"That is the best kind of love. The love when you fight to love each other."
Issue 27: Dot
Hello Friend,
I hope you enjoyed a lovely summer.
At the start of another brand-new season, and in this particular moment in 2019, we at People’s Light are thinking of the ways in which we care for one other – artists, patrons, volunteers, staff – all who are part of our community, and all whom we aspire to engage. Our ambition is for each person to not only feel welcome, but to actually feel that we have carved out a you-shaped space here - for the whole you. At the heart of Dot (by Colman Domingo, co-author of Lights Out: Nat “King” Cole) are seven beautifully messy, passionate, and uncompromising souls who wrestle with how to care for each other’s whole selves amid deep need and fierce love. What better play, then, to launch our 45th season?
Take care,
Marcie Bramucci,
Director of Community Investment
Inside Colman Domingo's Dot
We're kicking off our 45th Anniversary season with the regional premiere of Colman Domingo's Dot. A West Philly family gathers for the holidays in this hilarious, heartfelt, and “thoroughly entertaining comedy-drama” (The New York Times). Dotty's memory is slipping as her three children – an overwhelmed attorney, a gay playwright with marital problems, and an aspiring actress hoping to appear on Celebrity Mud Fight – clash over how best to care for their proud, lovable matriarch.
Dot first premiered as part of the Humana Festival at the Actors Theatre of Louisville in March 2015, then went on to run Off-Broadway and throughout the country. The play has been hailed as “disarmingly funny” (NY1), “very moving” (The Huffington Post), and “a fearless mix of bone-dry humor and warp-speed emotional shifts” (Entertainment Weekly).
Dot features a vibrant mix of People's Light newcomers and returning favorites. Meet the team!
Domingo, a West Philadelphia native and Temple University alum, returns to his Philly roots to direct Dot for the first time. “I’m so proud to be at the helm of this play’s Greater Philadelphia premiere,” he says. “My heart is always in the theatre and at home with People’s Light.” Colman was the co-creator of the hit Lights Out: Nat “King” Cole, which People’s Light commissioned, developed, and premiered in 2017. A prolific film, television, and theatre artist, Colman Domingo stars on AMC’s Fear the Walking Dead, has a recurring role on HBO’s Euphoria, recently starred in the Academy Award-nominated drama If Beale Street Could Talk, and is currently filming two major motion pictures – Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, alongside Viola Davis and Chadwick Boseman, and Jordan Peele’s Candyman reboot.
“Colman fills a room with joy, passion, and laughter,” shared People’s Light Producing Director Zak Berkman, who has known and worked with Domingo for the better part of two decades. “And his play is filled with joyful, passionate, wildly funny characters. They are all searching for ways to reconcile who they’ve been with who they are now and who they want to be. That’s why this play speaks to so many people and is the perfect way for People’s Light to launch our 45th Season.”
Surrounding Dot
Get the Scoop
Select Wednesdays at 6pm
Resident Dramaturg Gina Pisasale hosts guest artist
André
Ward for a behind-the-scenes look into the making of this production. Join fellow theatre-lovers for casual conversation and light fare before your scheduled performance!
From André:
"I'm looking forward to sharing how this family is absolutely trying to connect and love each other. (Sometimes in trying to connect they miss one another and it can be quite sad or quite funny.)" Read more...
You can call 610.644.3500 to add Scoop to your tickets, or purchase separately online for just $5. The event takes place in the Congdon Center.
September 25; October 9 & 16
AfterWORDS
Stick around for an informal post-performance talkback after Thursday evening performances (excluding previews).
September 26; October 3, 10, 17
Pride Night
Celebrate National Coming Out Day with your LGBTQ+ friends and neighbors at a pre-show reception before the 7:30pm performance.
October 11, 6pm
Smart Caption Glasses Pilot!
Last call for pilot participants! We will host the U.S. pilot of the National Theatre of London's Smart Caption Glasses for open captioning with Dot performances October 1-13. If you or someone you know would be interested in this pilot, please reply to this email (bramucci@peopleslight.org). Only a few slots remain!
Open Caption
An LED screen near the stage displays dialogue in real-time.
All performances from October 15-20
Relaxed Performance + Sensory Tour
Everyone
is welcome! A Relaxed Performance is a live theatre experience that invites
(but is not limited to) individuals with Autism, ADD, ADHD, dementia, and
sensory sensitivities to enjoy theatre in a relaxed, “shush-free” zone. his is offered in tandem with a pre-performance sensory tour of key props and costume pieces. Get more info here.
October 18, 7:30pm
More Access
People's Light is wheelchair accessible, service animal-friendly, and we offer assistive listening devices and large print programs at every performance.
Community Matters Reflection:
Where You From?
By Nadira Beard
The New Voices Ensemble performed Where You From?, under the direction of Nadira Beard, to a fully packed house of patrons on the Leonard C. Haas stage as our final Community Matters event of the season. Invited guest respondents hailing from the city of Chester represented a range of professions and perspectives in a robust conversation following the performance. Click here to read our blog post about this joyous event.
Photos by Darcie Goldberg
As both playwright and
director of the piece, as well as the director of the New Voices Ensemble,
Nadira Beard was especially attuned to the reception of the piece and the
nature of the discussion that followed. Nadira notes, “It was
heartwarming to have so many people interested and open to the telling of a
story both familiar and unfamiliar to their lives. The [New Voices]
ensemble members wanted to share the good, the bad, and the ugly of
their community, and especially what matters to them; the love and strength
that lives in them within it. The conversation amongst the panel and
audience was respectful and thoughtful, and gave others a platform to share
their similar stories and the stories of others in a community they know and
care about.”
The audience response was overwhelming:
“It's life giving and building.”
“The performances by the Ensemble were wonderful and heartfelt. The fact that the writer/director participated in [New Voices] as a teen enriched the whole experience.”
“… this presentation renewed my faith in the future, that today’s young people (the cast) get it, and they hold our future in their hands.”
Patrons told us about the conversations they had after the event…
“My son and I discussed neighborhoods and different ways of growing up, we discussed privilege and what that really means.”
“We talked about the idea that there are dire needs and difficulties in every culture, class, and race but there are not equal opportunities; in fact there are major efforts to withhold and hoard benefits, i.e. redlining.”
SummerBLAST Round-Up:
"We can't wit to return next year!"
— parent response
This year’s SummerBLAST welcomed students ages 7-18 to campus in four sessions of theatre-making during July and August. Our young artists studied alongside a dynamic roster of People’s Light company members, guest teaching artists, and college student mentors. From our Littles creating their own choreography, Youth students “idea banking” together to inspire a new script, and our Teens creating solo pieces and experiencing the rigor of stage combat training – students formed new friendships, tried new skills, and shared elements of their creative explorations with family and friends.
Beginning Oct 5th – once families and students have settled into the school year routine – we will rev up once again for Fall theatre school.
Recap: Backyard BBQ
Cheers and thanks to everyone - all 400 of you! - who made our Backyard BBQ such an exciting first. We had a number of folks arrive before the event officially kicked off, and guests just kept rolling in until the campus coursed with life. David Lutken, Michael Hicks and Andrew Kane led a relaxed acoustic set (before hopping over to the theatre to perform in Our Town); followed by two soulful sets by Susan McKey and her band Lucky Brown through nightfall.
Attendees raved about the food and libations from Albie’s Fresh Burgers & Crab Cakes, Dino’s Ice Cream & Water Ice and Locust Lane Craft Brewery. Next time there will be ore vendors to accommodate the clear demand. Thanks to those who hung in at this first-time celebration and to everyone who made it such a laid-back and festive summer night. Stay tuned for expanded BYBBQ plans next summer.
THIS SEASON BROUGHT TO YOU BY…
Each season we invite patrons to play a role and underwrite tangible items in the productions ahead – from the tiniest props and costume pieces to state-of the art technology. We recently opened this year’s selections, and right away one supporter snapped up the opportunity to fund the Oreos in Dot. Another individual sponsored on behalf of her family, noting, “6 arrows for 6 grandkids” for Little Red. The item sponsorship provides a unique window into the world of the plays in the season ahead. To browse our unusual array of available sponsorship items and get in on the action, click here.
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