Festival Playhouse of Kalamazoo College will present Ntozake Shange’s for colored girls who have considered suicide/ when the rainbow is enuf in the Nelda K. Balch Playhouse. The play opens Thursday, November 12, at 7:30 p.m. Additional evening performances occur Friday and Saturday, November 13 and 14, at 8 p.m., and a matinee concludes the run on Sunday, November 15, at 2 p.m. Tickets are $5 for students, $10 for senior citizens, and $15 for other adults. For reservations call 269.337.7333. For more information, visit the Festival Playhouse website.

Directed by Associate Professor of Theatre Arts Karen Berthel, Shange’s “choreopoem” is an award-winning landmark in American theatre. It has been described as “a dramatic elegy for black women” and noted for poetry “that gives you chills and makes you tremble” and its thematic treatment of courage. The play recently has been made into an award-winning film.

“Through storytelling and dance For Colored Girls depicts authentic renditions of Black women’s experiences,” according to Omari Oliver ’16, who plays the role of Lady in Red.

“Shange addresses issues that women of color have dealt with for centuries,” adds Nakeya Boyles ’16, who plays the role of Lady in Yellow and serves as the production’s dramaturg. “In the face of these issues, the women have found a way to prosper and defy the odds set against them.,”

Unlike traditional scripts built upon a sequence of scenes, For Colored Girls… is a series of poems infused with movement and music. “It is important for the audience to have an open heart and mind,” Boyles says.

Movement Coach Bianca Washington has remained true to the spirit of the original show and at the same time provided creative space for individual growth and expression. “It is important for me to help guide the cast into finding their own shape with the piece.”

Things are not always what they seem–and names (“What’s in a name?”) do not fully define identity. Festival Playhouse of Kalamazoo College opens its 51st season with a classic, Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, and with more, or less, historical accuracy than some would expect.

Originally, Shakespeare’s plays were performed exclusively by male actors playing both male and female roles. “Shakespeare’s male actors were not trying to lampoon women or comment on them. Rather, those actors were trying to behave truthfully in imaginary circumstances–they just happened to be playing women,” explains Todd Espeland, guest director.

Today, there are almost always more female actresses than male actors, so Espeland has decided to reverse the genders of the actors. Juliet is being played by a young man–as would have been the case in Elizabethan times–but Romeo will be played by a young woman. The experiment will deepen the experience of the play, Shakespeare’s first foray into the genre of tragedy.

“One of my jobs as a director in educational theatre is to provide the best experiences possible to grow and educate my students as well as our audiences,” says Espeland. “What we hope to do is look at the various ways power is a function of gender.”

“Now that I’m suddenly in many extremely powerless positions as Juliet, I’ve had to change my physicality,” says Thaddeus Buttrey ’17. “This is an extremely challenging role that puts me far out of my comfort zone, but it will make me a better performer, a better thinker.”

In the play, unclear thinking and rash decisions result in a variety of clashes, including sword fights. “I have learned a lot about how gender roles can sometimes influence action and the language that we use,” says Lindsay Worthington’17. “This has made me reflect on its role in my life outside the theatre.”

Because of its notoriety, the play challenges designers as well. “As a scenic and lighting designer, it has been fun to work on one of the most well-known plays in the English language and still make it original,” says Katelyn Anderson ’15. Others on the design team include Elaine Kauffman (costumes) and Arik Mendelevitz ’15 (sound). The fight scenes were choreographed by Jon Reeves.

The show opens on Thursday, November 6 at 7:30 p.m. and runs Friday and Saturday, November 7-8 at 8 p.m. The show’s final performance is Sunday, November 9, at 2 p.m. For ticket reservations, please call 269.337.7333. Tickets are $5 for students, $10 for seniors and $15 for other adults; they may also be purchased at the door. For more information about the 51st season at Festival Playhouse, call 269.337.7333 or visit online.