LOUISVILLE, Ky. –“Shakin’ the Mess Outta Misery,” a play by Shay Youngblood that centers on a young girl’s passage into womanhood, will be performed by the University of Louisville’s Department of Theatre Arts African American Theatre Program Sept. 26-30.
The play, recalling the victories won from the struggles and times of the 1950s South, will be performed at 8 p.m. nightly plus a matinee at 3 p.m. Sept. 30. All performances are at the Thrust Theatre, 2314 S. Floyd St.
Directed by Lundeana Thomas, AATP director, Youngblood’s play combines storytelling, music and dance in recalling family stories based on the strong “Big Mamas” who watched over and guided her.
“The play honors the ancestors and others who have gone on before us,” Thomas said. “An orphaned young girl’s upbringing is left in the hands of women in the community who teach her the important lessons of life and help her face the world. She remembers them through their pearls of wisdom.
“Family stories, both funny and sad, are treasured by all of us,” Thomas said. “They say that no one is truly dead unless they are forgotten and the actors in the play bring these wise women to life.”
Thomas said she added add spirituals and blues to the play to honor Glenda Dickerson, the second African-American woman to direct a Broadway play, who passed away earlier this year.
Show tickets are $15 for the general public, $10 for faculty and staff, students and senior citizens. For tickets and information, call 502-852-6814 or visit louisville.edu/theatrearts/.