School of Theater's 'Knock Me A Kiss' portrays spirit of Harlem Renaissance
By Melanie Barnes, Entertainment Writer
May 7, 2008 | 6 a.m.
Imagine Harlem, 1928. The cultural scene is exploding with vivid arts and jazz music, as well as with the fight of a race demanding to be heard.
Envision the well-educated family of W.E.B. Du Bois, famed writer and founding member of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). Picture segregation nestled within adversity and the need to overcome it.
Now, take these elements and throw them onto Ohio University's stage.
Written by Charles Smith, professor and head of OU’s Master of Fine Arts (MFA) Playwriting Program, the OU School of Theater's “Knock Me a Kiss” incorporates issues of politics, race, gender, class system, art and sexuality. Structured around real-life letters written between the members of the Du Bois family, "Knock Me a Kiss" is an historic look into the lives of those shaping African American culture of the 1920s and the sacrifices that those in the public eye, and the people who love them, must face.
In “Knock Me a Kiss” the audience follows Yolande Du Bois, played by OU senior Ashley Henderson, as she struggles to find her voice and identity within her world, as well as within her father’s world. In a decision that takes her life out of her own control, Yolande is put in a position between her heart and the potential advancement of her people.
Charming jazz band leader Jimmie Lunceford, played by OU junior Tyler Rollinson, holds Yolande’s attention and, for the most part, her heart. However, Yolande is accustomed to the finer things in life and hints that Jimmie is not able to provide them for her, no matter how hard he tries.
Up-and-coming poet and family friend Countee Cullen, played by recent OU alumnus Kevin Vaught, is Yolande’s father’s solution to the problem of racism in America. In her father’s eyes, a marriage between Yolande and Countee would portray a soulful union of Harlem’s elite, which he believes is needed to bring harmony among the races.
Lively Lenora, played by senior Dionne Atchison, is the play's only fictional character and Yolande’s best friend. Lenora is Yolande’s confidant throughout the play, embodying the heart and the heat of Harlem. Experienced in the ways of love and lust, Lenora knows what men want-- and whether Yolande should give it to them.
Yolande's father, W.E.B. Du Bois, played by professional actor David Toney, and mother Nina, played by first-year MFA actor Casiha Felt, urge Yolande to marry Countee and gain his reputation. Lenora, who believes in Jimmie and his band, advises Yolande to put her faith in Jimmie.
Director Shelley Delaney, head of the Professional Actors Training Program, is responsible for bringing “Knock Me a Kiss” to OU's stage. After asking writer Smith for a play with African-American female parts for two students in her acting class, Delaney developed a deep interest in the diversity of "Knock Me a Kiss."
"It ['Knock Me a Kiss'] should be seen and talked about," Delaney said. "Although it's a drama, it's pretty; it's funny; it's sexy."
The play premiered in 2000 at the Victory Gardens Theater in Chicago. It was under film option for seven years before the rights were released back to Smith, who now is taking it to New York, possibly with the inclusion of OU cast members, Smith said.
“It [this production] is such a collaborative effort: the playwright is a professor at our school, the director is the head of our acting training program, we have graduate and undergraduate students, we have professional alumni and we have designers we [the cast] brought in," said Casiha Felt, who plays Nina Du Bois. "It’s an effort from not just the school, but all over, and that’s just something that’s unique to the show to make it special.”
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“Knock Me a Kiss” runs May 7-10 and May 14-17 at 8:00 p.m., along with an additional matinee show May 17 at 2 p.m. All performances take place in the Elizabeth Evans Baker Theater, located in Kantner Hall.
Sponsored by Arts for Ohio, admission to the show is free for OU students with ID. Admission costs $10 for adults, $7 for non-OU students and senior citizens.