ALL HANDS ON DECK: Check out Ashley Nicole Baptiste in AN ACTOR PREPARES by Lisa Rosetta Strum

All Hands on Deck presents AN ACTOR PREPARES, by Lisa Rosetta Strum

ALL HANDS ON DECK 

The ALL HANDS ON DECK series is back with a new session! The festival shares new works by Female Playwrights of the African Diaspora.  Featuring work by award winning playwrights Julienne Hairston, Lisa Strum, Bleu Beckford-Burrell, and up-and-comer Mahalet Tegenu, the short plays are directed by Celestine Rae and Dennis Allen II. Conceived by Antu Yacob,  the series explores different perspectives of the Black experience in America. This session's theme is  "Lifestyles of the Strong & Black Female". What does it mean to be strong and Black and female in 2022? By whose standards? Join us as we explore.

Opening Sunday June 26th 7pm

Black Women: a Parable
By Bleu Beckford-Burrell
directed by Dennis Allen II
Grandma's got one hell of a story, for her Grand/daughter, dismantling what it means to be a strong Black woman.

Muse
By Mahalet Tegenu
directed by Celestine Rae
A disillusioned Black ballerina is visited by the hostile ghost of George Balanchine, right before her principal debut at the New York City ballet.

Candles and Cocoons
By Julienne Hairston
directed by Dennis Allen II
Marley and her sisters struggle between choosing individual fulfilment and keeping their family commitments as their parents age.

An Actor Prepares
By Lisa Rosetta Strum
directed by Celestine Rae
An aspiring actress prepares for more than she bargains for when an audition forces her to question her own identity.