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(New York Premiere)
| The Cast | |
| Elder
Hannah/Granny "I paint a memorandum of my dreams." |
Laurie Carlos |
| Younger
Hannah "All night long I was being teached, I'm being shown." |
Viola Sheely |
| Momma "All that sleeping and snoring you done, you telling me you didn't rest?" |
Terri Cousar |
| Brother
Meshack (An Angel of the Crossroads) "I know the way over." |
Ayodele Martin Aubert |
| Angels | |
| June | Christina Jones |
| Genevieve | Grisha Coleman |
| Penny | Christine King |
| Thaddeus | Junior "Gabu" Wedderburn |
| Hibiscus | Deborah Thomas |
| "Which was and is and is to come." |
| Special
Guest: LAVENDER LIGHT The Black and People of All Colors Lesbian and Gay Gospel Choir |
|
| Thomas Bagby | Jacqueline Jones |
| Chas Bennett Brack | Jennifer Koontz |
| Roger Carroway | Ledina Ladson |
| Maryline Cole | April Lee |
| Joann Cutrera | Barbara Levy |
| M. Dionissiou | Kenneth J. Lockwood |
| Martina Downey | David Macedon |
| Dionne Freeney | Terry Maroney |
| Denise Fulton | Susan McConnaughy |
| Karen Gamble | Calvin Merritt |
| Maria Grant | Kathleen Payne |
| Daniel Grayer | Ellie Rosenberg |
| Dwayne Henderson | Daniel Sager |
| Tanya Henderson | Tony Teal |
| Anthony Heywood | Jordan Thaler |
| Jacquelyn Holland | James Williams |
| David Johnson | Wendy Williams |
| Praise House is a collaboration involving the following artists: | |
| Laurie Carlos* | Dramaturge/Performer |
| Grisha Coleman | Performer |
| Terri Cousar | Performer |
| Angelyn DeBord | Writer/Lyricist |
| A. Christina Gianninni | Costume Designer |
| Tiye Girard | Musical Director |
| Pat Hall-Smith | Choreographer |
| Christina Jones | Performer |
| Christine King | Performer |
| Yekk Muzic* | Performer |
| Amy Pivar | Performer |
| David Daniel Pleasant | Rhythm Consultant/Instrument Creator |
| Carl Riley | Composer/Lyricist |
| Leni Schwendinger | Art Director/Scenic Projection Designer |
| Viola Sheely | Performer |
| Deborah Thomas | Performer |
| Marlies Yearby | Performer/Development Phase |
| Jawole Willa Jo Zollar | Director/Choreographer |
| *Guest Artists | |
Praise House, an evening-length work in two acts, is inspired by many visionary artists, but particularly by the life, words, visual imagery, and paintings of Minnie Evans. The production's quotations of Evans are from source material recorded and copyrighted by Nina Howell Starr. We are grateful to use them.
The Company
The Urban Bush Women dance and theater ensemble was established in 1984 by Artistic Director Jawole Willa Jo Zollar as a vehicle for her exploration of crosscultural diversity and theatrical constants. Using contemporary idioms and interdisciplinary forms, the company presents dance/theater works rooted in the folklore and religious traditions of African Americans throughout the diaspora. Through live music, the spoken word, a cappella vocalizations based on field hollers and chants, and the force and spirit of movement, the company explores the struggle, growth, and transformation of the human spirit. The performers take us from the particular--a birthing ceremony, a teenage pajama party, a rural church, a hot Southern night--to the universal--the sisterhood forged in want, the dignity found through suffering, the joy wrested from the struggle to survive. They create a sense of community on stage, singing and dancing for all of us about our common humanity.
