Jackie Davis News

From March 12 to April 9, 2016, SpeakEasy Stage Company will present the New England Premiere of BOOTYCANDY, a shockingly funny and saucy spin on race, sex, and sexuality, written by award-winning playwright and director Robert O'Hara.

Named one of the Top Ten Plays of 2014 by The New York Times, BOOTYCANDY is based on the author's own experiences growing up black and gay. The play unfolds in a series of loosely linked vignettes that take no prisoners when confronting racial, sexual, and cultural stereotypes. With outrageous humor and real heart, O'Hara tests how we talk about our bodies at home, in church, and in the theatre.   (Please note that BOOTYCANDY contains strong language, adult content, and nudity). 

Playwright Katori Hall's lively play about seven African-American women awaiting the end of World War II in a Memphis beauty parlor/boarding house shows a slice of life with authenticity, empathy, and humor. Dawn M. Simmons directs an ensemble of wonderful actors, and the design team brings out the flavor of 1945 Memphis.

In the tradition of the moving Intimate Apparel and hilarious By the Way, Meet Vera Stark, Saturday Night/Sunday Morning is a 'fresh, spontaneous, and highly watchable'* play that brings together seven African-American women in a Memphis beauty parlor/boarding house during the waning days of World War II. As they wrestle with the uncertainty of what the future will hold when, and if, their men return, they fight dirty - with each other and with their own fears and desires, uncovering newfound friendship and love. Katori Hall is an exciting new theatrical voice best known for her play The Mountaintop, about Martin Luther King, Jr.'s final night before his assassination.

There are many ways a playwright, filmmaker, writer or artist can work their themes and messages into a creative work. In some cases, those themes are delivered subtly, with nuance, so they're almost imperceptible at first but land in the audience's mind long after they've witnessed the work of art. At the other end of the spectrum, important messages can be put at the forefront, told in forceful and undeniable ways so that the audience is immediately confronted with them. Both of those approaches can and do often work. Unfortunately, in the Wilbury Group's current production of Rapture, Blister, Burn, the messages are delivered at the expense of a captivating compelling story or engaging characters.

Mixed Magic Theatre will present 'For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When The Rainbow Is Enuf' by Ntozake Shange. Directed by Jackie Davis, the show will run tonight, February 21st - March 16th, playing Fridays & Saturdays 7:30 pm Sundays 3:00 pm. PRESS NIGHT: Saturday March 1st 7:30 pm.

Mixed Magic Theatre will present 'For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When The Rainbow Is Enuf' by Ntozake Shange. Directed by Jackie Davis, the show will run February 21st - March 16th, playing Fridays & Saturdays 7:30 pm Sundays 3:00 pm. PRESS NIGHT: Saturday March 1st 7:30 pm.

Following the March 15th performance of FIRST LADY SUITE, join American Repertory Theater of WNY as the company hosts Tony and Drama Desk nominated, Grammy Award winning composer, Michael John LaChiusa in his first-ever Buffalo talk-back.

Following the March 15th performance of FIRST LADY SUITE, join American Repertory Theater of WNY as the company hosts Tony and Drama Desk nominated, Grammy Award winning composer, Michael John LaChiusa in his first-ever Buffalo talk-back.

American Repertory Theater of WNY presents the Buffalo debut of Michael John LaChiusa's acclaimed musical classic piece, FIRST LADY SUITE. Running now through March 16th, this limited engagement of the musical is being presented at ART/WNY's home base at Bittner Hall, 16 Linwood Avenue, Buffalo NY. BroadwayWorld has new production photos below!

American Repertory Theater of WNY will present the Buffalo debut of Michael John LaChiusa's acclaimed musical classic piece, FIRST LADY SUITE. Described by The Guide to Musical Theatre, FIRST LADY SUITE is a 'four chamber pieces, ranging from riotously funny to hauntingly lyrical focusing on celebrated First Ladies and the people surrounding them.' Opening on March 1st and running until March 16th, this limited engagement will be presented at ART/WNY's home base at Bittner Hall, 16 Linwood Avenue, Buffalo NY.

American Repertory Theater of WNY will present the Buffalo debut of Michael John LaChiusa's acclaimed musical classic piece, FIRST LADY SUITE. Opening on March 1st to March 16th, this limited engagement of the musical will be presented at ART/WNY's home base at Bittner Hall, 16 Linwood Avenue, Buffalo NY. BroadwayWorld has a first look at the cast in action below!

American Repertory Theater of WNY will present the Buffalo debut of Michael John LaChiusa's acclaimed musical classic piece, FIRST LADY SUITE. Described by The Guide to Musical Theatre, FIRST LADY SUITE is a 'four chamber pieces, ranging from riotously funny to hauntingly lyrical focusing on celebrated First Ladies and the people surrounding them.' Opening on March 1st to March 16th, this limited engagement of the musical will be presented at ART/WNY's home base at Bittner Hall, 16 Linwood Avenue, Buffalo NY.

The 7th Provincetown Tennessee Williams Festival announced that this year's program of "Tennessee Williams and Music" will present the pleasures of music in the drama of America's great playwright. The seaside village of Provincetown will be alive with the sounds of blues, Mariachi, Dixieland, American Pop, Art Song and African drums. Theater artists from around the globe will converge on this art colony where Williams worked over several summers in the 1940s, performing his classics, his little known works and new works that he has inspired.

The fourth annual 1st Irish Festival, the world's only all-Irish theatre festival, opens on Monday September 5 with the first of 21 performances of 'A Night with George,' the Aisling Award-winning comedy from Belfast.

The fourth annual 1st Irish Festival, the world's only all-Irish theatre festival, opens on Monday September 5 with the first of 21 performances of 'A Night with George,' the Aisling Award-winning comedy from Belfast.

The fourth annual 1st Irish Festival, the world's only all-Irish theatre festival, opens on Monday September 5 with the first of 21 performances of 'A Night with George,' the Aisling Award-winning comedy from Belfast.

Following the GAN-e-meed Theatre Project production of Hamlet on two Saturdays, the audience is invited to stay and discuss the production with members of the cast. 'We are excited to include the audience in the total experience' says SerahRose Roth, Producing Artistic Director and star of Hamlet.

Following the GAN-e-meed Theatre Project production of Hamlet on two Saturdays, the audience is invited to stay and discuss the production with members of the cast. 'We are excited to include the audience in the total experience' says SerahRose Roth, Producing Artistic Director and star of Hamlet.