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November 14

 With Classical Theatre of Harlem Shirley Graham Du Bois'  Dust to Earth 

In the long tradition of reading classic plays aloud, meet us over drinks or snacks, making friends and bold choices! 10 minutes before we start, folks who want to read a part are cast, from a starring role to stage directions, and chat about major moments of the play. Then, once we’re all gathered…. we dive in! Laugh, cringe, cry, gasp, and bond as we go on the roller coast rides that are these excellent titles. Come to play – or just watch and enjoy!

🎉WHO: You! 📖WHAT: Casual live reading of Shirley Graham Du Bois' Dust to Earth in partnership with the Classical Theatre of Harlem💥WHEN: 7pm ET (come just before to be cast!) 🗽WHERE: Sisters Brooklyn - 900 Fulton St, Brooklyn

A live-wire take on fossil fuel & the American labor system… this incendiary drama explores the intersection of racism, capitalism and environmentalism. Set against the backdrop of a rural coal mine, a young Black man struggles to confront his heritage when his white father arrives to survey the mine his white daughter is set to inherit. 

ROLES FOR DUST TO EARTH:

Brick - Bi-Racial. Courageous, powerful, with a great authority in his inscrutable quiet. Fiercely unhappy. 

Cokie - Black mineworker, recovering from illness. Tender with and protective of Brick. 

Fleecy Brown - A Black mother; Good-natured, expansive, firm in her beliefs. 

Bessie Johnson - Black woman around Brick’s age. Sensitive, harboring romantic feelings for Brick.

Carrie May Brown - A Black teen. Sharp and interested in life. Lonely.

Leslie Clayton - Clayton’s daughter. Soon-to-be owner of the mine. Firm, direct, strong sense of right and wrong. Little awareness of her own ignorance. 

Maybelle -  White sex worker. Smart, bitter. Resentful of the wealthy; willing to bring justice upon them at any cost.  *uses racist language

Norah Flanagan - Irish. Practical, tender, busy, distrustful of the wealthy. 

Lena Kristoff - Italian. Commanding; outspoken. Believes she has everyone’s number.

Anthony Clayton - White Mine Owner, Southern aristocracy. Reconciling the realities of the labor system with his humanistic ideals. Privilege has made him ineffectual.

Bill McKnight - German. Superintendent. Capital-minded, ruthlessly so. Feels he has to be.

Pat Flanagan - Irish. Out-of-commission due to an accident. Calm, grounded, melancholy.

Tom Carnes - Fresh-faced, initially trusting of the system; violently wracked with rage and grief after the death of his baby.Ella Carnes - Trying her best; nothing gets by her. Eventually bereft at the death of her baby.

Peters - Miner. Calculating. Collaborates with McKnight against the interest of his fellow miners.

Frank Murray - German. Assistant to McKnight. A ‘yes’ man with a vicious streak. Other Characters: Lewis, Hoisting Engineer, Frank Burns, Joe Flanagan, Guard, Inspector, Tony Kristoff, Mariana Kristoff, Anna, Booker Washington Brown  

November 19

 With Ma-Yi Theatre Company Wakako Yamauchi's  And The Soul Shall Dance 

🎉WHO: You – AND A Full Cast of Actors!***

***This is our only fully cast reading –– but someone can jump in for stage directions!***

📖WHAT: Digital cold reading of Wakako Yamauchi's And The Soul Shall Dance with Ma-Yi Theatre Company💥WHEN: 2pm ET🗽WHERE: Zoom! RSVP for Link

A wistful story about immigration, identity, & the American dream… Set in Great Depression Era California, this play follows two Japanese immigrant families and their daughters as they struggle to make ends meet, integrate into US society, and survive the whims of nature and each other. 

SAVE THE DATES

IN PERSON (Mondays @ 7pm)🦔 November 14th🦔 December 12th🦔 January 24th *Tuesday!

DIGITAL (Saturdays @ 2pm ET)✨November 19th ✨December 17th

 Questions? Email Emily or Shannon. We can't wait to raise a glass and dive into these texts with our community! 

Expand the Canon is sponsored in part by the National Endowment for the Arts, the NYSCA-A.R.T./New York Creative Opportunity Fund (A Statewide Theatre Regrant Program), and the Greater New York Arts Development Fund of the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, administered by Brooklyn Arts Council (BAC).