By Celia Richardson
Female pioneers, family conflict and racial tension will come to the stage Friday night in Pearl Cleage’s 1992 historical drama “Flyin’ West.”
Presented by the School of Theatre, Dance and Performance Studies, “Flyin’ West” will open at the University of Maryland’s Kogod Theatre in the Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center and will run through Saturday, Nov. 9.
Set in 1898 and based on real events, “Flyin’ West” tells the story of African American female pioneers from Memphis, Tennessee, who came to the all-black town of Nicodemus, Kansas to claim land. The play features a small cast of four women and two men, and deals with themes of family, community and identity.
“It’s really about women empowerment,” said junior theatre major Elijah Williams, who plays the character Wil. “It’s so important, especially for black women, to see that they’re just so powerful in a society that puts them, and women in general, down. They are incredible, strong women and they deserve to have their stories heard.”
Wil is a former slave who helps out around the house and community. Williams described him as “the good guy” that balances out the cruelty of the other male character, Frank. Williams said he got into character by researching the time period and thinking about his how his real-life experiences with volunteer work made him feel.
“I didn’t even know there were female homesteaders. I never imagined a female cowboy, but that’s kind of what they were,” said Miranda Hall, a senior theatre major.
Hall said the show “mainly has to do with family and race.” She said it explores how far people will go for their families and the sake of their race, as well as how race defines relationships.
Hall described her character Sophie as a politically active force in Nicodemus, trying to ensure that it “not only grows as an all-black town but stays as an all-black town.” Sophie and Frank are the two mixed-race characters in the show, and Hall said she is excited for audiences to see them butt heads.
Scot Reese, co-director of “Flyin’ West” and head of performance with TDPS, said that in a predominantly white institution “It’s really important to have shows that show strong people of color, especially with some of the racial things that have happened in the last couple of years here.”
When Reese came to the department in 1995, they hadn’t had a black professor in four years and there were only two students of color. Reese teaches courses in black theatre and performance.
“Every other year we try to do either a black show or one that features people of color in it,” he said. “If we don’t do it, sometimes they get put on the back burner.”
“I’ve never done an all-black show before. That might be a rarity and that might not be something I do again for a long time,” said Hall. “Even though all of us are black in the show, we all have a multitude of backgrounds.”
“We’re all funny as heck,” Hall said in describing the cast. Even though Sophie and Frank hate each other on stage, the actors Miranda Hall and Kyle Starling, who plays Frank, are good friends in reality. “We all joke and we all laugh …we need that catharsis because the show is so heavy.”
Williams said the cast was “like family,” and that it got that way very quickly.
“When you work with family, things are bound to happen that are positive and great,” Williams said.
“We’re hungry for people to see it,” said Hall, who said she feels blessed that they will finally be performing in front of an audience.
Williams said he is excited for opening night, because “these stories need to be told.” He wants audience members to know before they come to see “Flyin’ West” that they should “come with an open mind. Come ready to see things that you may not expect to see and to see some great work. Come with an open mind and I think you’ll have a good time.”