The Alabama School of Fine Arts Theatre Arts Department will present Richard Wright’s thought-provoking tale Native Son February 13-15 in the Dorothy Jemison Day Theater.
Curtain time on Friday and Saturday is 7:30 p.m. and Sunday at 2:30 p.m. Native Son is
being presented in conjunction with “Black History Month.”
“Native Son” introduces us to 20-year-old Bigger Thomas, raised in the poor, south side of
Chicago, and who discovers that his destiny is as predictable as the circumstances that rob him of his youth. Wright forces us to enter into Bigger’s mind and to understand the devastating
effects of the social conditions in which he was raised. Bigger was not born a violent criminal. He is a “native son”: a product of American culture and the violence and racism that suffuse it.
The production is directed by ASFA Artistic Director Jonathan Fuller. Staging is by Laura Prim and costumes by Theatre Arts department chair Peggy Hammond.
“Native Son” is a journey into the mind of someone burdened with a powerful conviction that he has no control over his life and that he cannot aspire to anything other than menial, low-wage labor. It makes us confront feelings of hopelessness, power, guilt and fear, and the decisions people make who are driven by them. Bigger is not a traditional hero by any means. However, Wright forces us to enter into Bigger’s mind and to understand the devastating effects of the social conditions in which he was raised.
Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for students. They may be purchased by calling
205-458-0360 or online at www.djdtheater.org.
The Dorothy Jemison Day Theater is located in downtown Birmingham at 800 19th Street North. Parking is available across the street at the Boutwell Parking Deck, in open lots and curbside. For more information about the Alabama School of Fine Arts, call 205-252-9241 or go online to www.asfa.k12.al.us.
