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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (July 17, 1980)
Portland Observar July 17. 1980 Page 6 lack Repertory Theatre presents two plays f i y Nyewusi As kan Beginning July 17. and con tinuing through September 7, Port land Black Repertory will present its summer theatre o f two plays in repertory. The plays, directed by Rosemary Allen, represents a new movement within the Black threatre in the State ol Oregon, as well as, an introduction to the high degrees ol Black professionalism that exist within the Theatre itself. Play one, " F o r C olored G irls fFko Have Considered Suicide When The Rainbow Is E n u ff" w rit ten by Ntozake Shange, is an o r chestrated, choreographed present ation of poems and prose pieces for eight Black actresses. The show is designed to “ Sing a Black g ir l’ s song, and it does with sadness, pain, humor and hopes. Ntozake Shange (pronounced “ En-tow-zok- aye" and "Shawn-gay” ) studied the m ythology o l women from an tiquity to the present day, and it helped her to develop her sense of the world, her new and liberated sense o f herself and also her penetrating insight into what she calls “ women’ s language.” Shange w rites, “ sing a Black girl’ s song...sing a song o f life, she’s been dead so long.” Women, for Shange, speak in a kind o f tribal symbolism; fo r women have been made into what is most often a cruel world apart. Some critics suggest that sister Shange’ s "F o r Colored G ir ls " is merely an angry wom en’ s lib message erasing Black men from life. Others suggest that it merely confirm s the doctrine o f racists who, fo r centuries have tried to prove that the intimate world o f the Black man and woman, is a world of constant pain, sadness and violent movements. Not true. Sister Shange’ s message is that Black women, like other women, ex periences their joys, pains and is now able to speak about it, share it as an act o f love. Her message is ac tually a description o f "some o f the things” Black women go through, on their way to other more beautiful things. Called a “ C horeopoem ” by Shange, the movements capture the many moods and often the different kinds o f situations Black women find themselves in with their men. However, one must also view the “ C horeopoem” from a historical context. Against the brutal whip o f slavery, the Black man and woman, has struggled for intimate survival; survival against death, separation by slave masters, prisons, wars, frustration and human nature. Yet, they have survived, and in many ways, Shange explains much o f the madness in the methods. The cast consist o f eight local and v isitin g Black actresses, both professional and amateur. A ll o f them have personally experienced many of the triumphs and errors of the women in "F o r Colored Girls. The second play, "Red Beans A R ice" is an original musical produc tion created by Janice Scroggins, Thara M em ory, Rosemary Allen and Ruby Burns. Rosemary Allen wrote the script. The play is a trium phant and powerful story about the roots o f Jazz in America. The story unravels in a collage o f dram atic scenes about the lives o f the people who made the music, and transports the audience across the ocean to Africa where the spirit of gospel, blues and jazz originated. The title , "R e d Beans <£ R ic e " symbolizes what music has meant to black Americans. Often it was the music, blues, gospel and jazz that gave Black Americans the will to keep on struggling to survive. P ortland Black Repertory Theatre boasts a talented and ex perienced production s ta ff. Producer/director Rosemary Allen; musical director, Thara Memory; Choreographers, Ruby Burns (Red American State Bank The Bank that integration b u ilt' 2737 N.E. Union 282 2216 V M o r e th a n th e m er e s u p p ly in g o f m o r tg a g e * ---- -----1 I / O m o n e y , L in c o ln a lso p ro v id es th e k n o w le d g e t ►u. -idt* th e o r g a n iz a tio n , a n d th e c o u r te sy w h ic h sp e e d s each tra n sa c tio n fr o m a p p lic a tio n t o c o m p le tio n o f fin an cial a r r a n g e m e n ts. For colored Girls” cast members. Lady In Purple" not shown. (Photo: Judith Rafferty) Beans <f Rice), and Sagirah Banks at the Cabell Center for Performing ( " F o r C olored G irls ...")-, Vocal Arts, located at 8825 S.W. Barnes directors, Janice Scroggins and Road. Reservations can be obtained Willie Binns ("R ed Beans <t Rice” ); by calling 281-5658, 9am to 5pm. Costume Designers, Chonitia Hen Ticket outlets are; Budget Tapes derson ("R ed Beans A Rice” ), and and Records, House o f Sound and Fie Wash & Patricia Trice ( " F o r Stevens & Son Jewelers. Colored G irls ” ); H air Designer, M elvia W ilson ( " F o r colored We congratulate Rosemary Allen G ir ls ..." ) ; M ake-up A rtis t, and P ortland Black Repertory Deborah Hicks; Lighting designer, Theatre for bringing to us, "Its own Jim dark; Graphic Designer, Issac Rainbow. But this is not unique. Sham sud-Din; Stage managers, The threatre has dedicated itself to Vernon Ambus ( " F o r C olored the building o f the threatre, into a G irls..."), and Ricky Dance ("Red solid cultural/A R T S /theatrical in Beans & Rice"), Business Manager, stitution we all w ill be proud of. Lois Berry; Program designer, However, to reach this point, the Cheryl Wilson and publicity direc Theatre needs people support. And tor, Rose Washington. as a dedicated supporter o f the "F o r Colored G irls... " w ill be theatre, I urge all people to see the performed for the general public on Repertory production o f "R e d Thursdays and Fridays, and "Red Beans A R ice." and “ For Colored Beans A Rice” on Saturdays and girls... " You’ll walk away with your Sundays, both starting at 8:15 p.m., own "Rainbow. " ttcad Office: 12320 S.W. First, Beaverton Fourteen branch offices for vour convenience H U G H E S M E M O R IA L U N IT E D M E T H O D IS T C H U R C H REV. AUSTIN V. RAY, MINISTER 111 N .E . F A IL IN G Dial A Prayer 284 0684 Worship 11:00am Church School 9 45am Office 2 8 1 2332 Specializing In Individual • Marriage and la m ilv • iir u u p Therapy The C hurch W here IMO S tranger Feels S trange Lonnie Harris dies in Reno ■ M arian Anderson medal Marian Anderson on the gold W A S H IN G T O N - M arian A n derson is featured on one o f the first two gold medallions to be minted by the U.S. Treasury in 1980, to be av ailable for public purchase July 15. The one-half ounce Anderson m edallion marks the firs t time American citizens will have the op portunity to buy American gold in any size other than the 400-ounce gold bars sold periodically by the Treasury at auction. “ To this day, m illio n s o f Americans can hear the echo o f M arian Anderson’ s inspiring ren d itio n o f ‘ He’ s Got the Whole World in His Hands.' But in reflect ing on her lifetime o f contribution to God, country and the American people, it is no less true that one can say o f Marian Anderson: ‘She’s got the whole world in her hands,’ ’ ’ said Rep. Jim Leach, author o f the American Arts Gold Medallion Act, who selected Anderson and nine other artists to be honored in the medallion series over the next five years. “ The message of her autobiography, "Oh Lord, What a Morning, is a message for all time,” Leach said. “ She w ro te :’ ...M y mission is to leave behind the kind o f im pression that w ill make it easier for those who follow ...In life, if you have a purpose in which you can believe, there's no end to the amount o f things you can accom- plish.’ ” In 1939, fifteen years before the Supreme Court ruled that the Little Rock schools should be integrated, M arian Anderson made history when she mesmerized a crowd o f 75,000 singing on the steps o f the Lincoln Memorial. The concert was held outdoors after a controversy over racial discrim ination flared when the Daughters o f the Am erican R evolution banned Anderson from singing in C on stitution H all. Eleanor Roosevelt resigned her membership in the DAR in protest. Last year Americans bought ap proximately $900 m illion worth o f foreign gold coins and medallions containing an ounce or less o f gold, primarily from South Africa. “ It strikes me as irrational if not immoral for Americans to subsidize through gold purchases the repressive government o f South Africa when we have the capacity in our own country to make gold available to the public in an afford able form ,” Leach said. Order forms and instructions will be available at all post offices, the daily price o f the medallion will be based on the previous day’s closing spot price o f gold on the New York C om m odity Exchange, plus a premium to cover production and d is trib u tio n costs, the to ll free telephone number to obtain the daily price is 800/368-5510. Lonnie Benjamin Harris died July 9th in Reno, Nevada. Lonnie Harris was born in Hem phill, Texas July 30, 1927. In early life he was a member o f Bethel A M E C hurch. He later joined Hughes Memorial United Methodist Church. H arris attended E llio t Grade School and Jefferson High School. He received A ll State recognition in baseball during his junior and senior years at Jefferson High School and was voted into the softball Hall of Fame. He was the recipient o f Port land Baseball Am ateur A ssociation’ s Man o f the Year Award. Harris attended Vanport College and Portland State University while w orking fu ll time at N orthern Pacific Terminal Co. He worked as a counselor at the Donald E. Long home. While employed by Federal Electric Corporation he established five new centers in California, Utah, Oregon and Washington. He also worked fo r the T im berline Job Corp Center in Estacada, Oregon. He was senior counselor at Clear field Job Corp Center in Utah, as well as Assistant D irector o f the C om m unity A ctio n Program in Vancouver, Washington. His last jo b was D irector o f Educational O pportunitie s at Oregon State University. Harris was a member o f Corvallis Rotary C lub; chairm an o f the Human Relations C om m ittee o f C o rva llis; was on the Board o f Directors o f UGN fund; Board o f Directors o f the Boys Club o f Cor vallis; was representative o f the Review Board panel o f the Corvallis Police Department Review Board of the ROTC. He was a member o f the NAACP, Corvallis Branch. He was married to Mae Francis W inters on September 28. 1948. Two daughters were born to this union, Rita Sharon Harris and Bar bara Jean H a rris. There is one grand daughter, La Shonda Elizabeth Marie Harris. Other sur vivors include sister, Mrs. Christine Wilson, Portland; Mrs. Jeannette Newman, Seattle; M rs. Bessie Leacock, Los Angeles; brothers Loomis Harris, Jr., and B. Leonard Harris both o f Los Angeles; and Lawrence H arris o f Chicopee, Massachusetts, and many neices and nephews, great neices and nephews, uncles and aunts. Services were held on July 14th at Vann’ s Mortuary, with interment at Rose City Moseleum. 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