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November 5, 2004

Audience to judge onstage Trial

Concepts of race, gender and identity will be on trial in California State University, Sacramento’s final theater production for the fall semester, The Trial of One Short-Sighted Black Woman vs. Mammy Louise and Safreeta Mae opening at 8 p.m., Friday, Nov. 19 in Playwrights’ Theatre in Shasta Hall. Performances continue at 8 p.m., Nov. 20 and Dec. 2-4 and also at 2 p.m. Nov. 20, 21 and Dec. 5.

Nzinga Woods, left, Sely Fonua and Brooklynn Solomon, cast members of The Trial…

The Sacramento State staging of the Karani Marcia Leslie play will feature the talents of special guest director Buddy Butler, an internationally recognized artist associated with numerous prestigious theater groups including the Negro Ensemble Company and The Black Theatre Alliance of New York City along with the Black Theatre Network. Recognized with The Multicultural Award from the California Educational Theatre Association, two Audelco Awards and named one of the ten most influential African Americans in the San Francisco Bay Area, the San José State University professor has directed productions nationwide and in England.

The Trial of One-Short-Sighted Black Woman vs. Mammy Louise and Safreeta Mae is an on-stage examination of the role film and television play in the formation of self-awareness. Framed in the African American experience, the play carries a message for all groups. Images of slavery are juxtaposed against contemporary images of women and men of color, and the modern continuation of damaging institutions of the past is scrutinized. The seriousness of the issues explored does not stand in the way of the play’s humor, so much so that it’s guaranteed that the judge will have had to call the audience to order before the end of the show.

Following the 8 p.m. performances on Saturday, Nov. 20 and Thursday, Dec. 2 Butler will lead a panel discussion with cast members and guest panelists, with the audience invited to discuss and debate the issues presented in the production.

Tickets are $15 general, $8 for students and seniors, and available from the CSUS Ticket Office at (916) 278-4323 or Tickets.com. For more information, call (916) 278-6702. Media assistance is available from public affairs at (916) 278-6156.

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