George C. Wolfe’s satirical commentary on the African-American experience, “The Colored Museum,” directed by Master of Fine Arts acting student Mya Brown, will be presented Feb. 23 at 7 p.m., in the Vivian Davis Michael Laboratory Theatre of the West Virginia University Creative Arts Center.

The performance is part of WVU’s Black History Month observance.

Wolfe expresses the African-American journey through eleven museum exhibits, which come to life and tell their individual stories of struggling for acceptance, being rejected, becoming increasingly confused, and understanding their place in society. The WVU performance includes six of the 11 vignettes.

“I have always been fascinated with George C. Wolfe’s, ‘The Colored Museum’ because of its unique outlook on the ‘colored’ experience,” said director and actor, Mya Brown.

“The African-American experience is typically addressed on stage in a very serious way, displaying the ‘dark-side’ of our journey, such as in ‘A Raisin in the Sun’ or ‘For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow is Enuf,’” Brown said. “George C. Wolfe takes a much different approach in ‘The Colored Museum.’

“Young students today are not as in tune to the struggles of African-American people throughout history because we have Barack Obama in office, and I think young people are losing touch with the reality of what it took to make such progress. I chose to present ‘The Colored Museum’ to the WVU community to hopefully broaden some mindsets and give an inside look at the mind of a young black person.”

“The Colored Museum” features WVU theater students Mya Brown, Cynthia Nwoko, Aneesa Neibauer, Rashad Timmons and Cameron Williams.

Admission is free for “The Colored Museum,” but seating is limited. Attendance forms for classes will be available during intermission.

For more information on this production of “The Colored Museum” please visit theatre.wvu.edu, call 304-293-2020, or email theatre@mail.wvu.edu.

-WVU-

SF/2/17/14

CONTACT: Charlene Lattea, College of Creative Arts
304-293-4359, Charlene.Lattea@mail.wvu.edu

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