Lynchburg, Virginia. The former site of a thriving cotton mill is now an impoverished neighborhood. Deeply affected by all of the recent killings, of young black men like himself, Ruffrino, a 14 year old “militant,” incites riots at school and online. More and more at odds with his mother and grandfather, the boys’ anger grows beyond containment while the family home literally sinks into the cotton field, and no one seems to notice but him. A two time award winner at the Kennedy Center in 2016 (Rosa Parks Playwriting Award for Bhavi the Avenger, and the Lorraine Hansberry Playwriting Award for Br’er Cotton), playwright Tearrance Arvelle Chisholm was named a “person to watch” by American Theatre Magazine. As a rising star at Juilliard’s Lila Acheson Wallace American Playwrights Program he made Variety’s short list of talent for the “future of film, media, and entertainment.” His play Hooded: Or Being Black for Dummies had its World Premiere at Mosaic Theatre in Washington, D.C. this year where it received raves from the Washington Post, calling it a “Breathtakingly on-point new comedy…Chisholm makes his own mark, powerfully.” The popularity of this piece has inspired a remount during their 2018 season. The BR’ER COTTON cast includes Omette Anassi, Christopher Carrington, Yvonne Huff, Emmaline Jacott, Shawn Law, Dane Oliver, and Jasmine Wright. Tickets $15-$45
Br’er Cotton
Reviews
The playwright seems to be seeking a broader richer canvas for his story, an ambition that commands respect. Even so, the end result arrives through some awkwardness and contrivance.
Go. Check out Br'Er Cotton, before it ends. The entire cast...played their parts to perfection. A powerful climax.
Remarkable play...as current as this morning. Powerful and passionate. Builds in power throughout the show, surging to a stunning climax.
Don't miss it! Top-notch cast…fine directing. Wrapped in a cloud of tension that never lets up.
As current as today's headlines, Lower Depth Theatre Ensemble's latest may not be entirely the play I would have wished for, but there is no denying the gut-punching power Br'er Cotton packs.
The playwright seems to be seeking a broader richer canvas for his story, an ambition that commands respect. Even so, the end result arrives through some awkwardness and contrivance.
Go. Check out Br'Er Cotton, before it ends. The entire cast...played their parts to perfection. A powerful climax.
Remarkable play...as current as this morning. Powerful and passionate. Builds in power throughout the show, surging to a stunning climax.
Don't miss it! Top-notch cast…fine directing. Wrapped in a cloud of tension that never lets up.
As current as today's headlines, Lower Depth Theatre Ensemble's latest may not be entirely the play I would have wished for, but there is no denying the gut-punching power Br'er Cotton packs.