What I have in mind is a theater that is not simply reflective of a community, but that IS the community. Thus, becoming a theater that is transformative, and which holds all, both artist and audience, accountable for those truths revealed.
My theatrical practice has always been political. As a Black woman, and a co- founder of a community based theater company created to tell the stories of marginalized lives, it could never have been anything else. But I believe that this moment in American culture demands something more than shining a light on the dark undercurrent of our society and hoping that action will follow. We must dig deeper, go beyond the words, and investigate the physical and emotional realities—the lived experience—of those "others" whom, for centuries, have had narratives constructed for them. My goal is to find a way to create theater that allows us to feel what it is to be the “other” person.
Writer
A Documentary Playwright
Stephanie is currently working on two projects with her company and community activists: March On and The Harlem Narratives.
March On, which will premier at the Apollo Theater February, 2018, is a musical theater production commemorating the historical March on Washington held on August 28, 1963. Based on interviews from a cross section of people who went to the March on Washington in 1963, their narratives portray the voices of everyday people whose decisions that day have impacted all of our lives. The actors also portray the historic figures whose actions led to the Civil Rights Movement.
The piece is steeped in the music that became known as “Freedom Songs.” Renderings of the Civil Rights Songs and traditional spirituals contextualize the historical moment and galvanize audiences with the strength and urgency that informed the entire movement.
The Harlem Narratives is an on-going work in progress that explores the impact of gentrification and captures the political temperature of a changing community. By using stories, collected from the community, history, observations and imagination, audiences will experience what happens when people of different races, class and ethnic groups abruptly find themselves living together. In addition to giving voice to contrasting perspectives on community, the piece hopes to encourage dialogue if not creative solutions.
Other works, inspired by her community work include: Wild Women, examining the journey elder women in a youth obsessed society; Surviving the Rhythm and Blues of Life, which illuminates the social political dynamics that spurred the music known as rhythm and blues; and Flying Fables, a musical folktale celebrating diverse cultures and universal truths.
Most recently, Stephanie wrote Sarah Sings a Love Story, a three- character musical play that chronicles and celebrates the extraordinary love affair forged between a couple who have been married for over 30 years along with the music, travails and life of Sarah Vaughan.
Personal Statement
What I have in mind a theater that is not simply reflective of a community, but that IS the community. Thus, becoming a theater that is transformative, and which holds all, both artist and audience, accountable for those truths revealed.
My theatrical practice has always been political. As a Black woman, and a co- founder of a community based theater company created to tell the stories of marginalized lives, it could never have been anything else. But I believe that this moment in American culture demands something more than shining a light on the dark undercurrent of our society and hoping that action will follow. We must dig deeper, go beyond the words, and investigate the physical and emotional realities—the lived experience—of those "others" whom, for centuries, have had narratives constructed for them. My goal is to find a way to create theater that allows us to feel what it is to be the “other” person.