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ANOWA by Ama Ata Aidoo: A staged reading

The Company @ Bloomfield College will present a staged reading of ANOWA on Thursday, April 4, and Friday, April 5. Both readings will begin at 7:00 p.m. in the Center for Creativity+Technology at Bloomfield College, 198 Liberty Street in Bloomfield, NJ. ANOWA, a provocative drama by acclaimed Ghanian playwright Ama Ata Aidoo, examines the tensions emanating from gender, race, and class inequalities in Victorian era Ghana, and features a headstrong woman as its title character. Amy Estes, a co-founder of Marvell Repertory Theatre (2011–2014), a critically acclaimed Off-Broadway company in New York, will direct the staged reading. "I loved the idea of exposing Bloomfield College students and the Bloomfield community to this play by Ama Ata Aidoo, the first woman to have a play published in Africa,” said Estes. “Anowa is an intelligent, ambitious, principled young woman who is trapped and ultimately ruined by cultural expectations that she cannot support. It struck me that even in today's America, when women and people of color challenge historically dominant cultural narratives, they face judgment and danger.” “That makes Anowa's tale of life along the Gold Coast in the 1870s especially worthy of attention right now," Estes continued. "The staged reading format, in which actors and audience focus on the language of the script rather than a play's design elements, allows The Company to give voice to a great play without the expense of a fully-staged production." The Company @ Bloomfield College's staged reading of ANOWA, under the artistic direction of professor Dr. Fiona (Freddie) Harris, features Bloomfield College students Joseph Darby, Naja Long, Joshua McLean, Precious Olubiyi, Tenasha Simpson, and T'shaka Thorpe with Bloomfield College alumna and staff member Celeste Walden-Kelley. Bloomfield College student Destin Johnson serves as dramaturg. Suggested donation $15. No charge for Bloomfield College students. Tickets available one hour before each performance at the door.

When:

APR 5, 2019

Where: