Monday, October 29, 2012

ICED OUT SHACKLED & CHAINED is off the chain!

by Erich McMillan-McCall
Founder/Executive Director of Project1VOICE, INC


You know what I like most about what we do at Project1VOICE?  It gives me an extraordinary opportunity to see  more theater now, than I have  over the course of  my twenty five year love affair with NYC!  I love the theater there is no doubt about that but I do have an unquenchable thirst for Black theater in particular.  I hunger for  both Black play classics and new works. There's nothing like them.  They tell our stories like no others.  They are gems that should continue to shine brightly and  with all of our help they can and will.
 
And with that said, on Saturday night, October 27, after a nine hour day at work. I went to the NATIONAL BLACK THEATER in Harlem USA and saw the  opening night performance of  ICED OUT Shackled & Chained:  Still Looking for the North Star.   What a delectable not to  be missed theatrical treat!  My longtime friend, and fabulous actress by the way, Inga Ballard called and told me she had tickets. And I am so glad she did.  I have no idea how this luscious jewel slipped my roving theatrical eye. The play, written by Khisa T. Spence and Mo Beasley is brilliantly crafted under the  remarkably clever direction of Jeffrery V. Thompson, who himself is also an  equally brilliant actor and singer. 

ICED OUT Shackled & Chained: Still Looking for the North Star frames the  dramatic parallels between slavery and the Jim Crow era with modern day oppression and contemporary impacts of slavery.  ICED OUT dispels  many of the existing stereotypes perpetuated by our history through exploration of root causes of illiteracy, poverty and racism, much  in the vain of George C.  Wolfe's impeccably resplendent THE COLORED MUSEUM.  This play's  extraordinary cast of two, features the always stellar Stephanie Berry and  Biance LaVerne Jones, who I recently saw perform in the Harlem 9's 48Hour Project  and BODIES  at the New BlackFest.   They morph into about 20 characters between them with the greatest of ease. These two master camillions were both engaging but Miss Berry was a particular standout for me.  Whether she was playing an acute schizophrenic who robs banks, a young boy coming of age in the inner city or a young girl who is repeatedly gang raped for days, she performs with such daring, grace and dexterity.  She reminded me of  one of those visually stunning acrobats in Cirque Du Soliel. What an absolute joy to behold her work on any stage!

Diane Harvey's choreography and Chris Cummerbatch's set design add another layer of intrigue to this scrumptious mix. What a pleasure to see it all unfold!  In this play, which is a series of intricately woven vignettes, Kisha T Spence and Mo Beasly, the writers of ICED OUT, have fashioned a play that not only entertains but  also educates.  It challenges us to look closely at the world we live in today with our eyes really wide open.  It dares to ask us to ponder if things really have changed or have they just taken on a new form?  I had a great time and I highly recommend this stellar theatrical journey now playing at the National Black Theater in Harlem USA through November 18!
 
If you would like to know more about Project1VOICE and our mission, please visit our website at www.project1voice.org.  We also invite you  to  like us on Facebook at Project1VOICE if you have not already and please pass this information on to anyone you think would like to know us. Our first annual star studded fundraising gala, Project1VOICE HONORS, is  Monday, February 25th, 2013 at Kumble Theater SAVE THE DATE


ICE OUT SHACKLED & CHAINED: Still Looking for the North Star
October 27-November 18, 2012
National Black Theatre
2031 5th Ave at 125 ST
Harlem, NY
212-722-3800
Take the ABCD123456 Trains to 125th Street
www.nationalblacktheatre.org
www.smartix.com
 
Go see Black theater, a destination always worth experiencing!