UD Arts Department to Present Flyin' West

Feb 6, 2013 | University of Dubuque Theological Seminary

The University of Dubuque Fine and Performing Arts Department, the UD Drama Club, and the Black Student Union (BSU) proudly present: Flyin' West as its spring 2013 production.  Written by Pearl Cleage, the show is produced by special arrangement with Dramatists Play Service, Inc., New York.  The show begins each evening February 21, 22, and 23 at 7:30 p.m. in Alumni Hall on the University of Dubuque campus.

Facing problems ranging from the inevitability of long, cold winters, to the possibility of domestic violence, to the continuing spectra of racial conflict, the women of Flyin' West include Miss Leah, the old woman whose memories of slavery and its aftermath comprise a living oral history; Sophie Washington, whose determination to protect her land and those she loves puts to rest forever the requirement that western archetypes be white and male; Fannie Mae Dove, the gentle sister, trying to civilize the frontier with fine china and roses, who finds herself falling in love with their soft-spoken neighbor, Wil Parish; and Minnie Dove Charles, the headstrong baby sister whose mulatto husband, Frank, introduces a danger into the household that tests their sisterhood in unexpected ways.

Directed by Amy Ressler, the show's cast includes: Adrianna Johnson (psychology; Chicago,IL) as Miss Leah; Lindsey Reiter (criminal justice; Dubuque, IA) as Sophie Washington; Nakia Greyer (criminal justice; Chicago, IL) as Fannie Dove; Mario-John Otchere (aviation; Rutland, MA) as Wil Parish; Ranita Anderson (communication and theatre arts; Dolton, IL) as Minnie Dove Charles; and Kyle Huseman, (criminal justice and psychology; East Dubuque, IL) as Frank Charles.

The show will run three nights, Thursday - Saturday, February 21-23 at 7:30 p.m. in Alumni Hall.  This event is free and open to the public.