SWEET
Dr. Barbara Ann Teer’s National Black Theatre
2031 Fifth Ave. between 125th & 126th Sts.
October 19-21 previews, $20
October 23 – November 20, $35-$40 ($25 with code RISE through November 13)
212-352-3101
www.nationalblacktheatre.org
The National Black Theatre’s forty-eighth season, whose theme is “In Pursuit of Black Joy,” gets under way this month with the world premiere of Harrison David Rivers’s Sweet, a story of two sisters whose relationship is tested when their mother passes away suddenly and a neighbor returns home from college. The coming-of-age tale, set in rural Kansas, stars Maechi Aharanwa (An Octoroon, Macbeth) as Retha Baker, Renika Williams (Antigone, Race) as Nina Baker, and Tré Davis (Zooman and the Sign, Carnaval) as George. Curator, performance artist, and producer Raelle Myrick-Hodges, a cofounder of Philadelphia’s Azuka Theatre, will be making her New York City directorial debut. “The 1960s conjure images of young Black voices emerging as leaders in our social consciousness, daring to live the lives they imagined,” Obie-winning NBT director of theatre arts Jonathan McCrory said in a statement. “Sweet offers a glimpse of an alternative perspective on Black lifestyle in the Midwest during that time period, of Black youth also in pursuit of joy against all odds.” The scenic design is by Matt McAdon, with lighting by Xavier Pierce, sound by Justin Hicks, and costumes by Ari Fulton.
Harrison David Rivers, Justin Hicks, Abisola Faison, and Raelle Myrick-Hodges discuss SWEET on the first day of rehearsals (photo by James Reynolds)
TICKET GIVEAWAY: Sweet begins previews October 19 and opens October 23 at the National Black Theatre, and twi-ny has three pairs of tickets to give away for free. Just send your name, daytime phone number, and favorite play or movie that has the word “sweet” in the title to contest@twi-ny.com by Friday, October 14, at 3:00 to be eligible. All entrants must be twenty-one years of age or older; three winners will be selected at random.