Serial Black Face Play Analysis

The world premiere of Serial Black Face by Janine Nabers was performed on April 3, 2016 at Actor’s Express in Atlanta, Georgia. The play is centered on the Atlanta Child Murders from 1979 to 1981. Vivian—boldly and heartbreakingly played by Tinashe Kajese-Bolden—is dealing with living without her kidnapped son in the projects of Atlanta. Throughout the years the play is set, she comes to terms with her older daughter, an innate need for someone in her life that can fill an emotional void, and how danger will always lurk around the corner. My own experience was quite visceral to this play, as were others from hearing the responses sitting in the audience and at the talkback after the show. The setting’s center was the home of Vivian. Based in the late 1970s and early 1980s and living without the privilege of extra money, the house featured remnants of the earlier part of the decade, including the avocado green appliances and bedspread and the vinyl/hardware dining set. It …show more content…
Dréa Lewis and Kelli Winans played Gladys and Damita, two women that worked with Vivian. As Winans described in the talk back, Damita’s possibilities were endless in life, with Gladys supporting her. It was interesting to see the juxtaposition of a serious scene where Vivian is looking for her son or having an argument with her daughter to a scene where despite the awful things that are happening around them, two characters are continuing to live their lives. Even though horrific things happen, the world continues to turn. It made myself, and I’m sure other audience members, questioning whether or not to laugh. However, it was lovely to take a slight break from the tension of the main action. A technical aspect of these characters that lacked at times was the diction. Because some sounds and articulation was dropped and others were added in for their dialects, some words were lost along the