Pearl Cleage’s ‘Blues For An Alabama Sky’ Debuts April 13

Photos: Allied Global Marketing

Allied Global Marketing has announced that they are working alongside Center Theater Group, for the premiere of Pearl Cleage’s play, ‘Blues for An Alabama Sky’, directed by the incomparable Ms. Phylicia Rashad.

Rashad, who originated the role of Angel in the world premiere of “Blues for an Alabama Sky” more than 25 years ago, leads a cast that includes Joe Holt, Nija Okoro, Dennis Pearson, Greg Alverez Reid and Kim Steele. .

The creative team available includes Wendell C. Carmichael (costume, wig and hair design), with original composition by Dontae Winslow.

Set in 1930s Harlem, this revival of the rich and beautiful work of Pearl Cleage takes place at the Mark Taper Forum from April 6 to May 8, 2022, with a Black Out performance on Friday, April 8, with an opening night set for April 13, 2022.

SYNOPSIS

Angel is a free-spirited Cotton Club singer who is down on his luck but never short of dreams. Guy is a costume designer who is waiting for Josephine Baker to invite him to join her in Paris. Delia, a young activist, tries to give the women of Harlem the choice of their future. Sam, a prominent doctor, is either in labor or at the club, letting the good times roll. And Leland, who recently arrived in Harlem from Alabama, is haunted by the open skies and the lost love he left behind. The lives and dreams of these men and women converge with passion and politics as the art and celebration of the Harlem Renaissance gives way to the harsh realities of the Great Depression.

Here is the all-star cast and crew:

Joe Holt

(Sam Thomas**) New York actor Joe Holt returns to the stage for “Blues for an Alabama Sky” at the Taper. Recent credits include Fred Wilkes on ‘Bel-Air’, Dr. Leo Bennett on ‘The Walking Dead: World Beyond’, Jesse Raymond on ‘All American: Homecoming’ and Detective ‘Mace’ Cunningham on OWN’s ‘Delilah’ . Regional credits include “Love and Information” at ACT, “Blue/Orange” at Hartford Theater Works, “12 Angry Men” at Merrimack Repertory and pandemic interrupted “The Scarlet Letter” at South Coast Repertory.

Nija Okoro

(Angel Allen) graduated from The Juilliard School where she received a full merit-based scholarship. Since graduating, she has appeared on the national Broadway tour of “Jitney” directed by Ruben Santiago-Hudson, “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom” directed by Phylicia Rashad at the Mark Taper Forum, “Two Trains Running” at The Matrix directed by Michele Shay, “Zoey’s Perfect Wedding” at the Denver Center and the 2017 West Coast premiere of “The Legend of Georgie McBride” at the Geffen Playhouse. She also made her way to the big screen, having starred in shows such as ‘9-1-1: Lone Star’, ‘Animal Kingdom’, ‘The Duece’, ‘Start Up’ and ‘The Black’. Emeror of Broadway. She can be seen next in the Disney + feature film “Hollywood Stargirl” directed by Julia Hart.

Denis Pearson

(Leland Cunningham**) makes his debut with Mark Taper. “GO… GO… LEAVE!” (The Hudson Theatre), “A Christmas Carol” (South Coast Stage credits include: Repertory), “A Soldier’s Play” and “Julius Caesar” (The Studio Theatre), “The Coarse Acting Show” (Shakespeare Center of Los Angeles), “Romeo and Juliet”, “Dream Girls”, “Look Away” (Long Beach Playhouse), “A Long Bridge Over Deep Waters” and “Euripides Medea” (for which he received a Kennedy Center nomination Irene Ryan Awards). Recently, he can be seen on screen streaming “Unlocked” on Peacock and “Tinderbox” (2020 DC Black Film Festival Best Actor winner). Dennis graduated from the SCR Acting Conservatory and studied with Oscar winner Tim Robbins and The Actors Gang, Femi Ogun’s Identity School of Acting, BGB and Joy Brunson’s The Joy of Acting Studio.

Greg Alverez-Reid

(Guy Jacobs) is a New York-based actor who recently starred in “The Bluest Eye” at the Huntington Theater in Boston. He can also be seen in the HBO/HBO Max movie “Between the World and Me”. Her theater credits consist of Off-Broadway: “The Fabulous Miss Marie” (New Federal Theatre/Castillo Theatre). Regional: “Detroit ’67” (Signature Theatre), “Fences” (McCarter Theater Center/Long Wharf Theatre), “All My Sons” (People’s Light Theatre), “Broke-ology” (Theater Alliance), “Gem of The Ocean” (Hangar Theatre), “Seven Guitars” (Studio Theatre) and renowned arts centers like the Apollo Theater and the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts (Locomotion) in his hometown of Washington, D.C. He is a proud graduate of the illustrious Howard University in the new Chadwick Boseman College of Fine Arts and attended the British American Dramatic Academy in Oxford. Greg makes his theater debut in LA.

Kim Steel

(Delia Patterson) returns to the Mark Taper Forum, fresh off her run in the Tony Award-winning Best Musical, “Hadestown” on Broadway. Other Broadway credits: “My Fair Lady” (Lincoln Center), “Summer: The Donna Summer Musical”. Favorite Off-Broadway/Regional: “Motown the Musical” (National Tour), “Jerry Springer the Opera” (Signature Theater Center), “Kiss Me Kate” (Pasadena Playhouse), “Hair” (Hollywood Bowl), “Carrie” (Los Angeles Theater). Kim is from SoCal with a BA in Theater Arts from UCLA.

WENDELL C. CARMICHAEL

(Designer of costumes, wigs and hairstyles). Theatrical credits: Three Sisters, Macbeth, Sweeney Todd, Ragtime, The Wizard of Oz, , Fool for Love, In the Heights, Native Son, West Side Story, Romeo and Juliet, Othello. Winner of Stage Raw 2018 – Costume Design, three-time LA Ovation Award nominee, 2017 Orange County’s Best Costume Designs, 2015 NAACP Theater Award winner. Member of Local 768, Theatrical Wardrobe Union/LA Opera.

DONTAE WINSLOW

(Original Music, he/him/his) is one of the rising stars in the music industry. He is known as the innovative composer, arranger, music producer and trumpeter of this generation. Within five years, he earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in classical music performance from the Peabody Conservatory of John’s Hopkins University. He also completed studies at USC. Dontae composed the opening music for HBO’s The Slow Hustle and scored the documentary Baltimore Rising about the death of unarmed black man Freddie Grey. He has composed music for BET’s The New Edition Story and Robert Townsend’s In The Hive. Dontae has toured/performed/recorded with Justin Timberlake, Dr. Dre, Jay-Z, Kanye West, Beyonce, Chris Stapleton, Lady A, Jay-Z, Queen Latifah, director Tyler Perry. Kim is a Fellow of the ASC and Governor of the Casting Director branches of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and the Television Academy.

TICKET INFORMATION

Tickets for all other performances of “Blues for an Alabama Sky” are on sale now at Center Theater Group/Mark Taper Forum and start at $30. They are available through CenterTheatreGroup.org, Audience Services at (213) 628-2772 or in person at the Center Theater Group box office (at the Music Center’s Ahmanson Theater, 135 N. Grand Avenue in downtown LA 90012). Performances are Tuesday through Friday at 8 p.m., Saturday at 2:30 p.m. and 8 p.m., Sunday at 1 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. Call for exceptions.