Black Theatre at Flinders University

June 29, 1973

Flinders University Union – Adelaide, Australia

BLACK THEATRE AT FLINDERS UNIVERSITY

A KENNEDY PRODUCTION of Three One-Act Plays

Bonita Jill Tiwekure’s
BLACK IS BLACK

Scott Kennedy’s
CRIES FROM THE GHETTO and HOW AFRICAN!

Langston Hughes’
SOUL GONE HOME

Productions directed by
Scott and Janie Kennedy

Religious Centre
Flinders University Union
Adelaide, Australia

Opening Night June 29, 1973 at 9:00 p.m. By Invitation
Following the Opening of “Wok Bilong Nuigini Tude”
at 8:00 p.m. Papua New Guinea Art Exhibition

Additional Performances:
Sunday, July 1, 1973 at 8:15 p.m.
Friday, July 6, 1973 at 8:15 p.m.
Saturday, July 7, 1973 at 8:15 p.m.
Sunday, July 8, 1973 at 8:15 p.m.

Bookings (Free) CALL IAN YATES at 760511, ext. 2062

A Celebration of Life for the Papua New Guinea Art Exhibition

AN EVENING OF “AFRICAN THEATRE” – BLACK THEATRE

African Theatre is a volcanic eruption of the art forms steeped in the culture of its people. It IS culture! African theatre is a celebration of life! The life cycles of birth, a brief stay on this planet, and then death. It is a communion of vibrations! It is theatre about ‘African people’ and the ‘Black Experience’, of those people removed from their continent or their land and placed in other parts of the world. They are still African people. They are much more African people than European people or some other people. Their communication, expression, and their life-styles are ‘African people life-styles.’

The Company

The company is a combination of professional actors from ATRA, of Scott Kennedy Players, NYC and Flinders University students.

Bonita Jill Tiwekure’s

BLACK IS BLACK

BLACK IS BLACK by Nuigian playwright Bonita Jill Tiwekure takes place in Papua New Guinea in a traditional society and examines a clash between European values and traditional values.

CAST

(in order of appearance)

SINA Ann Smith and Marley Davidson (Sundays)

TAMA Scott Kennedy

WAWA Janie Kennedy

BENI Shiela Kennedy

HE LIAM Joy DeLeo

CHIEF VILLAGER Isitolo M. Lemisio

VILLAGE PEOPLE Steve, Edwin, Thwin

LEMA Steve Ganabathi

LEO Ron Dare

Scott Kennedy’s

CRIES FROM THE GHETTO and HOW AFRICAN?

A vignette by Black American dramatist Scott Kennedy, poetically examines the question, WHO am I, WHERE am I, and WHAT must I do?

CAST

(in order of appearance)

CRIES FROM THE GHETTO

Grit Fair

Sharon Levy

Luda Milo

Alan Tucker

Yana Taylor

Lesley Caust

Pam Creed

Bronwyn Wilkinson

Andre Fleuren

Ann Smith

HOW AFRICAN?

Bernard Neeson

Peter Doyle

Susan Mitchell

Ben G. Sommer

Andrew Jefferis

John Hopper

Tim Bell

Lyn Fenney

Stephen Lamb

Michael Silverwood

Zeev Wagen

Langston Hughes’

SOUL GONE HOME

This play by Black American playwright Langston Hughes translates a slice of the Black Experience by focusing upon a life-style forced upon a repressed people who must exist with little time for love.

CAST

(in order of appearance)

SON Jaime Kennedy

AMBULANCE ATTENDANT Ron Dare

MOTHER Janie Kennedy

ASSISTANT Scott Kennedy

THE DIRECTORS

SCOTT and JANIE KENNEDY are professional dramatists from New York City. They have both had a broad variety of experience on stage, television, movies, and radio as actor, director, producer, playwright, and composer. They were actor-director participants at The First World Festival of Negro Arts in 1966 in Dakar, Senegal and also at The First World Pan African Cultural Festival in 1969 in Algiers. They are Producer-Directors of the Scott Kennedy Players Company in NYC and Founder-Directors of the ATRA complex (African Theatre and the Related Arts) also in NYC. They are both specialists in Black Theatre – African Theatre and scholars and academicians in cultures of African people. The Kennedys spent several years in Africa as researchers and performers, and Scott Kennedy was Head of Drama and Theatre Studies at the University of Ghana and professional director of theatre at the Ghana Drama Studio. His recent book, IN SERACH OF AFRICAN THEATRE, a Charles Scribner Publication, NYC, records some of his experiences, Dr. Scott Kennedy who is currently serving as a Fulbright Scholar in Theatre at Flinders University, is also a tenured Professor of Speech and Theatre at the City Univerity of New York.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Our thanks to:

Angelo Michaelides for lights and sets

Jaime Kennedy for music and sounds

Margy, Bronwyn and Luda for props.

Ian Yates and Ian Page for promotion and publicity

Seeve, Susan, Yana, Ann and Terri K. for House

Drama Discipline for the students from Scott
Kennedy’s Black Theatre Class as players
in “Cries From the Ghetto” and “How African?”

Judy and Mary in the Union Office for typing
and printing

Andrew McHugh for printing and photos

The Flinders University Union for finance and
for its sponsorship of the Festival of
Nuigini Culture in which we are proud
to participate.

Programme designed by Ian Yates and Scott Kennedy.