Dave Steakley<\/a>, the producing artistic director of Zach, now in his 35th season.<\/p>\n![\"The]()
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The relationship between Thomas Jefferson and Sally Hemings, the enslaved mother of their six children, was, to say the least, complicated, as told in Suzan-Lori Parks’ comic drama, “Sally and Tom.”<\/p>\n
Axel Buecker\/AxelBPhotography<\/p>\n
Before going any further, let\u2019s make it clear that everything about this show, seen in previews during a July 26 matinee, is in tip-top shape. That includes scenic designer Daniel Conway\u2019s seemingly miniaturized sets that even feature scene-changing devices from the past; costume designer Nanette Acosta\u2019s stylishly appropriate apparel that flounces from the late 18th century to the early 21st century; and lighting designer Sara E.C. Maines\u2019 nimble, knowing illumination.<\/p>\n
The cast is uniformly good and, in flashes, great. Special shout-outs to astonishingly proficient Angelique Archer as Luce\/Sally, understated yet forceful Jonathan Filippo as Mike\/Tom, humorously essential Olivia D. Dawson as Maggie\/Mary and sizzling yet chill Hollis L. Edwards III as Kwame\/James.\u00a0<\/p>\n
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Kwame is a rising TV and film star who plays Sally\u2019s brother and Tom\u2019s cook, James. His searing speech on freedom becomes a point of contention for Good Company, one that evolves into a final speech for Sally that encompasses even greater moral depth.<\/p>\n
Yet the core of this theatrical experience is Parks\u2019 ingenious way of making worlds that did not exist before, and Steakley\u2019s empathy with the writer\u2019s vision for historical Monticello, as well as the contemporary theater troupe that brings it to life.<\/p>\n
As Parks has said: \u201cThere\u2019s nothing I love more than putting on a show and allowing people to show their humanity.\u201d<\/p>\n
Parks as literary starlight<\/p>\n
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Suzan-Lori Parks attends the 2023 Time100 Gala at Jazz at Lincoln Center on April 26, 2023 in New York City.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Taylor Hill\/FilmMagic<\/p>\n
When you can count a celebrated literary figure as a friend of a theater, and as a collaborator alongside its artistic director \u2014 as well as a drama whose subject matter could not be more timely \u2014 you must do something special.<\/p>\n
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That\u2019s exactly what Zach Theatre did by partnering with Austin PBS, KLRU-TV, to present an enthralling program with Parks at the station\u2019s large studio venue on July 27.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Yunina Barbour-Payne introduced the Zach company of actors who performed scenes that were even sharper and funnier here than during the previous day\u2019s matinee. Some key, repeated lines \u2014 such as \u201ctrust the process\u201d \u2014 took on new meaning as interpreted by actors standing at mics on a blank studio stage.<\/p>\n
Steakley brought Parks onstage by reminding guests how literary legends James Baldwin and Tony Kushner praised Parks early in her career. Later, Parks told a revealing anecdote about a short-story writing class that she took from Baldwin. While other participants read their stories from their seats without drama, Parks stood upright and dramatized her tales.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Baldwin responded, not unkindly: \u201cPerhaps you should write for the stage.\u201d<\/p>\n
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She remained a writer who performs all the roles. Parks said she wrote the play-within-a-play in \u201cSally and Tom\u201d because, \u201cI wanted to hear all the characters having their say.\u201d<\/p>\n
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The entire Zach Theatre cast of “Sally and Tom” is good, and, in flashes, great.<\/p>\n
Axel Buecker\/AxelBPhotography<\/p>\n
We certainly wanted to hear what Parks had to say. Here are just a few takeaways:<\/p>\n
During the interview, Parks burst into character frequently, sometimes hilariously. Alone, she is a consummate performer. With friend Steakley at her side, Parks felt free to be herself.
\nCommunity is crucial to Parks: \u201cLearn to pay attention when the higher power speaks to you (through) community and audience. Not me, me, me, but us, us, us.\u201d
\nOn the joy of theater: \u201cIt allows us to grow our hearts.\u201d
\nOn the core narrative of \u201cSally and Tom\u201d: \u201cIt\u2019s not a love story, but it has a lot of love in it.\u201d
\nFor someone of her stature, Parks is extremely accessible: She holds a weekly Zoom call called \u201cWatch Me Work,\u201d which is not about her, but rather about all the artists, musicians and writers who call in and want to know \u201chow the world is made.\u201d In addition, Parks plays regularly with a \u201cneo-soul, funk-folk, and Afro-Americana\u201d act sometimes called\u00a0Sula & The Joyful Noise.
\nParks is a certifiable expert at finding the right response to an awkward or even slightly hostile question from the audience. She listens actively; treats the questioner \u2014 usually making a statement as much as asking a question \u2014 with dignity, respect and warmth; then teases out an answer that is not only honest, but kind, even hopeful.\u00a0<\/p>\n
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In short, Parks is an extraordinary public speaker. As much as I find her play memorable \u2014 and I do \u2014 she is the real deal in person.<\/p>\n
Few writers can hold a living audience in the palm of her hand, caress it gently, and make it feel anew.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Jonathan Filippo as Thomas Jefferson, Angelique Archer as Sally Hemings, and Olivia D. Dawson as Mary in “Sally…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":397372,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[132,134,133],"class_list":["post-397371","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-austin","tag-austin","tag-austin-headlines","tag-austin-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/397371","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=397371"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/397371\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/397372"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=397371"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=397371"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=397371"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}