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"Women at the Footlights," our series of plays about women, continues
Wednesday, October 2, with "The Amen Corner" (1955), by James Baldwin, "one of the few genuinely indispensable American writers" (Saturday Review).
"Witty" (Guardian) & "wise" (Financial Times), "The Amen Corner" tells
the story of Sister Margaret, a charismatic & ferociously pious pastor who can
neither forgive her scapegrace jazzman husband nor accept her teenage son's normal adolescent ambitions for companionship & career. When her
husband returns home terminally ill, Sister Margaret faces losing her husband,
her son, & her rebellious congregation. "Fiery" (Los Angeles Times), "moving"
(Newsday), & "profound" (London Daily Telegraph), "The Amen Corner" is "beautifully written" (Nation), with an "angry, sorrowful eloquence" &
"moments of revelation and splendor" (New York Times). It's a true "classic" (Times (of London)).
Our meeting will feature two professors from the English Department at Howard University. Eleanor W. Traylor chairs the department. Dr.
Traylor earned her B.A. from Spelman College & her Ph.D. from Catholic University.
She is the author of "The Humanities and Afro-American Literary Tradition" (1988) & knew James Baldwin well. Professor Yasmin Y. DeGout received
her BA. & Ph.D. from Howard University & her M.A. & M.Phil. from Yale. She
contributed the chapter on Baldwin & gender to the collection "Re-Viewing
James Baldwin: Things Not Seen" (2000).
We'll meet at Pan Asian Noodles & Grill, 2020 P St., NW (202-872-8889), just
west of Dupont Circle. Dinner starts at 6:30 p.m. Our discussion takes place 7:30-9:30. Make reservations by calling 202-898-4825 any time,
day or night, or e-mailing [email protected].
Say "Amen" at Backstage Books, 545 8th St., SE, & for a special Footlights discount at Politics
& Prose, 5015 Connecticut Ave., NW & Olsson's Books & Records, 1307 19th
St., NW & 7647 Old Georgetown Rd., Bethesda.
On Sunday, October 6, we'll attend the 2 p.m. matinee of "The Amen Corner," performed by the African Continuum Theatre Co. at the recently renovated H Street Theater, 1365 H St., NE. Tickets are $15 & include a post-show discussion. We can provide transportation; just ask. Mail your check to Robin Larkin, 5403 Nibud Ct., Rockville, MD 20852 (240-669-6300 & [email protected]). We'll distribute tickets in the lobby just before the performance.
On Wednesday, November 6, we'll continue our "Women at the Footlights" series with the "groundbreaking all-female play" (Newsday) "The Women" (1936), by Clare Boothe Luce. "The Women" portrays a group of malicious New Yorkers motivated almost wholly by their relations with men. "Hilarious" (New York Post), "deliciously nasty" (New York), "The Women" can also be "touching" (Life), "poignant" (New York Times), "compelling" (Variety), & even "disturbing" (Washington Post). Our meeting will feature Sylvia Jukes Morris, author of "Rage for Fame: The Ascent of Clare Boothe Luce" (1997). At 8 p.m. Saturday, November 16, the Unitarian-Universalist Church, 4444 Arlington Blvd., Arlington, will host a viewing of the 1939 MGM film version of "The Women." A $2 admission includes refreshments. For reservations & directions, call 703-370-1838 or e-mail [email protected]
This season, our popular series "Footlights's Greatest Hits" returns with productions of three more plays we discussed years ago & now have the
chance to see on stage. On Sunday, November 10, 3 p.m. at Theater J, DC Jewish
Community Center, 1529 16th St., NW, we'll see a performance of Ariel Dorfman's "Death and the Maiden" (1991), which we discussed in May
2000. Tickets are $22. Then, on Sunday, December 15, 2:30 p.m. at Everyman Theatre, 1727 N. Charles St. in Baltimore, we'll see a performance of
Edward Albee's Pulitzer prize-winning "A Delicate Balance" (1966), which we discussed back in October 1995. Tickets are $16. All tickets include
a group discount & a post-show discussion. Watch these newsletters for details about our May trip to see Sam Shepard's "Buried Child" (1978)
at the Keegan Theatre. For tickets or more information, contact Robin Larkin, 5403
Nibud Ct., Rockville, MD 20852 (240-669-6300 & [email protected]).
On Monday, September 30, 7:30 p.m., at the DC JCC, Rorschach Theatre and Theater J will present a staged reading of Archibald MacLeish's J.B.
(1958), which we discussed in March 1997. Tickets are $5. For reservations or further information, call 202-777-3229 or e-mail
[email protected].
Wed., Oct. 2: "The Amen Corner," Pan Asian Noodles
Wed., Nov. 6: "The Women," Luna Books
Tues., Dec. 3: "Alison's House," Pan Asian Noodles
Mon., Jan. 13: "The Last Seder," location TBA
Thurs., Feb. 13: TBA
Mon., Mar. 3: "Elizabeth the Queen," location TBA
Sun., Nov. 10: "Death and the Maiden," Theater J
Sun., Dec. 15: "A Delicate Balance," Everyman Theatre
For more information about Footlights, check our website, www.footlightsdc.org. You can subscribe to our list & receive our monthly e-letter for free by sending any message--even blank--to [email protected].