Page 11 - The Shores of Jupiter - April '22

The Shores, Page 11
Palm Beach Dramaworks Presents

Intimate Apparel By Two-Time
Pulitzer Prize-Winner Lynn

Nottage Opens

Lynn Nottage’s heartfelt and heartbreaking Intimate Apparel,
which she wrote “to honor the legacy of her great-grandmother,”
opens at Palm Beach Dramaworks (PBD) on Friday, April 1, 8
p.m. Set at the turn of the 20th century, the play tells the story of
Esther, a 35-year-old African-American seamstress of exquisite
intimate apparel who aches to love and be loved. An unlikely
opportunity arises when she enters into a correspondence with
a man she’s never met. The play, which Variety called “note- Lynn Nottage Be Boyd
perfect,” runs through April 17.
The production is directed by Be Boyd, making her PBD debuts. Scenic design is by Michael Amico, costume design
debut, and features (in alphabetical order) Rita Cole, Jovon is by Brian O’Keefe, lighting design is by Kirk Bookman, and discovered a photo of her great-grandmother while cleaning out
Jacobs, Gabrielle Lee, Krystal Mosley, Jordan Sobel, and Gracie sound design is by Roger Arnold. the house of her grandmother, who was struggling with dementia
Winchester. All but Jacobs are making their PBD mainstage The journey to writing Intimate Apparel began when Nottage and moving in with Lynn’s brother. She told an interviewer, “I’d
never seen this woman before. I didn’t even know her name.” She
later discovered that her great-grandmother’s name was Ethel
Professional Firefighters/Paramedics Boyce Armstrong. Nottage’s mother had already passed away, so
there was no one left who could provide her with family history.
Of Palm Beach County Safety Tips All Nottage knew initially was that her great-grandmother had
been a seamstress at the turn of the 20th century. So, she spent
hours at the New York Public Library, learning about the world
in which Ethel lived.
Hopefully, you remembered to Many newer smoke alarms also detect carbon monoxide “I wrote Intimate Apparel in part because of my desire
check your smoke alarm when you (CO), but independent CO detectors are also available. to get closer to my ancestors,” Nottage told PBD Producing
set your clocks with the “Spring Carbon monoxide poses a much different threat to residents. Artistic Director William Hayes in a 2020 interview (available
Forward” daylight savings time Unlike smoke and fire, carbon monoxide is a colorless, on YouTube). “I wanted to understand what it might have been
adjustment. As a reminder, when odorless, poisonous gas that is the byproduct of incomplete like for a single, black woman at the turn of the century to try
you set your clocks for the time combustion of carbon, or the burning of fuel sources. Because and forge a life in New York City despite all the obstacles she
changes twice a year, that is a CO is impossible to see, taste, or smell it can begin to kill probably had to face. I also wanted to write a play for my mother,
good prompt to check your smoke you before you’re even aware it’s in your home. CO binds something that she would have loved to have seen, something
detectors. to red blood cells blocking oxygen from the bloodstream. that was in her gentle, loving spirit.”
Most newer smoke detectors now have 10-year CO is known as the “silent killer.” Common causes of CO in Lynn Nottage is the only woman to have twice received the
nonreplaceable batteries, but they still need to be tested the home are faulty gas appliances, vehicle exhaust, outdoor Pulitzer Prize for Drama. She won in 2009 for Ruined and 2017
regularly to ensure they are in working order. grills, generators, and lead acid battery charging (faulty for Sweat. Other full-length plays include Crumbs from the Table
Smoke and alarms are set off by smoke, heat, or possible charging of golf cart batteries). of Joy; Por’Knockers; Mud, River, Stone; Las Meninas; Intimate
false alarm. If you see or smell smoke, leave your house Properly working smoke detectors have been proven to Apparel; Fabulation, or the Re-Education of Undine; By the
immediately. Every home should have a safety plan with play a major role in the survivability of residents in the event Way, Meet Vera Stark; Mlima’s Tale; and Clyde’s. She wrote the
your family, especially if you have young children, or of a fire. book for the musical The Secret Life of Bees (music by Duncan
immobile family members. Fire can spread very quickly. It Steen Eriksson, Sheik, lyrics by Susan Birkenhead), and MJ: The Musical,
is important to think of personal safety first, and evacuate. Professional Firefighters/Paramedics featuring the songs of Michael Jackson. She is also the librettist
There are multiple reasons for false alarms such as dirty or of Palm Beach County, for the opera Intimate Apparel (score by Ricky Ian Gordon),
malfunctioning sensors, but you should initially react to every IAFF Local 2928, which premiered at Lincoln Center in January for a limited run
alarm until it can be determined to be false. HOAN@iaff2928.com and was recorded for future broadcast by Great Performances
on PBS. Nottage was also a writer and producer on the Netflix
series She’s Gotta Have It, directed by Spike Lee. Her work has
been widely produced in the United States and throughout the
world, and she is the recipient of a MacArthur “Genius Grant”
Fellowship as well as many other distinguished awards. A native
of Brooklyn, Nottage is a graduate of Brown University and
the Yale School of Drama, and is an associate professor in the
Theatre Department at Columbia School of the Arts.
“... thoughtful, affecting ... The play offers poignant
commentary on an era when the cut and color of one’s dress –
and of course, skin – determined whom one could and could not
marry, sleep with, even talk to in public.”
–Variety
“... deeply moving ...”
747-PALM –New York Daily News
Palm Beach Dramaworks is a professional, nonprofit theatre
747-7256 company founded in 2000 and located in the heart of downtown
West Palm Beach. Each season, the award-winning company
produces five mainstage shows and offers a wide variety of
programs for students at the theatre, in schools, and online.
Committed to fostering the future of theatre, PBD has become a
“Service is our number one priority” hub for playwrights in Florida and around the country to nurture
their work through initiatives including Drama (in the) works and
561-743-0070 the annual New Year/New Plays Festival. PBD is a member of
Theatre Communications Group, Florida Professional Theatres
www.palmspoolservices.com Association, and the Cultural Council of Palm Beach County.
Obtain more information at www.palmbeachdramaworks.org.
Evening performances are Wednesday and Thursday at
7:30 p.m., Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m., and Sunday (select
ones) at 7 p.m. Matinee performances are on Wednesday,
Saturday, and Sunday at 2 p.m. Post-performance discussions
follow Wednesday matinee and Sunday evening performances.
Individual tickets are $79, with specially priced preview tickets
at $59 and opening night tickets at $94. Student tickets are
available for $15, and pay-your-age tickets are available for
those 18 to 40. Tickets for educators are half price with proper
identification (other restrictions apply). Group rates for 20 or
more and subscription packages for four or five plays are also
available. Tickets can be purchased through the box office, in
person or by phone at (561) 514-4042, Ext. 2, and online 24
Expires 4/30/22.
hours a day at palmbeachdramaworks.org.
The Don and Ann Brown Theatre is located in the heart of
State Licensed & Insured downtown West Palm Beach, at 201 Clematis Street. For ticket
Serving Palm Beach County CPC # 1457468 • LPG#30099 information contact the box office at (561) 514-4042, or visit
www.palmbeachdramaworks.org.