SINCE AFRICA Rounds Out SIUE’s Fall Theater Season
Culture clashes, social isolation and the need to belong are some of the themes to be displayed on stage in the presentation of SINCE AFRICA, opening Friday, Dec. 4 at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville.
SINCE AFRICA, written by Chicago playwright, screenwriter and stand-up comedian Mia McCullough and directed by SIUE’s Kathryn Bentley, will be presented at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Dec. 4-Saturday, Dec. 5; 2 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 6; 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 9-Saturday, Dec. 12; and 2 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 13. All performances will be in the Metcalf Theater.
Bentley, associate professor of performance in the Department of Theater and Dance, is assisted by her crew consisting of: Otis Sweezey, scenic and costume designer; James Wulfson, lighting designer; Kate Slovinski, property designer; Tashira Chandler, sound designer; Lisa Hinrichs and Rachel Rogers, stage manager and assistant stage manager, respectively.
The play chronicles the relationship between a Dinka refugee from Southern Sudan and three Americans – a North Shore socialite, her daughter and an African American Deacon – who help him acclimate to Chicago’s unfamiliar urban surroundings. The show takes a look at American culture through the eyes of an African and explores the tensions between blacks and whites, Africans and African Americans, and the devout and the non-religious.
McCullough’s plays have been produced at Steppenwolf Theatre Company, Chicago Dramatists and Stage Left Theatre in Chicago. Her plays have graced stages around the country, such as the Old Globe and Mo’olelo Performing Arts Company in San Diego, InterAct Theatre Company in Philadelphia, Actor’s Express in Atlanta and the Victory Theater Center in Los Angeles.
SINCE AFRICA received its New York premiere at Red Fern Theatre Company in February 2014. McCullough’s play, Impenetrable, was a finalist for the American Theatre Critics Association (ATCA)'s 2013 Steinberg Award. She has won the ATCA Osborn Award, the Julie Harris Playwriting Competition, a Cincinnati Entertainment Award and a Jeff Award for New Work (all for Chagrin Falls).
McCullough is an adjunct faculty member at Northwestern University, where she teaches playwriting and screenwriting. She is also the author of several screenplays, a resident playwright with Chicago Dramatists and a member of the Dramatists Guild.
General admission is $12 for adults (18 and older) and $10 for seniors (65 and up), non-SIUE students, and all SIUE retirees, alumni, faculty and staff. SIUE students get free admission with a valid school I.D.
This play is not recommended for anyone under the age of 16. Discounted tickets are available for groups of 10 or more. Seating is limited in the intimate Metcalf Theater, so purchase tickets early.
For tickets or more information, call the Fine Arts box office at 618-650-2774 or toll free at 1-888-328-5168, extension 2774. Also visit, siue.edu/artsandsciences/theater or send a message to theater-tickets@siue.edu.
SIUE’s Department of Theater and Dance presents four plays and one dance concert during its October through April season. All productions are open to the community at large. The Department of Theater and Dance is part of the SIUE College of Arts and Sciences.
Southern Illinois University Edwardsville provides students with a high quality, affordable education that prepares them for successful careers and lives of purpose. Built on the foundation of a broad-based liberal education, and enhanced by hands-on research and real-world experiences, the academic preparation SIUE students receive equips them to thrive in the global marketplace and make our communities better places to live. Situated on 2,660 acres of beautiful woodland atop the bluffs overlooking the natural beauty of the Mississippi River’s rich bottomland and only a short drive from downtown St. Louis, the SIUE campus is home to a diverse student body of more than 14,000.
