Mar 20 - Apr 14
Coca-Cola Stage
Angry, Raucous and Shamelessly Gorgeous
Coca-Cola Stage
Recommended for audiences 14 and up.
World Premiere
By Pearl Cleage
Directed by Susan V. Booth
A lifetime ago, actress Anna Campbell and director Betty Samson ignited a major theatrical controversy with a performance of scenes from August Wilson's Fences that came to be known forever after as 'Naked Wilson.' To escape the critics, Anna and Betty accepted what they thought would be a temporary job in Amsterdam. Twenty-five years later, the women receive an invitation to return to the states where the infamous piece will open a women’s theatre festival that promises to be ‘angry, raucous, and shamelessly gorgeous.’ Uncertain of what kind of reception she will get after so many years in self-imposed exile, and unmoved by Betty's reassurances, Anna's insecurity only grows when she meets Pete Watson, the ambitious young performer who has been chosen to recreate the role but whose theatrical experience is so far limited to the adult entertainment industry. Searching for common ground, Anna and Pete must confront their ideas about themselves and about each other, as they search for a way to reconcile their two very different ways of looking at the world. This is a story for anyone who has ever tried to build a bridge between generations, hoping to offer a lifetime of advice to some unsuspecting young person (who probably hasn't asked for it,) and discovered in the process that there is as much to learn as there is to teach. With humor and grace, Pearl Cleage finds a meeting place where both women can not only find each other, but make peace with a few lingering ghosts just in time for opening night.
Angry, Raucous and Shamelessly Gorgeous takes place with the support of the Mellon Foundation's National Playwright Residency Program administered in partnership with Howlround.
Coca-Cola Stage
The Coca-Cola Stage at Alliance Theatre is a state-of-the-art proscenium theater offering significant enhancements for patrons including an intimate, comfortable, and sound sensitive environment.
“This is a story for anyone who has ever tried to build a bridge between generations, hoping to offer a lifetime of advice to some unsuspecting young person (who probably hasn't asked for it,) and discovered in the process that there is as much to learn as there is to teach. Engaging in multi-generational relationships and conversations is a really enriching part of life, and now, especially, it’s a big part of our national conversation.”
Pearl Cleage, Playwright
Director
SUSAN V. BOOTH (Director, Jennings Hertz Artistic Director) joined the Alliance Theatre in 2001 and has initiated the Palefsky Collision Project for teens, the Alliance/Kendeda National Graduate Playwriting Competition, the Reiser Atlanta Artists Lab, local producing partnerships and regional collaborative productions as well as commercial partnerships on such projects as The Prom; Tuck Everlasting; Ghost Brothers of Darkland County; The Color Purple; Bring It On: The Musical; Twyla Tharp’s Come Fly Away; Sister Act: The Musical; Bring in ’da Noise, Bring in ’ da Funk; and Jesus Christ Superstar GOSPEL. She has directed world premieres by such writers as Pearl Cleage, Janece Shaffer, former U.S. Poet Laureate Natasha Trethewey, Stephen King, John Mellencamp and Kristian Bush. She has directed nationally at the Goodman Theatre, La Jolla Playhouse, New York Stage and Film, Actors Theatre of Louisville, Northlight Theatre, Victory Gardens, Court Theatre and many others. She holds degrees from Denison and Northwestern universities and was a fellow of the National Critics Institute and the Kemper Foundation. She has held teaching positions at Northwestern, DePaul and Emory universities and is a past president of the board of directors for the Theatre Communications Group, the national service organization for the field. She is a trustee of Denison University and a member of the Carter Center’s Board of Councilors. Booth’s leadership is underwritten by the BOLD Theater Women’s Leadership Circle, an initiative to support and promote women’s theater leadership funded by the Pussycat Foundation. She is married to Max Leventhal and is the proud mother of Moira Rose Leventhal.
Susan V. Booth
Director
SUSAN V. BOOTH (Director, Jennings Hertz Artistic Director) joined the Alliance Theatre in 2001 and has initiated the Palefsky Collision Project for teens, the Alliance/Kendeda National Graduate Playwriting Competition, the Reiser Atlanta Artists Lab, local producing partnerships and regional collaborative productions as well as commercial partnerships on such projects as The Prom; Tuck Everlasting; Ghost Brothers of Darkland County; The Color Purple; Bring It On: The Musical; Twyla Tharp’s Come Fly Away; Sister Act: The Musical; Bring in ’da Noise, Bring in ’ da Funk; and Jesus Christ Superstar GOSPEL. She has directed world premieres by such writers as Pearl Cleage, Janece Shaffer, former U.S. Poet Laureate Natasha Trethewey, Stephen King, John Mellencamp and Kristian Bush. She has directed nationally at the Goodman Theatre, La Jolla Playhouse, New York Stage and Film, Actors Theatre of Louisville, Northlight Theatre, Victory Gardens, Court Theatre and many others. She holds degrees from Denison and Northwestern universities and was a fellow of the National Critics Institute and the Kemper Foundation. She has held teaching positions at Northwestern, DePaul and Emory universities and is a past president of the board of directors for the Theatre Communications Group, the national service organization for the field. She is a trustee of Denison University and a member of the Carter Center’s Board of Councilors. Booth’s leadership is underwritten by the BOLD Theater Women’s Leadership Circle, an initiative to support and promote women’s theater leadership funded by the Pussycat Foundation. She is married to Max Leventhal and is the proud mother of Moira Rose Leventhal.
Cast
Terry Burrell is always excited to work at the Alliance. Alliance credits include Ever After, A Christmas Carol, Jar The Floor, Women Of Brewster Place, Ethel, Hospice/Pointing At The Moon, Cinderella And Fella. Other credits: Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar and Grill, Brownie Points (Theatrical Outfit); Oklahoma! (Goodspeed Opera); Black Nativity, Crowns (Southwest Arts); Da Kink In My Hair (Horizon Theatre); Newsies (Sacramento Music Circus). Broadway: Thoroughly Modern Millie, Three Penny Opera, Swinging on a Star, Into The Woods, Honky Tonk Nights, Dreamgirls, Eubie. Dedicated to the memories of Jim and Sybil Burrell and Janet.
Terry Burrell
Anna Campbell
Terry Burrell is always excited to work at the Alliance. Alliance credits include Ever After, A Christmas Carol, Jar The Floor, Women Of Brewster Place, Ethel, Hospice/Pointing At The Moon, Cinderella And Fella. Other credits: Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar and Grill, Brownie Points (Theatrical Outfit); Oklahoma! (Goodspeed Opera); Black Nativity, Crowns (Southwest Arts); Da Kink In My Hair (Horizon Theatre); Newsies (Sacramento Music Circus). Broadway: Thoroughly Modern Millie, Three Penny Opera, Swinging on a Star, Into The Woods, Honky Tonk Nights, Dreamgirls, Eubie. Dedicated to the memories of Jim and Sybil Burrell and Janet.
Je Nie Fleming (Kate) Atlanta native is thrilled to return to the Alliance stage. Alliance Theatre credits: A Christmas Carol, Bike America, The Wizard of Oz, Crumbs from the Table of Joy, Joe Turner’s Come and Gone, and The Best Christmas Pageant Ever. True Colors Theatre credits: The Colored Museum, and Stick Fly. Seattle Repertory Theatre credit: Valley Song, and her New York Theatre credits include, Abyssinia, Master Class, and No Exit. TV/Film: “Acrimony” starring Taraji P. Henson, Back-up singer for Mary J. Blige on “VH-1 Music Awards” and “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno”, “Law & Order”, “Last Days of Disco”, “Dark Angel”, and “Marvin & Tige”. Love to family and friends on this journey. http://www.jeniefleming.com
Je Nie Fleming
Kate
Je Nie Fleming (Kate) Atlanta native is thrilled to return to the Alliance stage. Alliance Theatre credits: A Christmas Carol, Bike America, The Wizard of Oz, Crumbs from the Table of Joy, Joe Turner’s Come and Gone, and The Best Christmas Pageant Ever. True Colors Theatre credits: The Colored Museum, and Stick Fly. Seattle Repertory Theatre credit: Valley Song, and her New York Theatre credits include, Abyssinia, Master Class, and No Exit. TV/Film: “Acrimony” starring Taraji P. Henson, Back-up singer for Mary J. Blige on “VH-1 Music Awards” and “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno”, “Law & Order”, “Last Days of Disco”, “Dark Angel”, and “Marvin & Tige”. Love to family and friends on this journey. http://www.jeniefleming.com
Marva Hicks (Betty Samson) Broadway: Motown The Musical, Caroline Or Change, The Lion King, Lena Horne: The Lady And Her Music. Off-Broadway: Cabin In The Sky, Little Shop Of Horrors (City Center Encores!) The First Breeze Of Summer, (The Signature Theatre). Regional: The Wiz, (Theatre Under The Stars), Sarah Sings A Love Story, (Crossroads Theatre), Thunder Knocking On The Door, (Helen Hayes Award), Crowns, The Women Of Brewster Place, Sophisticated Ladies (Arena Stage), The Women Of Brewster Place, (Alliance Theatre, Suzi Award), Porgy And Bess ( Zach Scott Theatre, B. Ida Payne Award). TV: “House of Cards,” “Black List,” “Search Party,” “Madam Secretary." Film: Labor Day, Asunder.
Marva Hicks
Betty Samson
Marva Hicks (Betty Samson) Broadway: Motown The Musical, Caroline Or Change, The Lion King, Lena Horne: The Lady And Her Music. Off-Broadway: Cabin In The Sky, Little Shop Of Horrors (City Center Encores!) The First Breeze Of Summer, (The Signature Theatre). Regional: The Wiz, (Theatre Under The Stars), Sarah Sings A Love Story, (Crossroads Theatre), Thunder Knocking On The Door, (Helen Hayes Award), Crowns, The Women Of Brewster Place, Sophisticated Ladies (Arena Stage), The Women Of Brewster Place, (Alliance Theatre, Suzi Award), Porgy And Bess ( Zach Scott Theatre, B. Ida Payne Award). TV: “House of Cards,” “Black List,” “Search Party,” “Madam Secretary." Film: Labor Day, Asunder.
Ericka Ratcliff (Pete) is excited to return to the Alliance Theatre where she most recently performed in A Midsummer's Night Dream. Previous credits include Steppenwolf, Second City, Chicago Shakespeare, Adrienne Arsht Center, Northlight Theatre, Victory Gardens, Collaboraction, Mixed Blood Theatre Company, Milwaukee Repertory, Pittsburgh Playwrights and touring throughout Australia, London, and The Edinburgh Fringe Festival with the award winning play Funk It Up About Nothing. Her film and TV credits include Chiraq, Chicago Fire, The Unborn and the independent film Olympia. Ericka is an ensemble member with The House Theatre of Chicago and Congo Square Theatre and and artistic associate with Lookingglass Theatre. She is a graduate of Roosevelt University. Hello Atlanta!
Ericka Ratcliff
Pete
Ericka Ratcliff (Pete) is excited to return to the Alliance Theatre where she most recently performed in A Midsummer's Night Dream. Previous credits include Steppenwolf, Second City, Chicago Shakespeare, Adrienne Arsht Center, Northlight Theatre, Victory Gardens, Collaboraction, Mixed Blood Theatre Company, Milwaukee Repertory, Pittsburgh Playwrights and touring throughout Australia, London, and The Edinburgh Fringe Festival with the award winning play Funk It Up About Nothing. Her film and TV credits include Chiraq, Chicago Fire, The Unborn and the independent film Olympia. Ericka is an ensemble member with The House Theatre of Chicago and Congo Square Theatre and and artistic associate with Lookingglass Theatre. She is a graduate of Roosevelt University. Hello Atlanta!
Creative
Pearl Cleage (Playwright) is currently Mellon Playwright in Residence at the Alliance Theatre. Her world premieres at the Alliance include Pointing at the Moon, What I Learned in Paris, The Nacirema Society Requests the Honor of Your Presence at a Celebration of Their First One Hundred Years, Tell Me My Dream, Blues for an Alabama Sky and Flyin' West. She also serves as playwright for the Palefsky Collision Project, an Alliance program for Atlanta area high school students. She and her husband, writer Zaron W. Burnett, Jr., recently collaborated with artist Radcliffe Bailey on In My Granny's Garden, a children's book, for The Mayor's Reading Club 2019.
Pearl Cleage (Playwright) is currently Mellon Playwright in Residence at the Alliance Theatre. Her world premieres at the Alliance include Pointing at the Moon, What I Learned in Paris, The Nacirema Society Requests the Honor of Your Presence at a Celebration of Their First One Hundred Years, Tell Me My Dream, Blues for an Alabama Sky and Flyin' West. She also serves as playwright for the Palefsky Collision Project, an Alliance program for Atlanta area high school students. She and her husband, writer Zaron W. Burnett, Jr., recently collaborated with artist Radcliffe Bailey on In My Granny's Garden, a children's book, for The Mayor's Reading Club 2019.
Clay has been the Resident Sound Designer at the Alliance Theatre for 18 years and has designed more than 100 productions including 29 world premieres, 31 musicals and 28 Theater for Young Audiences productions. Recent works include Disgraced; Pancakes, Pancakes!; Edward Foote; and One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. Other design work has included Georgia Shakespeare, Atlanta Ballet, Cincinnati Playhouse, Repertory Theatre of St. Louis, Theatrical Outfit, Geva Theatre and Synchronicity Theatre. Awards: Six Suzi Bass awards for outstanding sound design, with 14 nominations. He is a graduate of Presbyterian College (BA), North Carolina School of the Arts (MFA), and a member of IATSE/USA829.
Clay Benning
Sound Designer
Clay has been the Resident Sound Designer at the Alliance Theatre for 18 years and has designed more than 100 productions including 29 world premieres, 31 musicals and 28 Theater for Young Audiences productions. Recent works include Disgraced; Pancakes, Pancakes!; Edward Foote; and One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. Other design work has included Georgia Shakespeare, Atlanta Ballet, Cincinnati Playhouse, Repertory Theatre of St. Louis, Theatrical Outfit, Geva Theatre and Synchronicity Theatre. Awards: Six Suzi Bass awards for outstanding sound design, with 14 nominations. He is a graduate of Presbyterian College (BA), North Carolina School of the Arts (MFA), and a member of IATSE/USA829.
Michelle Habeck (Lighting Designer) attended Northwestern University before leaving to pursue a career in lighting design. Recent design credits: Gimme Please! (Alliance Theatre); A Doll’s House, Part 2 (Indiana Repertory Theatre), The Last Wide Open (Cincinnati Playhouse In The Park). National lighting design: MCC Theatre, Center Stage Theater, Steppenwolf Theatre Company, Goodman Theatre, The Guthrie Theater, Seattle Children’s Theatre, Children’s Theatre Company, and others. Exhibit and architectural credits include November 1963 (opening 2019 in Dallas) and Farm Wisconsin Discovery Center in Manitowoc, Wisconsin. Opera credits: Austin Opera and Associate to Donald Holder for Julie Taymor’s, Grendel. Broadway: Thoroughly Modern Millie (Slide Artist: Broadway, London, and tour). Associate/Assistant design to Donald Holder: The Boy from Oz, King Hedley II, Movin’ Out and Little Shop of Horrors. She was awarded the prestigious NEA/TCG Career Development Program Designers Grant. Michelle is a Provost Teaching Fellow and a UT Live Design Faculty at The University of Texas at Austin’s Department of Theatre and Dance.
Michelle Habeck
Lighting Designer
Michelle Habeck (Lighting Designer) attended Northwestern University before leaving to pursue a career in lighting design. Recent design credits: Gimme Please! (Alliance Theatre); A Doll’s House, Part 2 (Indiana Repertory Theatre), The Last Wide Open (Cincinnati Playhouse In The Park). National lighting design: MCC Theatre, Center Stage Theater, Steppenwolf Theatre Company, Goodman Theatre, The Guthrie Theater, Seattle Children’s Theatre, Children’s Theatre Company, and others. Exhibit and architectural credits include November 1963 (opening 2019 in Dallas) and Farm Wisconsin Discovery Center in Manitowoc, Wisconsin. Opera credits: Austin Opera and Associate to Donald Holder for Julie Taymor’s, Grendel. Broadway: Thoroughly Modern Millie (Slide Artist: Broadway, London, and tour). Associate/Assistant design to Donald Holder: The Boy from Oz, King Hedley II, Movin’ Out and Little Shop of Horrors. She was awarded the prestigious NEA/TCG Career Development Program Designers Grant. Michelle is a Provost Teaching Fellow and a UT Live Design Faculty at The University of Texas at Austin’s Department of Theatre and Dance.
Although lark has been Stage Managing here at the Alliance Theatre for more than 25 years, she has worked for many regional theatres across the United States (Cleveland Playhouse, Indiana Rep., Metro Stage, San Jose Rep, Arizona Theatre Co., Maltz Jupiter, Trinity Rep, Arena Stage, MUNY, N. Carolina Black Rep) and has taken out several major tours. Her favorite shows include Broadway’s Stick Fly. Other favorites include Anne and Emmett, Black Nativity, Kandi Burruss's A Mother's Love, The C.A. Lyons Project, Maurice Hines is Tappin' Thru Life, The Tall Girls, The Geller Girls, 'da Kink in My Hair, Bring It On: The Musical, Zorro, The Nacirema Society, Broke, Dreamgirls, Sheddin', Sophisticated Ladies, Good People, and Wit. She is a Line Producer/Executive Assistant for Winston-Salem’s National Black Theatre Festival and the proud recipient of Howard University’s 2012 Distinguished Howard Player Award.
lark hackshaw
Stage Manager
Although lark has been Stage Managing here at the Alliance Theatre for more than 25 years, she has worked for many regional theatres across the United States (Cleveland Playhouse, Indiana Rep., Metro Stage, San Jose Rep, Arizona Theatre Co., Maltz Jupiter, Trinity Rep, Arena Stage, MUNY, N. Carolina Black Rep) and has taken out several major tours. Her favorite shows include Broadway’s Stick Fly. Other favorites include Anne and Emmett, Black Nativity, Kandi Burruss's A Mother's Love, The C.A. Lyons Project, Maurice Hines is Tappin' Thru Life, The Tall Girls, The Geller Girls, 'da Kink in My Hair, Bring It On: The Musical, Zorro, The Nacirema Society, Broke, Dreamgirls, Sheddin', Sophisticated Ladies, Good People, and Wit. She is a Line Producer/Executive Assistant for Winston-Salem’s National Black Theatre Festival and the proud recipient of Howard University’s 2012 Distinguished Howard Player Award.
Kara Harmon (Costume Designer) design credits with The Alliance include: Goodnight, Tyler, Ethel and God of Carnage. Regional Credits include: Gem of the Ocean at Roundhouse Theatre, The Color Purple at Portland Center Stage, The Wiz! At Ford’s Theatre, Nina Simone: Four Women and Native Gardens at Arena Stage, Black Odyssey, Ragtime and The Mountaintop at Trinity Repertory Company, Seven Guitars and We, the invisibles at Actors Theatre of Louisville, A Raisin in the Sun at Indiana Rep and Syracuse Stage, A Guide for the Homesick at Huntington Theatre Company, In the Heights at Geva, Barbecue at Geffen Playhouse (NAACP Best Costume Design Award), Much Ado and The Comedy of Errors at Oregon Shakespeare Festival. Off Broadway design includes The Niceties at Manhattan Theatre Club and Dot at The Vineyard Theatre. Assistant Costume Design for Television: “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel,” “Daredevil” and “Boardwalk Empire.” Training: NYU Tisch. www.KaraHarmonDesign.com
Kara Harmon
Costume Designer
Kara Harmon (Costume Designer) design credits with The Alliance include: Goodnight, Tyler, Ethel and God of Carnage. Regional Credits include: Gem of the Ocean at Roundhouse Theatre, The Color Purple at Portland Center Stage, The Wiz! At Ford’s Theatre, Nina Simone: Four Women and Native Gardens at Arena Stage, Black Odyssey, Ragtime and The Mountaintop at Trinity Repertory Company, Seven Guitars and We, the invisibles at Actors Theatre of Louisville, A Raisin in the Sun at Indiana Rep and Syracuse Stage, A Guide for the Homesick at Huntington Theatre Company, In the Heights at Geva, Barbecue at Geffen Playhouse (NAACP Best Costume Design Award), Much Ado and The Comedy of Errors at Oregon Shakespeare Festival. Off Broadway design includes The Niceties at Manhattan Theatre Club and Dot at The Vineyard Theatre. Assistant Costume Design for Television: “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel,” “Daredevil” and “Boardwalk Empire.” Training: NYU Tisch. www.KaraHarmonDesign.com
Collette Pollard (Scenic Designer) is thrilled to be back at the Alliance after designing Geller Girls, Good People and The Fairytale Lives of Russian Girls. Chicago credits: The Wolves, The Happiest Song Plays Last, Fishmen (Goodman Theatre), HIR, The Fundamentals, Between Riverside and Crazy, To Kill a Mockingbird, 1984 (Steppenwolf Theatre Company), Rightlynd (Victory Gardens), A Shayna Maidel (Timeline Theatre Company), Thaddeus And Slocum, In The Garden (Lookingglass Theatre Company). The Nutcracker, Death and Harry Houdini, The Hammer Trinity, Rose & The Rime, The Sparrow (The House Theatre Company of Chicago & The Adrienne Arsht Center). Regional: The Chinese Lady (Milwaukee Repertory), Sense and Sensibility, Hannah and the Dread Gazebo, Great Expectations (Oregon Shakespeare Festival), Native Gardens (The Old Globe), How I Learned to Drive (Cleveland Playhouse & Syracuse Stage), Hamlet, A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Santa Cruz Shakespeare), The Oldest Boy (Marin Theatre Company). Collette is an Associate Professor of Scenic Design at the School of Theatre and Music at University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC). Thank you to her family for their love and support.
Collette Pollard
Scenic Designer
Collette Pollard (Scenic Designer) is thrilled to be back at the Alliance after designing Geller Girls, Good People and The Fairytale Lives of Russian Girls. Chicago credits: The Wolves, The Happiest Song Plays Last, Fishmen (Goodman Theatre), HIR, The Fundamentals, Between Riverside and Crazy, To Kill a Mockingbird, 1984 (Steppenwolf Theatre Company), Rightlynd (Victory Gardens), A Shayna Maidel (Timeline Theatre Company), Thaddeus And Slocum, In The Garden (Lookingglass Theatre Company). The Nutcracker, Death and Harry Houdini, The Hammer Trinity, Rose & The Rime, The Sparrow (The House Theatre Company of Chicago & The Adrienne Arsht Center). Regional: The Chinese Lady (Milwaukee Repertory), Sense and Sensibility, Hannah and the Dread Gazebo, Great Expectations (Oregon Shakespeare Festival), Native Gardens (The Old Globe), How I Learned to Drive (Cleveland Playhouse & Syracuse Stage), Hamlet, A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Santa Cruz Shakespeare), The Oldest Boy (Marin Theatre Company). Collette is an Associate Professor of Scenic Design at the School of Theatre and Music at University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC). Thank you to her family for their love and support.
Kara Procell (Assistant Stage Manager) Alliance: The Prom, Ethel, Troubadour, Disgraced, Tell Me My Dream, and others. Off-Broadway: Catch as Catch Can (Page 73). Other Atlanta credits include: 4000 Miles, Tamer of Horses (Aurora Theatre), Gutenberg! The Musical!, The Perfect Coven (Dad's Garage). Kara lives in New York City but is always happy to hang her hat at Alliance, and for this opportunity to work with lark, Pearl, and Susan again. She is also a playwright, holds a BFA from Catawba College, and is a proud member of Actors Equity.
Kara Procell
Assistant Stage Manager
Kara Procell (Assistant Stage Manager) Alliance: The Prom, Ethel, Troubadour, Disgraced, Tell Me My Dream, and others. Off-Broadway: Catch as Catch Can (Page 73). Other Atlanta credits include: 4000 Miles, Tamer of Horses (Aurora Theatre), Gutenberg! The Musical!, The Perfect Coven (Dad's Garage). Kara lives in New York City but is always happy to hang her hat at Alliance, and for this opportunity to work with lark, Pearl, and Susan again. She is also a playwright, holds a BFA from Catawba College, and is a proud member of Actors Equity.
Sponsored by
Meet Our Generous Sponsors
