The Colored Museum Program Information

The Colored Museum
By George C. Wolfe
Directed by Dr. Lundeana Thomas

The Colored Museum is presented by special arrangement with Dramatists Play Service, Inc., New York

Scenic  & Lighting Design - Michael Hottois
Costume Design - Zhanna Goldentul
Sound & Media Design - Garry Brown
Stage Manager - Lauren Camargo

Git on Board

Ms. Pat - Jacqueline Thompson

Cookin’ with Aunt Ethel

Aunt Ethel - Erica Bledsaw

The Photo Session

Girl - Karen Wilson

Guy - Clyde Tyrone Harper

Soldier with s Secret

Junie Robinson - Gary Brice

The Last Mama-on-the Couch Play

Narrator - Clyde Tyrone Harper

Mama - Erica Bledsaw

Walter-Lee-Beau-Beau-Willie-Jones - Billy Flood

Lady in Plaid - Jacqueline Thompson

Medea Jones  - Triza Cox

Permutations

Normal Jean Reynolds - Karen Wilson

The Gospel According to Miss Roj

Miss Roj - Gary Brice

Waiter - Billy Flood

The Hairpiece

The Woman - Karen Wilson

Janine - Triza Cox

LaWanda - Jacqueline Thompson

Symbiosis

The Man - Clyde Tyrone Harper

The Kid - Billy Flood

Lala’s Opening

Lala Lamazing Grace - Erica Bledsaw

Admonia - Triza Cox

Flo-Rance - Gary Brice

The Little Girl - Haley Brents

The Party

Topsy Washington - Jacqueline Thompson, Karen Wilson, Triza Cox, Erica Bledsaw

Setting: 
A Museum where the Myths and Madness of Black/Negro/Colored Americans are Stored

Time:  Timeless

There will be no intermission during this performance.

 
     Dr. Lundeana M. Thomas is a Professor and Director of the African American Theatre Program (AATP) and recently received the Distinguished Service Award for National and International Service by the College of Arts and Sciences.
     She received her Bachelor of Science in Secondary Education from Youngstown State University.  She received her MA and PhD in Theatre Studies at the University of Michigan and taught at East High School, Spelman College and Bowling Green State University before coming to the University of Louisville in 1996.
     Her article, “From Holistic Training to Liberating Rituals,” was published in Paul Carter Harrison’s Black Theatre: Ritual Performance in the African Diaspora, and her book Barbara Ann Teer and the National Black Theatre: Transformational Forces in Harlem has been reprinted by the Taylor and Francis Publishing Company.  Dr. Thomas has taken students and colleagues to China to perform in Beijing, Xiamen, and Hong Kong. 
     She has received numerous awards including the Theatre Education Award from New York’s Theatre Museum and a Citation from the President of Brooklyn.  She was named Humanities Scholar of the Year by the Ekstrom Library and received the 2003 Black Achievers Award of Louisville.  Dr. Thomas is a member of the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. and of the More than Conquerors Christian Church.

Erica Bledsaw (Aunt Ethel, Mama, LaLa Lamazing Grace), Louisville, KY, appeared as a featured soloist in the chorus of Black Nativity here at UofL.  Past credits elsewhere include Mahalia Jackson in A Mahalia Jackson Story at the Lighthouse Theater and Mrs. Wilhelmina in The Curious Savage at Male High School.  She received her Associate of Science and Diploma of Science from Sullivan University and is the Bookkeeper at Shelby Traditional Academy.

Haley Brents (The Little Girl), Louisville, KY, is in the fifth grade at Greathouse Shryock Elementary.  She recently appeared as Girl #3 in The Completely Untrue Story of How I Lost the Race at Walden Theatre and as Lead Cook in The Nutcracker with the Louisville Ballet. 

Gary Brice (Junie Robinson, Miss Roj, Flo’rance), Alton, IL, is a second-year MFA student in Performance.  He received his BA in Theatre Arts from Western Illinois University.  Past productions at UofL include Kaval/Kamil/Kelvin in The Heights (Studio Theatre), Voice #1 in Betty’s Summer Vacation, and Corin in As You Like It.  Past credits elsewhere include Cephus Miles in Home, Porter in Portrait of a Madonna, George Armstrong in Intimate Apparel, and Newt Lee in Parade, all at Western Illinois University.  He currently serves as the Graduate Student Coordinator of Studio Theatre.

Triza Cox (Medea Jones, Janine, Admonia, Topsy Washington) Marion, SC, is a second-year MFA student in Performance.  She received her BS in Biology from Coastal Carolina Univesity.  Previous productions at UofL include various roles in The Laramie Project, Effie Waller Smith in the AATP’s Martin Luther King Jr. Commemoration, and LaBeau in As You Like It.  Past credits elsewhere include her one-woman show Lookin’ for Love and Featured Artist in Black Nativity in Florence SC, Little Fresh in Not My Father and Maxine in The Truth about Chains, both for the National Black Theatre Festival.

Billy Flood (Walter-Lee-Beau-Willie-Jones, The Kid), Louisville, KY, is a first-year MFA student in Performance.  He received his BFA from Wright State University.  This is his debut performance at UofL.  Past credits elsewhere include Man in Dream Play at Columbia University, Cowardly Lion in The Wizard of Oz with the American Family Theatre National Tour, Newt Lee in Parade at Wright State University, and Bullfrog in Honk at Derby Dinner Playhouse.

Clyde Tyrone Harper (Guy, Narrator, The Man), Detroit, MI, has appeared as Abendigo Johnson in Adventures of a Black Girl in Search of God, Stool Pigeon in King Hedley II, and as Reverend in In the Blood at UofL.  He also served as Assistant Director of A Song for Coretta and director of The Owl Killer (Studio Theatre).  Past credits elsewhere include Moving Man in A Raisin in the Sun at Actors Theatre of Louisville, Robert/Larry in Don’t Get God Started with the Right Productions National Tour, and Lyons in Fences with the Detroit Repertory Theatre.  He is also the Replication Director at The Healing Place.

Jacqueline Thompson (Ms. Pat, Lady in Plaid, LaWanda, Topsy Washington), St. Louis, MO, is a second-year MFA student in Performance.  She received her BA in Communications from Clark Atlanta University and a Certificate in Radio/TV Broadcasting from the Broadcast Center, St. Louis MO.  Previous productions at UofL include Helen in A Song for Coretta and Amiens in As You Like It.  Past credits elsewhere include multiple roles in A Colored Funeral at the Griot Theatre, Jodi in Quilters at the Avalon Theatre, Camila in Seamstress on St. Francis St. at the First Run Theatre, and Tasha in Color of Rain for SRD Performing Arts.  She has also taught theatre for charter schools in St. Louis and taught at the St. Louis Black Rep Summer Camp.

Karen Wilson (Girl, Normal Jean, The Woman, Topsy Washington), Charlestown, IN, is an alumna of the American Academy of Dramatic Arts.  This is her debut performance at UofL.  Past credit elsewhere include Bodey in A Lonely Day for Creve Coeur with the Emerging Artists Group, Mrs. Muller in Doubt at the Apex Theatre Company, Bernice in The Piano Lesson at Laney Colege, and Homeless Lady in The Parks at the New York Inner Circle. 

Michael F. Hottois (Scenic & Lighting Design) is the resident Scenic and Lighting Designer for the Theatre Arts Department.  He has recently designed scenery for A Song for Coretta; Betty’s Summer Vacation; Soldiers Circle; Hamlet; Angels in America, Part I: Millennium Approaches; Cage Rhythm; Interrogating the Nude, and many others.  Over the past few summers he designed Always, Patsy Cline; All Shook Up; The Producers; Ain’t Misbehavin’; and No, No, Nanette for the Merry-Go-Round Playhouse in New York. His credits as a scenic artist include the films Boris and Natasha and Closetland, as well as Soul of the Game for HBO. Michael is also a member of United Scenic Artists Union, Local 829.

Zhanna Goldentul (Costume Design) is the resident Costume Designer for the Theatre Arts Department.  Her recent designs for the department include The Laramie Project, A Song for Coretta, Come Down Burning, Titus Andronicus, Cage Rhythm, Romeo and Juliet, Blithe Spirit, and many others.  She is a graduate of the Theatrical Art College in Moscow and earned her MA in Fine Arts from UofL.  She has designed costumes at Stage One: Louisville Children’s Theatre, and has been a member of the United Scenic Artists' Union since 1993.

Garry Brown (Sound Design) Production Manager for UofL Theatre Arts, supervises the production of scenery, properties, lighting, and sound.  His design and production experience locally includes the Kentucky Shakespeare Festival, Stage One: Louisville Children’s Theatre, and Music Theatre Louisville.  He holds an MFA from the University of Memphis and teaches stagecraft, sound design, and welding.

Lauren Camargo (Stage Manager), Lexington, KY, is a junior Theatre Arts major.  She recently was Stage Manager for The Laramie Project.  Past credits elsewhere include Stage Manager for Urinetown and A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Assistant Stage Manager for Our Town, and Spot Light Operator for Grease, all at Henry Clay High School.

Gina Vito (Assistant Stage Manager) Louisville, KY, is a sophomore Theatre Arts major.  She recently appeared in various roles in The Laramie Project.

Assistant Director - Angela Tellis

Stage Manager - Lauren Camargo

Assistant Stage Manager - Gina Vito

Technical Director - Garry Brown

Associate Technical Directory/ Scene Shop Foreman - Charles A. Nasby

Scenic Construction - Hunter Allen, Patrick Bayne, Kelly Anne Bunch, James Coomer, Logan Dorne, Deanna Gillispie, Eric Goldschmidt, TA 240 Stagecraft I

Production Buyer - Billy Flood

Set Crew - Kelly Anne Bunch, Nick Potter

Media Research - Jacqueline Thompson

Costume Shop Manager - Melissa K. Shepherd

Assistant Designer - Jessi Eichberger

Costume Construction - James Coomer, Jessi Eichberger, Amanda Hinds, Heather Holbert, Chirstine Leidner, Frances Lewis, Jocelyn Matsuo, Kendra Potts, Hannah Pruitt

Wardrobe Master - Frances Lewis

Assistant to the Wardrobe Master - Amanda Hinds

Costume Buyer - Hannah Pruitt

Wardrobe Crew - Erica Chappell, Meredith Johnson, Brandon Muncy

Properties Manager - Kathryn Blackburn

Properties Crew - Theodora Collins, Shannon Spears

Master Electricians - Ashley Beck, Nick Potter

Lighting Operator - Deanna Gillispie

Sound Engineer - Tommy Neville

Sound Operator - Marquese Carter

Box Office Manager - Melanie Henry

Box Office Staff - Will Salmons, Lauren Street, Beth Tantanella, Jared White

House Manager - Edgardo Leon

Poster Design - Steve Skaggs

Special Thanks - Phoenix Lighting and Sound, Northern Kentucky University, Dr. Daryl Harris, Jeffrey Shearer, Noah Barker, Professor Gerald Tolson, Trey Latham, Melony Tisdale, Jhovonn Nelson, Hank Bullitt, Dr. Ethel Pitts-Walker, Actors Theatre of Louisville, Bellarmine University, Broadway Across America, Derby Dinner Playhouse, Walden Theatre, Youth Performing Arts School

Interested in current Theatre Arts activities or past productions?  Check us out on Facebook at University of Louisville-Department of Theatre Arts.