Aggies Strut Their "Crowns" at the Open Space Cafe Theatre

If you enjoy theatre and music, you should definitely make plans to attend Regina Taylor's "Crowns" at the Open Space Cafe Theatre. Beyond the pleasures of listening to beautiful music and witnessing great performances, seeing this musical is an opportunity to learn about and celebrate the popular custom among some African-American women of wearing hats, particularly to church.

Tall, thin, and tough, Yolanda (Whitney Chamblee, a rising senior at the Weaver Performing Arts Academy) walks and talks with an attitude, and she opens the show by explaining why: her brother Teddy was shot and killed, and she's been forced to move from her beloved Brooklyn, NY to the South and live with her grandmother, Mother Shaw

Mother Shaw (Sandra Jones) and four other African-American women take turns trying to convey to Yolanda why their hats are such an important part of their identities, hoping that she'll develop the same respect and appreciation for their hat-wearing traditions. While they share a love for hats, these five women each have different lessons and experiences to share, and their diverse personalities are reflected in the different colors and styles of their hats. After these women are first introduced under dim lights wearing only slips, background screens are turned to reveal individual closets in which we get to see the vividly colored outfits they will change into. As we listen to them tell their background stories one by one, we watch the others change into their full attire. Mother Shaw ends up wearing white; Mabel (Jamilla Curry) red; Velma (Tennille Foust) purple; Wanda (Melanie Matthews) orange; and Jeanette (Randi Martin) blue. All five of these actresses are graduates of N.C. A & T State University, and their performances only take Aggie Pride to even higher levels.

Yolanda listens as these women tell their stories, but she is not always excited about or interested in what they have to say. There is a generational gap, and it takes time for her to gain the appreciation and enthusiasm they have for hats. A baseball cap turned sideways works for her throughout much of the play, and it is only with time that she embraces a hat that her elders might regard as more fitting and dignified.

These women have a full arsenal of approaches for sharing their love for hats: they tell stories, they pass along sayings (hatisms), they teach lessons, they sing, they dance, they provide both serious and humorous reenactments, and above all else, they model the hats they cherish. As if in a pageant, there is a competitive spirit among the women, but while there is a sense of wanting to wear and show off the best hat, there's also a respect and appreciation for seeing other women wear the beautiful hats they choose to wear. It wouldn't be as beautiful a world for any of these women ever to find herself alone as a hat-wearer.

While "Crowns" celebrates women, it does not ignore the role that men can play in women's hat-wearing customs. Joseph Level, a widely acclaimed radio personality with 1510 Big WEAL Gospel, plays the all-purpose Man for this show, and he adds a wonderful voice, diverse personalities, and his own collection of hats. (You can see him become a different character just by changing of hats.)

Director Donna Baldwin-Bradby, an Adjunct Professor and Director of Marketing and Publicity for the Department of Visual and Performing Arts at North Carolina A & T State University, follows up her wonderful job directing Triad Stage's "From the Mississippi Delta" in the spring.

Darrell J. Hunt, a senior professional theatre major at North Carolina A & T State University, serves as the Stage Manager.

Stephanie D. Gray, a member of the Theatre Faculty at North Carolina A & T State University, serves as the Musical Director and Keyboardist. In her bio on the program, she expresses appreciation for "working with her favorite collaborator, Donna Bradby."

While I've tried to use words to capture some of the essence of "Crowns," none of what I've written comes close to capturing the actual experience of viewing this musical in person. You need to see it for yourself. There was a good crowd for the opening show, but there was room for more to attend. It's a show that deserves an audience, and if you're around and have the time, you really should make plans to attend.

Here's information about the seven remaining shows, how you can get tickets, and where the Open Space Cafe Theatre is located:

• Friday, August 8 at 8:00 PM
• Saturday, August 9 at 8:00 PM
• Sunday, August 10 at 2:00 PM
• Thursday, August 14 at 8:00 PM
• Friday, August 15 at 8:00 PM
• Saturday, August 16 at 8:00 PM
• Sunday, August 17 at 2:00 PM

Call 336-292-2285 for tickets. If the answering machine answers, just leave a) your name, b)phone number, c) the number of tickets you need, and d) the date you wish to attend.

Tickets are $20.00 per person; $17.00 each for senior citizens; $10.00 for students 17 years old and younger. If you have a party of 8 or more, you will receive a $2.00 discount per ticket.

The Open Space Cafe Theatre is located at 4609 W. Market Street in Greensboro. It's a small, intimate theatre, located across from Bert's Seafood Grille and next door to a Public Storage facility. Directions can be found here.

The show is approximately 1 1/2 hours, and there is no intermission. Drinks and desserts may be purchased before the show begins, and you sit at tables at which you can enjoy your refreshments during the performance.

Be sure to spread the word about this show.

And I hope you'll enjoy "Crowns" as much as I did.

8 Chances for You to See "Crowns"

Inspired by a book about the hats that some African-American women are famous for wearing, the musical "Crowns" opens at the Open Space Cafe Theatre on Thursday, August 7, 2008 and runs through Sunday, August 17, 2008.

Beloved by readers, "Crowns: Portraits of Black Women in Church Hats" (by Michael Cunningham and Craig Marberry) moved playwright Regina Taylor enough to create a gospel-style tribute to these women and their hats.

The synopsis from the OSC Theatre website: "A musical tribute to the fabulous church hats and the African-American women for whom they are symbolic crowns, a means to express themselves in the presence of God. The story of a Brooklyn girl, staying with her grandmother in the South following a tragedy, is a springboard for an exploration of black cultural history and identity."

Receiving positive reviews in Orlando, New York, and San Francisco, "Crowns" will be directed locally by Donna Baldwin-Bradby, a North Carolina A&T State University adjunct professor and the recent director of Triad Stage's "From the Mississippi Delta."

If you haven't seen a show at the Open Space Cafe Theatre yet, this would be a great chance to see your first performance there. It's a small, intimate theatre, and since I first discovered the OSC Theatre a year ago, I've thoroughly enjoyed every production they've done. (The only show I've missed was "Godspell," and that's because it sold out before I was able to get tickets for the night I could have attended.) Knowing what an amazing job Baldwin-Bradby did with "From the Mississippi Delta," I'm looking even more forward to seeing "Crowns."

Here is all the information you should need to get your tickets and attend, and be sure to spread the word among your friends and family members:

• The Open Space Cafe Theatre is located at 4609 West Market Street/ Greensboro, NC 27407 (across from Bert's Seafood Grille; directions here).
• Call 336-292-2285 for tickets.
• $20.00 per ticket; $17.00 for seniors; $10.00 for students, 17 years and younger. (Groups of 8 or more receive a $2.00 discount.)
• Desserts, coffee, sodas, and wine may be purchased before the show and enjoyed at the tables that are a part of the theatre's cafe-style seating.

These are your 8 chances to see "Crowns":

• Thursday, August 7 at 8:00 PM
• Friday, August 8 at 8:00 PM
• Saturday, August 9 at 8:00 PM
• Sunday, August 10 at 2:00 PM
• Thursday, August 14 at 8:00 PM
• Friday, August 15 at 8:00 PM
• Saturday, August 16 at 8:00 PM
• Sunday, August 17 at 2:00 PM

Enjoy!

The Odd Couple of Movie Criticism

Roger Ebert writes about the end of the show that he and Gene Siskel started 33 years ago, reflecting on the relationship they shared and some of the memories. Ebert describes the nature of their relationship:

"Did Gene and I hate each other? Yes. Did we love each other? Yes. Somehow an outtake from a promo session has found its way on YouTube, where in a single take you can see us bitterly sniping at one another and then happily joking together. It was like that. 'You have the entire staff in terror of you,' I told him. 'That's funny,' he said. 'That's what they tell me about you.' We were both terrible to work with. And great to work with."

I can't recall when or how, but by the time I discovered their show, Siskel and Ebert were already pretty well established. When he worked at the old movie theatre next to Four Seasons Town Centre, my brother told me that one of his managers had told him that Siskel and Ebert had at one point had the power to make or break movies simply by giving them their thumbs up or a thumbs down. Apparently that level of influence went back to their early days on PBS. (By the time I stumbled across their show, it was on one of the other networks.)

As movie fans, my brother and I, like many other people, developed a respect and appreciation for the reviews Siskel and Ebert gave. They didn't influence all of our movie-going and movie-viewing habits, but they definitely contributed to us being more or less enthusiastic and open-minded about certain movies. Hearing their passionate recommendations made me excited about seeing movies I otherwise wouldn't have considered (or, in some cases, even known about). And in reverse fashion, they sometimes made me less interested in seeing movies I had previously thought were must-see movies. It was always fascinating to find out what one or both noticed about the movies they watched. They made me more aware of things that were worth paying attention to while watching a movie, and they revealed the different ways and multiple levels by which a movie could be enjoyed and appreciated.

What took the show to an even higher level was the entertainment value of not only their reviews but also their interactions with one another. While they shared a love of movies, Siskel and Ebert couldn't have looked any more different physically nor could they have possessed less similar personalities. Their differences added a dramatic tension that made watching them more entertaining and even more suspenseful. By watching them, you learned a bit about their individual tastes and idiosyncrasies, but they also always maintained a level of unpredictability. You never knew for sure how they would feel about a movie or what they might say next.

At some point, I discovered that Ebert also wrote reviews, and I enjoyed reading his writing as much as I enjoyed watching him talk about movies. For as many reviews as he has written all these years, Ebert hasn't run out of the words necessary to write fresh, entertaining reviews.

It made me sad when I learned that Siskel had passed away. After having different critics take turns sitting in Siskel's chair alongside Ebert, Richard Roeper ended up with the uneviable task of trying to replace Siskel in the balcony. More recently, Ebert has suffered problems with his own health. It's good that he's back to writing, and even though it sounds like big changes are in store, it's comforting to know that the show might still survive "in a new venue."

Thanks, Siskel and Ebert and Roeper, for sharing with us your love for the movies!

Positive Communication from GCS School Board Member Amos Quick

Using the Chalkboard as a communication tool, Guilford County School Board Member Amos Quick expresses assorted thoughts (comment at 1:26 PM on August 5, 2008) that are well-worth reading. A great example of a leader acknowledging fellow citizens' concerns, while also raising the level of the conversation. Exactly what we need to witness more often at all levels of our society and our government. Thank you, Mr. Quick!

GCS Training Session Inspires Educational Synergy

The past two days, I attended a "Foundations of Cooperative Learning" workshop at the Guilford County Schools' Washington Street Annex (across the street from Weaver Center). The workshop is required for all Mission Possible teachers, and since I decided in April to teach English at High Point Central High School for the 2008-2009 school year, I now fall into that category.

After teaching for 12 years, I've now attended my fair share of workshops, some great, some so-so, and some not-so-great. There are several variables that come into play, but two big factors in determining the quality of a workshop are the presenter(s) and the participants. People matter, and we can't help but be affected by them, for better and for worse. A poorly prepared, disrespectful presenter or even just one participant with a poor attitude can negatively affect a workshop and ultimately leave a bad taste in the mouth. A well-prepared, sincere presenter and enthusiastic, ready-to-be-actively-engaged participants can leave you feeling refreshed and encouraged about teaching.

I thoroughly respected, enjoyed, and appreciated both the presenter and the participants whose company I shared the last two days. The workshop was an all-around great experience that was well-worth our time. Our students will benefit if we take back into our classrooms what we experienced and learned through this session.

I finally met Randy Shiflett. (Randy has a superior first name, but a teacher long ago ruined it for him, and like other teachers with whom Randy has shared his secret name, I'm sworn to secrecy. I'll just say that I'm a HUGE fan of that name that Randy can't stand.) I had heard his name before and had heard positive things about him, but I had never attended one of his workshops before. He did a great job, and my impression was that all of my fellow participants felt the same way. During our time with him, Mr. Shiflett provided us a wealth of information, but even more crucially, he engaged us in the very process that we are being encouraged to use with our students: cooperative learning. And throughout, Mr. Shiflett modeled for us as well as any model could ever hope to model.

At some point today, Mr. Shiflett took the time to play a brief video clip for us from a movie I'd seen before, "In Good Company." I'd forgotten the scene, but it was one that fit perfectly within the scheme of our workshop. A recently hired boss who is younger than most of the men and women he supervises stands in front of his employees, trying to inspire them to do and be more. He enthusiastically preaches about the virtues of corporate synergy. But he's speaking to people who are not so eager to embrace his enthusiasm, possessing a rather synergy-inhibiting spirit from the get-go. The young boss pushes forward anyway, seemingly oblivious to any resistance or negativity. And slowly but surely, even though perhaps not completely sincere, his employees give in a little, showing signs that they might actually be willing to follow.

By the time he shared the video clip with us, Mr. Shiflett had already synergized us. By cooperatively learning about cooperative learning, we had developed positive relationships with one another, and our entire class of teacher-students benefited from that. As a diverse group of educators, we were openminded to the possibility of a positive learning experience during our summer vacation, and Mr. Shiflett helped ensure that by providing us a comfortable, welcoming environment.

It makes sense that that is also part of our challenge as educators: we have to figure out ways to help create and develop synergy in our classrooms. I've been lucky to have taught some classes that developed beautiful synergy, and I've had other classes that, at best, had momentary glimpses of something remotely resembling synergy. It's not an automatic given, and sometimes, even our most sincere efforts can't guarantee that synergy will develop.

Mr. Shiflett had a positive effect on us teachers as learners. His more profound effect may come by way of the trickle-down effect that will occur if we're able to transfer his positive energy and at least some of what he taught us into our own classrooms. That would be the ideal hope for any meaningful training for teachers.

Obama Cartoon Takes Me Back to 1990

This cartoon controversy reminds me of one that visited Page High School during my senior year (1989-90). I wish I had a copy of the cartoon, but at least the News & Record archives reminded me of some of the details.

"The student walkout came after a cartoon appeared in the school newspaper depicting a black student wearing a basketball uniform and holding a watermelon and a chicken leg. The cartoon also depicted stereotypical images of an Asian and a Hispanic student." (I had forgotten that there had been a student walkout.)

If memory serves me, that description captures the first three frames of a four-frame cartoon. In the fourth frame, I believe a teenager expressed something like, "Do you actually know anyone like this?" The intended message was that stereotyping is not a positive thing to do, but many individuals chose to interpret it differently. You could say that that was because high school students were involved. But that doesn't account for reactions to the New Yorker's cartoon.

In both cases, sensitivity is probably greater because we know that there are individuals out there who do see things almost precisely as illustrated in the cartoons. Some of us don't care to be reminded of that.

When I became a freshman at UNC-Chapel Hill, another stereotype-based controversy erupted because of a new statue that I believe was called "The Student Body." It included about five or six students in different poses. The one who appeared to be an African-American male had one finger up, balancing a basketball. There was also a couple, with the male holding a book and the female leaning into him. (I think she might have been holding an apple.) And there was an African-American woman with several books balanced on her head. Ancient history, but I believe that statue is still there, minus at least the basketball scholar--someone kept knocking the ball off his finger. (As an additional sidenote and reminder of how twisted politics can be, that same year, the KKK endorsed Harvey Gantt, hoping that he'd win, serve horribly, and forever ensure that no other blacks would ever be elected again--I believe that was KKK members' expressed logic. And NORML--the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws--endorsed Jesse Helms, believing his pro-tobacco views gave them some sort of shot at gaining his support for marijuana legalization.)

Hardy's Anime

For several of the 32 area high-school students traveling with us through the People to People Student Ambassador Program, Japan represented a dream destination, in part because of their love for Japanese anime and manga. We adults on the trip were less familiar with these artforms, but we too partipated in an anime seminar on our second day in Tokyo, where our journey began.

After some discussion and demonstrations on a dry-erase board, we each were provided a chin-and-nose template and markers on which to create our own anime character. As a non-artist, I was unsure of myself and intimidated by the assignment, but ultimately, I jumped in and produced my own creation.



One of the other adults told me that my creation reminded him of the Joker. I still haven't come up with a name for my character, so if you have any suggestions, please let me know.