–“A Song for Coretta,” a play by Pearl Cleage, reveals sharp differences among those who gather to honor the passing of Coretta Scott King.
Presented by the UofL Department of Theatre Arts and its African American Theatre Program, the play will be performed March 3-7 at 8 p.m. nightly plus a 3 p.m. matinee on March 7. All performances will take place at the Thrust Theatre on the Belknap Campus at 2314 South Floyd Street (on the corner of Warnock and Floyd).
Cleage’s drama relates the interactions of a few strangers waiting at the end of a long line at the 2006 memorial service for King. Waiting for hours outside Atlanta's Ebenezer Baptist Church to pay their respects, they share a sorrow in King’s passing but not the same experiences in the battle for civil rights in America.
Directed by Lundeana Thomas, theater professor and program director, the play features an all female cast playing women from different generations. Humor and music blend with a clash of opinions.
“These are powerful roles for women depicting different walks of life, just as King reached out to all kinds of people for civil rights,” Thomas said. “Whether on the streets marching or in jail she embodied ‘This Little Light of Mine,’ her favorite gospel song, to all who faced injustice.”
The cast will also perform the play as part of the annual convention of the Southeast Theatre Conference on March 4 in Lexington, Ky. This is the largest conference in the region with over 4,000 theatre artists and enthusiasts expected to attend.
Tickets are $12 for the general public, $10 for faculty and staff and $8 for students and senior citizens. For tickets and information, call 502-852-6814 or visit http://louisville.edu/a-s/ta/.