The New York Times: A few days after arriving at the Yale School of Drama from Kenya in 2009, Lupita Nyong’o found herself understudying in a professional production of “Eclipsed,” Danai Gurira’s harrowing play about women in the second Liberian civil war.
“I never had to go on,” Ms. Nyong’o recalled recently, pantomiming a relieved wipe of the brow.
2 comments:
Let me just say it makes me ecstatic to see not a black woman, but an African woman be put in such a situation. She truly is a testament to how far out of the dark we’ve come. As an African American who is so privileged to know about her roots and how the people of my families previous and extended generations did not and will not ever get these kinds of opportunities, I’m beyond glad to see that Ms. Nyong’o and the on the women she is working with understand the gravity of their position and the pressures that are place on them. I expect great things and have not been disappointed as of yet. Something she said, that the African woman save themselves. There is no aid worker or American, just their own spirit. The spirit of the African people is strong and I’m glad to see it duly represented.
This is such a special, important play and it's fantastic that the reputation of these three African women will ensure that this story is told and heard - not that the Public needs any help in advertising its plays. As Alex said in her comment, these women have a rare and precious opportunity to bring a story like this one to the stage, and they are so aware of their responsibility in doing so. This is exactly the kind of theater that I've been talking about in my other comments on diversity-centric articles, and I'm so excited that this play is going to have such a high-profile production. The fact that this play is written, directed and played by a group of African women sends such a strong message about the power of theater. I hope that this opens doors for women of color and individuals whose stories don’t fit within the classic theater’s season.
Post a Comment