CLARKSVILLE, TN – Clarksville’s oldest professional theatre is focusing a satirical lens on the obstacles Black actors face in the entertainment industry – both in the past and still today.
Starring Clarksville native Adriane Wiley-Hatfield, By the Way, Meet Vera Stark opens at the Roxy Regional Theatre on Thursday, Nov. 3.
Two-time Pulitzer Prize winning playwright Lynn Nottage’s fast-paced, sly satire draws upon the screwball comedy films of the 1930s to take a funny and irreverent look at racial stereotypes in Hollywood.
“By the Way, Meet Vera Stark shines a light on the dark side of Hollywood in the 1930s, its relationship with African American actors in the 1930s, and its effect on movie enthusiasts generations later,” notes director Kenneth L. Waters Jr., who is stepping out of his usual role as production stage manager to make his Roxy Regional Theatre directorial debut. “It’s a raw look into the life of Vera Stark which begs the question, what happened to Vera Stark?”
Starring Adriane Wiley-Hatfield as Vera Stark, the play features Samantha Stevens as Gloria Mitchell, David Ridley as Leroy Barksdale and Herb Forrester, Laiya Parker as Lottie McBride and Carmen Levy-Green, Maureen Azzun as Anna Mae Simpkins and Afua Assata Ejobo, Dave Stishan as Mr. Slasvick and Brad Donovan, and Donald Groves as Maximillian Von Oster and Peter Rhys-Davies.
Performances run Nov. 3-12 on Thursdays at 7 p.m. and Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m., with a 2 p.m. matinee on Saturday, Nov. 12. In keeping with the theatre’s pay-what-you-can opening night tradition, all tickets not pre-sold at the regular price will go on sale at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 3, for a $5 minimum donation.
Tickets are $30 (adults) and $15 (10 and under) and may be reserved online at www.roxyregionaltheatre.org, by phone at 931-645-7699, or at the theatre during regular box office hours (9 am to 2 p.m., Monday through Friday, and one hour prior to curtain). The Roxy is at 100 Franklin St.