Old Hollywood sets scene for Ebony Theatre comedy 'By The Way, Meet Vera Stark'
Friday, Feb. 6, 2015
MANHATTAN — Kansas State University's Ebony Theatre will present the comedy "By The Way, Meet Vera Stark" by Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Lynn Nottage at 7:30 p.m. Feb. 19-21 and 2:30 p.m. Feb. 22 in the Purple Masque Theatre.
Vera Stark is a budding actress in an era where the only roles for African-American women are maids, mammies, slaves and caricatures. Sparks fly when she is cast in the same Southern epic as her employer Gloria Mitchell, an aging star grasping at her dwindling career. The story behind the cameras leaves Vera with a controversial legacy that scholars will debate for years to come.
The play is directed by Hannah Miller, senior in theatre, Manhattan.
Tickets are $8 for adults and $5 for students, plus tax and applicable fees. They can be purchased at the McCain Auditorium box office from 11:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, or by phone at 785-532-6428. Tickets also may be purchased online at http://k-state.edu/theatre. Fees apply to phone and online orders.
The Purple Masque Theatre is in the East Stadium, which is just west of the K-State Student Union and the parking garage.
The following students are in the cast of "By The Way, Meet Vera Stark":
Gabrielle Browne, sophomore in theatre, Colby, as Gloria Mitchell; Angelica McKinnis, senior in fine arts and theatre, Manhattan, as Lottie McBride and Carmen Levy-Green; Rain Schultz-Pruner, sophomore in English, Rossville, as Maxmillian Von Oster and Peter Rhys-Davies; and Drew George, senior in music, Uniontown, as Mr. Slasvick and Brad Donovan.
From out of state: Darrington Clark, junior in mass communications, as Leroy Barksdale and Herb Forrester, and Daijah Porchia, sophomore in theatre, as Vera Stark, both from Kansas City, Missouri; and Nicole Casonhua, junior in theatre, Southlake, Texas, as Anna Mae Simpkins and Afua Assata Ejobo.
