The cast features ATC’s most seasoned actors, the Professional Ensemble, with performances from January 13th to 15th.
ATC’s Executive Director, Bridgett Perdue, shares some insights into the play and their production:
“Boujee. Uppity. Saditty- African American slang that for decades has chastised our people for striving toward upward mobility and prominence. The clash between race and class within the Black community is always a hot topic of discussion and happens to be the juicy subtext for much of the dialogue in this play. The introduction of a white girlfriend, the news of the housekeeper falling ill, an overly charismatic father, and more as the comical and suspenseful story unfolds.”
“Under the direction of the talented Tru Verret-Fleming, the cast is outstanding, portraying the roles with depth and humor.”
“If Stick Fly were a TV show, one might call it a cross between Greenleaf and Black AF. There’s a wealthy family, an unraveling of secrets, unexpected plot twists, and tons of comedy. This play will have you laughing, maybe shedding a tear, and definitely having something to talk about on the ride home.”
Stick Fly unfolds at a high-stakes weekend at the Martha’s Vineyard home of the affluent African-American LeVay family. Brothers Kent and Flip have each brought their respective ladies home to meet the parents for the first time. Kent’s fiancée, Taylor, an academic whose absent father was a prominent author, struggles to fit into the LeVay’s upper-crust lifestyle. Kimber, on the other hand, a self-described WASP who works with inner-city school children, fits in more easily with the family. Joining these two couples are the demanding LeVay patriarch, Joe, and Cheryl, the daughter of the family’s longtime housekeeper.
As the two newcomers butt heads over issues of race and privilege, longstanding family tensions bubble under the surface and reach a boiling point when secrets are revealed.
“Stick Fly calls into question race, class status, class status within race, and relationship and family dynamics: all wrapped up in this contemporary serio-comedic package,” says Verret-Fleming. As an acting professor at Point Park University and director of several regional productions, he brings his two decades of theatrical experience to the cast. “The play is wildly poignant in today’s society, and with me making my debut at ATC, I wanted material the ensemble could be excited by. It’s such a fun play with some really good lessons and really good laughs.”
Stick Fly by Lydia R. Diamond takes place at the Bill Nunn Black Box, January 13-15, at 7 pm.
Why is it called Stick Fly, you ask? You’ll have to get your tickets to find out.
Categories: Show Previews
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