THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Tuesday, November 1, 1994 TAG: 9411010313
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B3 EDITION: NORTH CAROLINA
SOURCE: BY FRANK ROBERTS, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Short : 41 lines
``The First Breeze of Summer,'' which opens Thursday night and starts the University Players' 1994-95 theater season, tells the story of a middle-class black family in a small northeastern city.
It takes place on a hot June weekend as family members gather to celebrate the birthday of a grandmother, Gremmar.
``I came across this play while I was teaching a course, for the first time, about ``Studies in Black Drama,'' said Shawn Smith, who teaches drama and directs the University Players productions. ``I decided to do it. It's a good play and has a nice mix of male and female roles. God has blessed me with a real good cast.''
The cast of 16 includes such talented stage veterans as Chester Dunton, Robin T. Gresham and, in the role of the grandmother, Dorothy O. Wills.
They accepted quite a challenge.
``The play covers three generations,'' Smith said. ``A lot of it is done in flashback and we see the men in Gremmar's life. She has three children - each with a different father.
``It concerns the struggle between middle- and lower-class blacks - and there's a lot of grandma's wisdom involved,'' Smith said.
A sneak preview of part of a scene in Leslie Lee's autobiographical play indicates an evening of intensity and excitement. ILLUSTRATION: THEATER PREVIEW
The University Players, Elizabeth City State University, present
``The First Breeze of Summer'' at 8 p.m. Wednesday, Thursday, Friday
and Sunday, in the Little Theatre in the G.R. Little Library.
Admission prices are $1 for ECSU students, $1.50 for ECSU faculty
and staff, $4 for others. For details, call 335-3436.
by CNB