By Edward Henderson
Roughly 60 million Americans experience some form of insomnia each year. The number of individuals who receive a visit from three ancestors during a sleepless night struggling with self-identity, however, can be reduced to one fictional character.
From February 4th – 26th, Moxie Theater will feature Tanya Barfield’s play ‘Blue Door’. The play tells the story of Lewis (Vimel Sephus), a tenured mathematics professor, whose intelligence and accomplishments have allowed him to completely assimilate into white culture. Because of this acceptance, Lewis isn’t very connected to his own culture and identity as a black man. This all changes when his white wife leaves him after he refuses to attend the Million Man March in Washington, DC.
During a night of insomnia induced by the sudden end of his 25-year marriage, Lewis is visited by Rex, Simon and Jessie (Cortez L. Johnson), ancestral spirits who remind him of his lineage, who he is in the world today and how that came to be. In Lewis’ encounters with the spirits, many important topics are discussed such as acknowledgement of legacy and the importance of honoring the struggle that has come before the success many African Americans enjoy today.
Delicia Turner Sonnenberg, Artistic Director Moxie Theatre and Director ‘Blue Door’ believes the play will be an expansive viewing experience for audiences.
“We chose Blue Door because one of the ways we fulfill our mission is by changing people’s minds about what women are writing about. Tanya Barfield wrote a play about a man, there are no women in this play,” said Sonnenberg. “Blue Door is an intimate look into one man’s struggle set against the broad backdrop of black male identity in America.”
For ticket information, visit moxietheatre.com
