The Thaumaturgy Department
thaumaturg
Main Entry: thau·ma·turg
Pronunciation: \ˈthȯ-mə-ˌtərj\
Function: noun
Etymology: French, from New Latin thaumaturgus, from Greek thaumatourgos working miracles, from thaumat-, thauma miracle + ergon work — more at Theater, Work
Main Entry: thau·ma·turg
Pronunciation: \ˈthȯ-mə-ˌtərj\
Function: noun
Etymology: French, from New Latin thaumaturgus, from Greek thaumatourgos working miracles, from thaumat-, thauma miracle + ergon work — more at Theater, Work
The official blog of the Dramaturgy Department at Baltimore's CENTERSTAGE. For posts related to our current and upcoming shows, click the links to the right. Alternatively, you could begin at the beginning, and explore our posts in chronological order.
"Their Eyes Were Watching God" set for radio play
Live performances of the radio play will be presented on Feb. 29 and March 1 at WNYC and WQXR Radio’s Greene Space in downtown Manhattan, and produced as part of a longer festival honoring the novel’s anniversary…. The performance will be narrated by Phylicia Rashad; Roslyn Ruff (of “The Help”) will play the protagonist, Janie Crawford; Leslie Uggams will play her grandmother Nanny; and Brandon Dirden will play her lover and husband, Tea Cake. These performances of “Their Eyes Were Watching God” are to be taped for a national broadcast in September….
Their Eyes Were Watching God « The Big Read Blog
Photographs, interviews, media, essays, reflections, history, and more at the NEA Big Read blog about Their Eyes Were Watching God. Give a look and a listen.
Migrant Workers During the Great Depression in Florida (via Florida Memory Project - Migrant Workers During the Great Depression in Florida)
“ Southern Blues Song: Hurston-Style
Zora Neale Hurston & Polk County » Southern Blues Song: Hurston-Style
“Work Life in the Camps and Swamps of Florida”
Hurston’s history with life in Southern Florida was not confined to her childhood in Eatonville or her various literary efforts. When she attended Columbia University in the 1920s, Hurston was tutored by anthropologist Franz Boaz. Her knowledge of anthropology was incorporated in the 1930s when she worked for the Federal Writers Project during the Great Depression collecting African-American folklore. Her patroness, Charlotte Osgood Mason, funded an anthropological journey to southern Florida, Haiti, Jamaica, and the Bahamas. In those places, Hurston collected a wealth of folklore through songs, dance, customs, traditions, and cultural norms during her anthropological research trips. (via Zora Neale Hurston & Polk County » Work Life in the Camps and Swamps of Florida)
Zora Neale Hurston: A Brief Biography
(via Zora Neale Hurston & Polk County » Zora Neale Hurston: A Brief Biography)
“ In the heart of the black community,and among some of the oldest neighborhoods in The City of West Palm Beach, at the intersection of Tamarind Avenue and 25th Street, sits a 1 1/2 acre lot containing the remains of some 674 unidentified men, women, and children; victims of The Great Okeechobee Hurricane. They were migrant farmers and laborers of western Palm Beach County. Mostly blacks, they were segregated even in death and were interred without coffins, as wood was reserved for whites only.
Florida author Zora Neale Hurston described the mass burial in her 1937 novel Their Eyes Were Watching God: “… Don’t let me ketch none uh y’all dumpin’ white folks, and don’t be wastin’ no boxes on colored,” a guard in the book says. “They’s too hard tuh git ahold of right now.”
In life, they helped turn a South Florida swamp into a booming tropical mecca. In death, they were pitched into a trench, and left to be ignored for three-quarters of a century, neglected and nearly forgotten for almost three-quarters of a decade. Lord, Somebody Got Drowned on Vimeo
Florida author Zora Neale Hurston described the mass burial in her 1937 novel Their Eyes Were Watching God: “… Don’t let me ketch none uh y’all dumpin’ white folks, and don’t be wastin’ no boxes on colored,” a guard in the book says. “They’s too hard tuh git ahold of right now.”
In life, they helped turn a South Florida swamp into a booming tropical mecca. In death, they were pitched into a trench, and left to be ignored for three-quarters of a century, neglected and nearly forgotten for almost three-quarters of a decade. Lord, Somebody Got Drowned on Vimeo
English 10 talks GLEAM
10th grade English students from Friends School up the road just complemented their reading of Hurston’s Their Eyes Were Watching God with a class visit from some of the production team and a trip to see the production of Gleam at CENTERSTAGE. Here are their thoughts on the conversation, the adaptation, the production and performances, and the story. Smart bunch.
I had the pleasure to see #Gleam at @CENTERSTAGE_MD last evening. My take on this wonderful play….Christiana Clark and Brooks Edward Brantly were magnificent, bringing to life Zora Neale Hurston’s characters with an authenticity full of power, lust, and playfulness that encapsulates the images derived when reading the classic novel. Our narrator Stephanie Barry captivated the audience with her warm and motherly tone setting the scene for the night’s journey back to Florida in the early 1900’s. Axel Avin, Jr. portrayed an honest representation of the “siddity” negro of the time, giving viewers an insight into what has become a longstanding issue in the Black Community - still prevalent today.The supporting cast Gavin Lawrence, Erik LaRay Harvey, and Jaime Lincoln Smith added comical relief and context to enchant and enrich the scenes with the a sense of community. Kudos to Tonia M. Jackson and Celeste Jones for adding tension, familiarity, and satire to the production. Lastly, Thomas Jefferson Byrd had the entire crowd in enthralled with his hilarious undertaken of his unassuming and weathered character.
Thank you director, Marion McClinton, for staging such an inspiring story and to the entire stage crew for transporting us back to a world, not too far in the distant, yet often forgotten past.
If you are looking for a truthful adaptation of Hurston’s classic go see Gleam you will not be disappointed!!
Again congratulations and thank you, thank you, thank you!!
Sincerely,
Reuel Belt
Aspiring Creator
p.s. Another special treat was the pre-discussion with lecturer, Dr. Ruthe Sheffey, renowned Zora Neal Huston authority. Dr. Sheffey’s introduction into the life of Hurston gave great insight to the writings of Hurston. And for those of us lucky enough to attend you felt like you were in the room with Hurston’s bestfriend or sister. Sitting nearby as Dr. Sheffey recounted tales of Hurston’s trials, tribulations, and travels (as well as several marriages). Artistic director Kwame Kwei-Armah and Promotions Director Charisse Nichols have set a high-bar for this year’s CenterStage productions. A bar which I am certain they will soar over!!
Mark Fetting and Legg Mason should also receive a round of applause for continuing to support the arts and sponsoring important cultural events that help to invigorate and inspire Baltimore’s citizens.
“ Fondly do we hope, fervently do we pray, that this mighty scourge of war may speedily pass away. Yet, if God wills that it continue until all the wealth piled by the bondsman’s two hundred and fifty years of unrequited toil shall be sunk, and until every drop of blood drawn with the lash shall be paid by another drawn with the sword, as was said three thousand years ago, so still it must be said “the judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether.
Abraham Lincoln: Second Inaugural Address. U.S. Inaugural Addresses. 1989
![“God Rode on a Mighty Storm” - Zora Neale Hurston recording of Lily Mae Atkinson singing a ballad about the Hurricane of 1928, in the L.O.C. card catalog.
(via God rode on a mighty storm / Lily Mae Atkinson [sound recording]:Bibliographic Record Enlargement: Performing Arts Encyclopedia, Library of Congress)](http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lvz0qkidrH1qzwcz9o1_400.jpg)
“God Rode on a Mighty Storm” - Zora Neale Hurston recording of Lily Mae Atkinson singing a ballad about the Hurricane of 1928, in the L.O.C. card catalog.
