Shakespeare Theatre of NJ Highlights Two Plays by African-American Playwright Alice Childress
The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey presents two one-act plays, “Florence” and “Mojo: A Black Love Story,” by Alice Childress Oct. 26 to Nov. 13 at the F.M. Kirby Shakespeare Theatre in Madison, New Jersey.
Childress (1916-1994) was an actress and a founding member of the American Negro Theatre in 1940 before becoming a groundbreaking playwright. She is often acknowledged as the only 20th-century African-American woman to have written, produced and published plays for four decades.
The Theatre has a mission to integrate education and learning into its endeavors to promote a culture of enlightenment.
“Florence,” written in 1949, explores the issues of female empowerment, interracial politics and working-class life. “Mojo: A Black Love Story,” written 1970, captures the love between a man and a woman once married yet still deeply committed to each other.
Correspondent Gina Marie Rodriguez speaks with Director Lindsey Smiling, “Mojo” actress Darlene Hope and costume designer Patrice Trower about what Childress' work means to them and the theater community.
