By Jaylene Clark Owens, Hollis Heath, Janelle Heatley, and Chyann Sapp
Directed by Jaylene Clark Owens
February 26 – March 7, 2020
Three friends chronicle the gentrification of their changing hometown, and call for a new Harlem Renaissance. A joyful, funny, and thought-provoking fusion of theater, spoken word poetry, music, comedy, and dance!
NOT TO BE MISSED
-Philadelphia Inquirer READ MORE
ADDED PERFORMANCE: Saturday, March 7 at 2 pm
ABOUT THE SHOW
After Wilma HotHouse actor Jaylene Clark Owens posted on Facebook about the burgeoning gentrification of Harlem in 2010, she was asked by a former teacher to expand the post into a spoken word play. It featured the titular line, “Harlem is looking more and more like the belly of a killer whale.” Owens teamed up with fellow artists Hollis Heath, Chyann Sapp, and Janelle Heatley to create the full length piece, which premiered at the American Negro Theatre at the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture. Renaissance has received dozens of presentations across the Northeast, most recently a successful limited engagement at Theater Horizon.
I love how these three women bring their humor, energy, and wit into a very serious subject that every city, particularly Philadelphia, is grappling with.
-Artistic Director Blanka Zizka
