for the U.S. Steel Corporation, Southers showcases his artistic talent as the Founder and Producing Artistic Director for the Pittsburgh Playwrights Theatre Company. In its fifth season, they have offered four to six mainstage productions a year, as well as the Theatre Festival in Black and White, a concept that Southers formulated in which the works of four black playwrights and four white playwrights were presented, with black directors directing the white playwrights' plays and vice versa. Southers made the move from acting to playwrighting during a performance tour in South Africa in 1998 when by chance he attended a master class being conducted by August Wilson, who was a major influence on his life as an artist and playwright. Southers' recent directing credits include -- The Piano Lesson and F.O.R.D. for The Pittsburgh Playwrights, Annie Jr. and A Slip of the Tongue for Frick International Studies Academy, Dutchman and Sparkle and Glow for Bricolage Theater Company, and Freeman, A Soldiers Play and Pill Hill for New Horizon. His production of Ashes to Africa was a finalist at the Dayton Playhouse Future Fest and was part of Kuntu Repertory Theatre's 2004 season.
The production is directed by The Ensemble's Artistic Director, Eileen J. Morris, who acknowledges that "Ashes to Africa" connects a family in one of the toughest times, the death of a loved one. Morris further reflects that it is during this time that secrets are exposed, that feelings are made known and families relieve and bask in their memories. Understanding the wishes of a loved one when they are not there to help connect the dots can become a mystery. Each person can shed light to help unravel the puzzle. Ashes addresses the issues relevant to a loving family, sibling rivalry, a woman experiencing menopause and a diminished sexual desire, the daily routine of living, a teenager's need to find his/her place, and cousins competing, all while dealing with their loss.
Featured actors include: Byron Jacquet, Jordyn Lorenz, Bebe Wilson, Aziza Anderson, Rachel Hemphill Dickson, Troy Hogan, Broderick Jones and Joseph D. Palmore.
Preview dates are Saturday, April 26th @ 8:00 pm; Sunday, April 27th @ 3:00 pm and Wednesday, April 30th @ 7:30 pm. Opening Night is Thursday, May 1st at 7:30 pm at The Ensemble Theatre located at 3535 Main St. "Ashes to Africa" is generously supported by Continental Airlines, Cullen Trust for the Performing Arts, Texas Commission on the Arts and the Houston Arts Alliance and is rated PG-13.
"ASHES TO AFRICA"
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Written by Mark Clayton Southers
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April 26th-May 25th, 2008
Performance Times
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Previews: Saturday April 26th 8:00 pm
Sunday April 27th 3:00 pm
Wednesday April 30th 7:30 pm
Matinees: Wednesday May 7th 10:00 am
Wednesday May 14th 10:00 am
Wednesday May 21st 10:00 am
Production Thursdays 7:30 pm
Run: Fridays 8:00 pm
Saturdays 2:00 pm Matinee & 8:00 pm
Sundays 3:00 pm Matinee
For ticket information and groups sales, call the Box Office at (713) 520-0055.
The Ensemble Theatre was founded in 1976 by the late George Hawkins to preserve African American artistic expression and enlighten, entertain and enrich a diverse community. Thirty years later, the theatre has evolved from a touring company operating from the trunk of Mr. Hawkins' car to become one of Houston's finest historical cultural institutions. The Ensemble is one of the only professional theatres in the region dedicated to the production of works portraying the African American experience, the oldest and largest professional African American theatre in the Southwest, and holds the distinction of being one of the nation's largest African American theatres owning and operating its facility and producing in-house. The Ensemble Theatre has fulfilled and surpassed the vision of its founder and continues to expand and create innovative programs to bring African American theatre to a myriad of audiences. The programs and operations of The Ensemble Theatre benefit a multi-cultural audience that is diverse in age, income, ethnicity and culture and its core audience is African American (70%). The Ensemble produces a Mainstage Season of six contemporary and classic works devoted to the portrayal of the African American experience by local and national playwrights and artists. The Ensemble's Performing Arts Education program provides educational workshops, Artist-in-Residence experiences and live performances for students both off-site and at the Theatre; and the Young Performers Program offers intensive summer training for children ages 7 to 17 encompassing instruction in all disciplines of the theatre arts. Through its varied programs, The Ensemble projects to benefit an audience and artistic constituency that may potentially exceed 150,000 people annually.
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