“I pitched it with this framework that he’s not writing to Black Lives Matter. But she made it clear his talent went deeper than mere cultural zeitgeist. I completely trust his writing, and he trusts me as a director to turn the story into a 3D, living, moving thing that reflects the intention of what he wants as a playwright.”Īlready in the middle of two book projects with London-based Bloomsbury (best known as the original publisher of the Harry Potter books), the professor took a gamble that Morrow’s work might also get the company’s attention. We often agree to disagree but ultimately have created a great partnership. “We can have the best hangout and collab, and then when we’re ready to slam doors, we’re ready to slam doors. “We share apartments in each other’s brains,” Hodges Persley said. At times, she feels they have a comparable working relationship similar to the late Lloyd Richards and August Wilson of “The Piano Lesson.” Richards and Wilson had a collaborative relationship as director-playwright that Hodges Persley admires. He’s taking average representations of Black families and saying, ‘You can’t continue to impose these stereotypes and mythologies on us.’”Īlso serving as artistic director of the KC Melting Pot Theatre (the city’s premier African American theatrical company), Hodges Persley has directed four of Morrow’s plays. He gives you families that have money, they have a relationship, they’re not living in poverty. “When you see these tropes around absence of a father figure or a certain negative stereotypical representation of Black mothers, he doesn’t give you those. In addition to Morrow’s command of language, Hodges Persley particularly appreciates his ability to counter the cliches often seen in mainstream American theatre about Black lives. Same with ‘Baybra’s Tulips.’ He wanted a relationship with both his mother and father that turned out very different, but even the absence of those relationships shaped him,” said Hodges Persley, who is also KU's new vice provost for diversity, equity, inclusion & belonging. “There’s this idea of how you wish your mother would be in ‘Mother/son.’ She’s not that, but it doesn’t mean that need doesn’t go away. Hodges Persley said two of the three plays that are bookends are stories about absence. “Mother/son” finds a Black man hoping to help his drug-addicted white parent get clean, only to discover that may be the least of their problems. “Begetters” explores generational trauma through the lens of a couple in their 60s. Morrow’s trilogy includes “Baybra’s Tulips,” about a former convict who moves in with his sister under the pretense of rehabilitation but is actually there to take revenge on his abusive brother-in-law. He writes stories that really appeal to the urgency of what it means to live as a Black person in America.” “And he’s not doing it so that someone will see his work and hopefully pick it up for a TV series. “I can’t name a playwright right now who is writing such unapologetic language,” Hodges Persley said. It’s published by Methuen Drama/Bloomsbury. She is the editor of a new book titled “Black Matters: Lewis Morrow Plays,” an anthology of three works written by emerging Kansas City-based playwright Morrow that focus on the vivid emotional realities of modern African American life. “Audacious,” said Nicole Hodges Persley, associate professor of American studies and African & African American studies at the University of Kansas. LAWRENCE - What word best describes the work of Lewis Morrow?
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |