Black Voices Matter — Past Performances — Idris Goodwin plays
Open-source scripts for an anti-racist tomorrow presented to the community free of charge. Presented with permission from Idris Goodwin.
Black Flag, a play by Idris Goodwin
An open-source script for an anti-racist tomorrow presented to the community free of charge.
Presented with permission from Idris Goodwin.
Directed by Melle Powers
Featuring
Caroline Fairweather: Sydney
Olivia Nda: Deja
Noah Eisenberg: Harry
Produced by Sharron Frazier-McClain
Education Department
Sharron Frazier-McClain — Community Engagement and DEI Coordinator
Jane O’Leary — Director of Education
Xinef Afriam — Education Coordinator
Sydney is from Georgia. Deja is from Detroit. These two new dorm-mates cannot wait to start their freshman year together. That is, until Sydney decides to decorate their room with a little piece of “Southern pride.” Now, all bets are off. Black Flag is a biting new play about allegiance, censorship and the price of honoring the past.
Act Free, a play by Idris Goodwin
An open-source script for an anti-racist tomorrow presented to the community free of charge.
Presented with permission from Idris Goodwin.
Directed by Melle Powers
Starring Isabella Brown, Mekhi McClain, Spencer Mathias-Reed
Produced by Sharron Frazier-McClain
Production Coordinated by Jorge Lopez
Video Editing by Christopher Castanho
Education Department
Sharron Frazier-McClain — Community Engagement and DEI Coordinator
Jane O’Leary — Director of Education
Act Free finds three kids wrestling with the definition of freedom.
Nothing Rhymes with Juneteenth, a play by Idris Goodwin
Directed by Melle Powers
Starring Joe Gunn & Gloria Williams
Producer: Sharron Frazier-McClain
Production Coordinator: Jorge Lopez
Video Editor: Christopher Castanho
Education Department
Sharron Frazier-McClain — Community Engagement and DEI Coordinator
Allison Lerman-Gluck — Education Coordinator
Jane O’Leary — Director of Education
Nothing Rhymes with Juneteenth finds a child and a parent trying to complete a rap for a school presentation.
#Matter, a play by Idris Goodwin
Directed by Melle Powers
Starring Kira Sarai Helper & Mitchell Gray
Stage Manager: Allison Lerman-Gluck
Assistant Stage Manager: Sharron Frazier-McClain
Video Editor: Justin Allen
Education Department
Sharron Frazier-McClain — Community Engagement and DEI Coordinator
Allison Lerman-Gluck — Education Coordinator
Jane O’Leary — Director of Education
Former high school friends debate matters of life and race.
For audiences age 13 and up.
For more resources on how to engage in conversation about race, visit Talking About Race from National Museum of African American History and Culture.
CAST
KIRA SARAI HELPER (Kim) is a graduate of Berklee College of Music and is currently earning her MFA in Musical Theatre from The Boston Conservatory. She has been involved in theatre productions, film and commercial work around the New England area and is a Board Certified Music Therapist. Commercial credits: Primark (lead); Healthworks Fitness (lead); Behave Bras (lead). Theatre credits: Hades/Eurydice (The Elm Tree); Sylvia (All Shook Up); Mrs. Lovett (Sweeney Todd); Martha (Spring Awakening); Pilar (Legally Blonde: The Musical); Oberon (A Little Mischief: An Original Musical). Kira feels incredibly grateful to be in an innovative theater space creating important and timely art with such a supportive cast and crew.
MITCHELL GRAY (Cole) is thrilled to be back to work at Barrington Stage Company. In 2017, he had his first professional contract as the Younger Brother understudy in Ragtime. #Matter is a piece that hits close to home, he believes the telling of these stories is vital in progressing toward true equality. He would like to thank his friends and family for the continued love and support. #BLM.
CREATIVES
MELLE POWERS (Director) feels fortunate to be with these characters at this moment in time with this talented team. She has been a professional artist and storyteller for the past 20 years, appearing on television (Chappelle’s Show and others), on stage (originating roles in plays by Lynn Nottage and Sarah Ruhl, among others) and in film. She has also written, produced and performed original theatrical pieces, and served as Co-Founder and Managing Producer of “The Mudbone Collective”, a New York City-based theatre company led by MFA actors of color. Most recently she recorded multiple roles in the upcoming scripted comedy podcast, The Rubber Room, starring David Cross, Tony Hale and Allison Pill.
In her personal artistic pursuits, Melle is interested in mining stories that aren’t told at the forefront. She recorded a first-person account of her experience traveling solo to a Louisiana plantation in 2018 for the Family Ghosts podcast. She is also very proud to have taken part in a workshop of Say Her Name: The Lives That Should Have Been — a play written by Kimberlé Crenshaw, Executive Director of the African American Policy Forum (and the woman who coined the term intersectionality). She currently has her ear tuned towards excavating the rich stories of Black History and culture in the Berkshires region with a podcast for the upcoming Blackshires website. Melle holds an MFA from NYU and is a Certified Diversity Professional.
IDRIS GOODWIN (Playwright) Across two decades Idris Goodwin has forged a multi-faceted career as an award-winning playwright, Break Beat poet, director, educator, and organizer. Idris is the newly appointed Director of The Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center at Colorado College.
A catalyst for culture, Goodwin uses his full creative powers to galvanize people to the community square. He is a creative voice for change, impassioned by art for social good.
His critically acclaimed plays like And In This Corner Cassius Clay, How We Got On and Hype Man: A Break Beat Play are widely produced across the country at professional theatres, college campuses and non-traditional spaces alike. He’s been honored to receive developmental support from institutions like The Kennedy Center, The Eugene O’Neill Conference, Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Actors Theatre of Louisville, Arena Stage and The Playwrights’ Center.
In addition to the recently released poetry collection Can I Kick It?, he’s had several publications from Haymarket Books including Inauguration co-written with Nico Wilkinson, Human Highlight: Ode To Dominique Wilkins and the play This Is Modern Art co-written with Kevin Coval. He’s appeared on HBO Def Poetry, Sesame Street, NPR, BBC Radio and Discovery Channel.
Passionate about cultivating new audiences in the arts, Goodwin served two seasons as Producing Artistic Director at StageOne Family Theatre in Louisville, Kentucky. He actively serves on both the advisory boards of Theatre for Young Audiences USA and Children’s Theatre Foundation Association.