THE ROMANTIC COMEDY “THE NACIREMA SOCIETY” CLOSES OUT THE NEW HORIZON THEATER INC., SEASON. (PHOTOS BY BRETT D. ALLEN)
by Genea L. Webb
For New Pittsburgh Courier
Secrets, romance, love and the uplifting of womanhood are some of the themes tackled in Pearl Cleage’s play, “The Nacirema Society.”
“They are celebrating 100 years of the society,” said director Eileen J. Morris, who has been working with New Horizon Theater Inc., for 25 years. The former Pittsburgh resident who currently resides in Houston, Tex., typically directs the theater’s season-ending production and is ecstatic to have been a part of the selection process to choose “The Nacirema Society” for the theater.
“The blessing is, we have a diverse array of stories we are telling, and it gives audiences a new perspective on life and that’s what art should do,” Morris told the New Pittsburgh Courier. “New Horizon has steadily been producing plays; they are constantly coming up with new things like the current partnership with the O’Reilly Theater. These collaborations open doors and allow the theater to explore new opportunities and form new relationships.”
Set in the post-civil rights era in Montgomery, Alabama, “The Nacirema Society” tells the story of two Alabama families; the wealthy blue-blooded Dunbars and the blue-collar Campbell-Jacksons. The “Society” is a social club for well-to-do Black women in the deep South. Its core values are honor, elegance, and abstinence.
Those universal topics are part of the reason New Horizon Theater decided to close its 32nd season with the romantic comedy.
“We do historical plays and musicals, and ‘The Nacirema Society’ is a combination of all of that,” explained Joyce Meggerson-Moore, Chair of New Horizon Theater Inc. “We value our patrons, funders and actors. Without them, we wouldn’t be able to do this.”
The production, which will be held at the Helen Wayne Rauh Rehearsal Hall inside the O’Reilly Theater, 621 Penn Ave., in the heart of Pittsburgh’s Cultural District, is running through June 16. Showtimes are: Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday Matinees at 3 p.m. Tickets are $35 for general admission, $30 for seniors aged 65 and over and students aged 18 and up, and $20 for students in grades K-12. Group rates are available for groups of 10 or more. To purchase tickets, visit newhorizontheater.org, Dorsey’s on Frankstown Avenue in Homewood, or call 412-431-0773.
The production will feature Dominique Briggs as Janet Logan; Tajionna Clinton as Lillie Cambell Jackson; Brenda Marks as Catherine Adams Green; Jeannie Foster-McKelvia as Grace Dubose Dunbar; Nickolas Page as Bobby Green; Karla C. Payne as Aloha Campbell Jackson; Shakira Stephens as Gracie Dunbar; Angelique A. Strothers as Marie Dunbar, and Cheryl El-Walker as Jessie Roberts.
“We are excited about this production like we are excited about all of our plays. We’re getting all these plays that I can’t pronounce this year,” said Meggerson-Moore with a laugh. “We started the season with Layon Gray’s ‘WebeIme’ and then we did ‘Blues is the Roots’ and we brought in the fabulous Manhattans featuring Gerald Alston for our annual event and now we’re ending our season with ‘The Nacirema Society.’ I’ve had a grammar lesson this whole season long.”
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