Baltimore’s Everyman Theatre will bet on another successful run with Queens Girl: Black in the Green Mountains by Caleen Sinnette Jennings, premiering for in-person performances on November 19. The popular Queens Girl series, which began with the Queens Girl Repertory (Queens Girl in the World and Queens Girl in Africa), tells the coming-of-age story of Jacqueline Marie Butler, a young Black woman finding her way in the world through travel and adventure. Felicia Curry, Everyman Theatre’s newest Resident Company member, stars in this deeply personal and original one-woman show.
Founding Artistic Director Vincent M. Lancisi chose Queens Girl: Black in the Green Mountains as the first show in Everyman’s 30th-anniversary season because, he says, “There’s something that just feels right about picking up where we left off when we were forced to shut down last season. The Queens Girl plays are such a magical trilogy, written by such a masterful playwright in Caleen Sinnette Jennings, it feels right that this play is the one to launch the season. All three stories are told with prose, poetry, music, dance, and a whole lot of humanity. I know many who saw both plays are eager to see what happens to Jaqueline Marie Butler. My desire is that returning to live theater will give us all hope and inspiration for better days ahead!”
According to Managing Director Marissa LaRose, “This year has tested us all, but we are committed to sharing with our audiences near and far in whatever way they feel most at ease, and with a watchful eye on every safety precaution. We understand that patrons and community members will have lots of questions around returning, and we are here to answer each one. We are cautiously optimistic that November 19th will be a spectacular first day back for live theatre at Everyman.”
Being a one-person show, Queens Girl: Black in the Green Mountains presents the perfect opportunity to carefully and cautiously transition back to live theater. As the Vietnam War rages and the Kent State killings ignite college campuses across the country, Jackie arrives in Bennington, Vermont, to begin college. Caught between wildly divergent sets of friends—outrageously wealthy “WASPS,” militant Black activists, and passionate theater people — she is forced to confront the space between white and Black culture to find her own place in the world.Â
Full performance dates for the entire season will be announced at a later date. Everyman has taken extensive steps to ensure patron safety, as well as the safety of staff and artists. For more in-depth information on enhanced protocols, including distanced seating, heightened cleaning plans, improved air filtration, and circulation standards, and more, visit SAFETY@EVERYMAN Patron Resource Guide. If patrons do not feel comfortable returning to in-person performances, all productions will be available to view online through the all-digital SUBSCRIBE@HOME series, and additional free digital programming is currently online.
Queens Girl: Black in the Green Mountains opens November 19, and individual tickets are on sale now. Pay-What-You-Can performances take place on Tuesday, November 17, and Wednesday, November 18, at 7:30 PM. Due to new social-distancing guidelines, tickets must be reserved online in advance of each performance at any dollar amount. For more information on the 30th-anniversary season, the organization’s COVID safety plan, Frequently Asked Questions about returning to live theater, or Education and Community classes and other events, call 410-752-2208 or visit Everyman Theatre, everymantheatre.org.
Everyman Theatre is a professional Equity theater company celebrating the actor, with a Resident Company from the Baltimore/DC area. The theater is dedicated to engaging the audience through a shared experience, seeking connection and emotional truth in performance. Everyman strives to engage, inspire, and transform artists, audiences, and communities through theater of the highest artistic standards and is committed to embodying the promise of its name. Everyman stands in solidarity with Black, Indigenous, and People of Color communities and is committed to an equitable, diverse, and inclusive atmosphere at every level of our organization. To learn more, read the full statement of solidarity on the Everyman website.
RELATED:
Review: ‘Queens Girl in Africa’ at Everyman Theatre by Max Garner
Review: ‘Queens Girl in the World’ at Everyman Theatre by Belle Burr
