Alley Theatre’s Artistic Team Celebrate Black Arts and Media

From Rob Melrose, Artistic Director 

•  I gravitate toward novels with a sense of humor, so I’m enjoying reading The Sellout right now by Paul Betty.
• This, of course, reminds me of two other brilliant novels I love: Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison and The Free-Lance Pallbearers by Ishmael Reed.
•  For plays, I love anything written by Chisa Hutchinson (Amerikin, The Bleeding Class) and I’m excited that Houston audiences will be able to see a reading of her play Whitelisted as part of Houston’s Fade to Black Festival in June.
• In addition, I am a big fan of Uhuru by Gloria Majule and The Alley by comfort ifeoma katchy, both featured in last year’s Alley All New Festival.

From Brandon Weinbrenner, Associate Artistic Director

I’m greatly inspired by the career of Houston-native Phylicia Rashad. Perhaps best known for her work as Clair Huxtable on The Cosby Show, Rashad is an actor/ singer/ director/ producer/ and Dean at the Chadwick A. Boseman College of Fine Arts and Howard University. I loved her on TV and loved her even more when I traveled to New York by myself at 19 years old so that I could see Lorraine Hansberry’s A Raisin In The Sun, in which Rashad delivered a performance so stunning as Lena Younger that it earned her the first Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play given to a Black actor. She was equally as poignant in Dominique Morriseau’s Skeleton Crew which earned her another Tony Award. Now, I am passionately excited to see her directing on Broadway with Brandon Jacobs-Jenkins epic family drama Purpose. With a career that spans five decades, Phylicia Rashad has stepped into a theatre artist’s fullest potential and proved that she can do it all. She’s a true inspiration.

From Amber D. Gray, Resident Artist 

• Exploring the podcast “Code Switch,” it is a multiracial, multigenerational group of journalists. They explore how race affects every part of society. They cover topics from politics, pop culture, history, food etc.
• Currently reading Michelle Obama’s “Becoming.” Ran across a popular quote from the book…I immediately was like…yes! I am late, but I should read this! “There’s power in allowing yourself to be known and heard, in owning your unique story, in using your authentic voice. And there’s grace in being willing to know and hear others”
• Friend recommendation “Wash Day Diaries.” I recently started reading this graphic novel about these four best girlfriends through their “wash day.” The concept is great and it is a fun read so far.
• Uplifting playwrights Suzan-Lori Parks and Dominique Morisseau. I really respect their work ethics as confident brilliant black women! I recommend all things they create and produce!

From Michael Locher, Director of Design

Model Home by Rivers Solomon (2024 Novel)
Solomon is a novelist who primarily works in the niche Black / queer / sci-fi space, but their latest, Model Home, the story of an upper middle-class Black family and the first to settle in a gated White suburb near Dallas, feels grounded in very lived experiences.  What follows is arguably a horror story – and possibly a ghost story – but underlying everything is a thoughtful reflection on the perils of “Black Excellence” in a racist world. It’s one of the more interesting pieces of fiction I read in 2024.

The Disordered Cosmos by Chandra Prescod-Weinstein (2021 Nonfiction)
Astronomy and astrophysics are generally over my head, but I’m drawn to the subject. Part of what keeps me coming back is the presence of fresh voices in the field, like Prescod-Weinstein, a theoretical cosmologist and physicist and the first Black woman to occupy a tenure-track role in that space. There’s remarkable poetry in this book: Prescod-Weinstein effortlessly draws a connection between the possibility and freedom represented in studying the cosmos, and the aspirational efforts of young Black and Brown students looking to expand horizons in challenging circumstances.

The Piano Lesson by August Wilson (1987 Play)
The Piano Lesson is nearly 40 years old, but I revisit it often. In 1994, my high school English teacher loaned me his personal copy of the published play to read and respond to. At the time, I didn’t consider myself particularly well-versed in drama or modern Black literature; the play, accordingly, was a revelation. It introduced me to a range of ideas that still factor heavily into how I consider race, history, and art – in particular, the notion that for many, the tension between advancement and tradition can create trauma all its own. The play endures, though, not simply because it’s beautiful (which it is): it’s a potent reminder that those conflicts are dialog, not zero-sum battles, and that people and communities can grow through them. It’s a process we see all around us.

A Little Devil In America by Hanif Abdurraqib (2021 Nonfiction)
Part comedic memoir, part deep cultural criticism, part music history lesson, A Little Devil in America is difficult to succinctly encapsulate. Structured as a series of essays, it’s often disarmingly funny – one section begins with the line “Whitney Houston could not dance” – before deploying spellbinding wisdom. Topics range from minstrelsy to the Rolling Stones, and the voice is often deeply personal. Underlying all is a lovely thesis about the indispensable nature of Black performance in the modern world. I’ve read it twice!

From Victoria Sagady, Director of Video Production

• Lynn Nottage – By The Way Meet Vera Stark
• Suzan-Lori Parks – Father Comes Home From the War
• Regina Taylor – Stop.Reset
• Chisa Hutchison – Amerikin

From Bradley Michalakis, Head of Dramaturgy 

Helen Oyeyemi, Novelist
Though she started her career as a playwright, Helen Oyeyemi is mainly known for her novels. White is for Witching is a standout for me; it’s a classic haunted house story in the gothic tradition, subtly infused with a modern discussion of xenophobia and prejudice. It’s unsettling on the surface, in the same way that Poe or Henry James might be–but the deeper themes, which are revealed slowly and deliberately, are even more disconcerting.

Branden Jacobs-Jenkins, Playwright 
It’s impossible to have a conversation about contemporary playwrights without mentioning Branden’s name. He has produced hit after hit, including plays such as Gloria, An Octoroon, Everybody, The Comeuppance, Purpose, and Appropriate. His style is varied and his themes sprawling, and I’m consistently surprised by the inventive theatrical devices he works into his plays.  It all feels incredibly contemporary while also paying homage to well-known genres, from 15th century morality plays to 20th century American family drama.

Ntozake Shange, Poet and Playwright
It is one thing to read Ntozake Shange’s poetry on the page (which is amazing in itself)–but it’s an entirely other experience to see them performed out loud. The 2022 Broadway Revival of for colored girls who have considered suicide/when the rainbow is enuf is, without question, one of the most moving things I have ever experienced in a theatre. The poetry is abstract but immediate, allowing colloquial language to soar to incredible heights. If you haven’t had the pleasure of seeing this piece, I highly recommend grabbing a copy, and experiencing this stunning collection of poetry for yourself.