The Ensemble Theatre Presents

 

PLENTY OF TIME

By John Shevin Foster

A Continuation of the 2015-2016 Follow the Dream Season

 

Who/What:     The Ensemble Theatre continues its 2015-2016 Follow the Dream Season with the contemporary, romantic comedy Plenty of Time by John Shevin Foster and directed by Eileen J. Morris.

 

 

 

“Plenty of Time has a unique perspective yet will ring familiar with those who’ve seen Bernard Slade’s play or film Same Time Next Year,” says Morris. “It’s an unusual backdrop for exploring the progress of social movements and changing times.”

                       

                        What Happens when a spoiled, southern debutant and a Black Panther Fall in love? It is 1968. Corey and Christina meet in Oak Bluffs – a black section of Martha’s Vineyard. Christina is 17 years old and from an upper class family. Corey is 22 and a member of the Black Panther Party. Despite their obvious differences they are sexually attracted and share a passionate night together. The next morning, however, they begin to talk and their conflicting worlds unfold. Once a year for the next forty-three years they return to the small private beach house to meet, and bring with them their personal growth and experiences, as well as the influences of the ongoing (sometimes radical, sometimes stagnant) social and political changes for African-Americans.

 

           

Cast members include:

Rachel Hemphill Dickson and Steve Scott.

 

                        This performance includes a brief view of actors in undergarments, and some sexual references and implied sexual acts.

 

 

 

 

PLENTY OF TIME: A Play by John Shevin Foster

 

                        Show Run:     May 12 – June 5, 2016

                                                Thursdays:      7:30 p.m.

                                                Fridays:           8:00 p.m.              

 Saturdays:       2:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m.

                                                Sundays:         3:00 p.m.

 

Where:                        The Ensemble Theatre

                                    3535 Main St, Houston, TX 77002

                                    713-520-0055

                                    www.EnsembleHouston.com

 

The Ensemble Theatre's 2015-2016 Season is sponsored in part by grants from the City of Houston through the Houston Arts Alliance, Texas Commission on the Arts, and the National Endowment for the Arts. United Airlines is the official airline sponsor for The Ensemble Theatre.

 

The Ensemble Theatre was founded in 1976 by the late George Hawkins to preserve African American artistic expression and to enlighten, entertain, and enrich a diverse community. Thirty-nine years later, the theatre has evolved from a touring company operating from the trunk of Mr. Hawkins’ car to being one of Houston’s finest historical cultural institutions. The Ensemble is one of a few professional theatres in the region dedicated to the production of works portraying the African American experience. The oldest and largest professional African American theatre in the Southwest, it holds the distinction of being one of the nation’s largest African American theatres owning and operating its facility and producing in-house. Board President Emeritus Audrey Lawson led the capital campaign for The Ensemble’s $4.5 million building renovations that concluded in 1997. The Ensemble Theatre has fulfilled and surpassed the vision of its founder and continues to expand and create innovative programs to bring African American theatre to myriad audiences.

 

 

PLENTY OF TIME

TIME:    1968, 1974, 1984, 1995, 2011

PLACE:  A summer house in Oak Bluffs, Martha's Vineyard

Written by John Shevin Foster

Directed by Eileen J. Morris

CAST

Christine……………………………Rachel Hemphill Dickson

Corey………………………….Steven J. Scott

 

 

Affirmations

Interview with Rachel Hemphill Dickson starring as Christina in Plenty of Time

Interview conducted by Shandrea Crenshaw
Shandrea@HoustonTheatre.com

Edited by Theresa Pisula
Theresa@HoustonTheatre.com
May 12, 2016

We came to the Ensemble Theatre the evening of May 12^th expecting to see a light romantic comedy but came away with so much more.  The director of PLENTY OF TIME Eileen J. Morris used a video of our changing times as background featuring historical facts, social issues and cultural influences from 1968 through 2011.  On the foreground is the story of Christina and Corey.

The play begins in 1968.  Christina, a spoiled, southern debutant meets Corey, a Black Panther in Oak Bluffs – a black section of Martha’s Vineyard.  They fall in love.  Christina is 17 years old and from an upper class family.  Corey is 22 and a member of the Black Panther Party.  Despite their obvious differences, they are sexually attracted and share a passionate night together.  The next morning, however, they begin to talk and their conflicting worlds unfold. 

Once a year for the next forty-three years they return to the small private beach house to meet, and bring with them their personal growth and experiences, as well as the influences of the ongoing (sometimes radical, sometimes stagnant) social and political changes for African – Americans.

Before the show, during the introductions, Director Eileen J. Morris introduced playwright John Shevin Foster who wrote PLENTY OF TIME.  An August Wilson scholar, he holds a BA in Theatre and Education from Shaw University, and a M. A. and Ph. D. in Theater from New York University, with additional study and certification from the University of Leeds in London.  He is also a member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. 

That evening, Mr. Foster expressed his honor and gratitude to the Ensemble Theatre for showing his play Plenty of Time because “it is very special to me.”  He describes himself as a Southerner from New York City.  The reason he wrote the play is because it represented “US” onstage.  “US as who we are and who they let us be: strong, black, beautiful; our lives full and complete with all our strength, spirituality and flaws.”  He admits that Plenty of Time is directly inspired by Same Time Next Year, a show he first saw in London as a young boy.  It is the result of his desire to see the rich contemporary lives of African – Americans unfolded in a similar fashion.  In writing it, the characters Christina and Corey spelled out their own original story.

Christina is played by the multi-talented Rachel Hemphill Dickson.  Ms. Dickson has been seen in Ensemble Theatre productions of August Wilson’s Joe Turner’s Come and Gone (2007), as Martha in American Menu (2010), as Hannah Blake in The Waiting Room (2010) and in The Ballad of Emmett Till (2012).  Her Ensemble Theatre directing debut was the 2015 – 2016 season opener, Platanos Y Collard Greens.  Rachel currently teaches theatre at the University of Houston Downtown and is the Artistic Director of Driven Theatre Company which focuses on issue-based works. 

 

Shandrea:  Tell us about the part that you’re playing…

Rachel:  My character’s name is Christina.  We see her from 17 to 60 years old.  You see me 5 times at five different ages.

Theresa:  I see that the scenes onstage are for the years 1968, 1974, 1984, 1995 and 2011 a 43-year transition. 

Rachel:  She is finding herself over the course of this time.  But then, who isn’t from 17 to 60? (Laughs).  She finds herself in relationship to him (Corey) which is a whole message within itself.  She is energetic and naïve but self-possessed in her own way.  What we find when we see her at 17 having chosen this man and chosen to have the time that she has with him.  By 60, she really has defined who she is and is really much more grounded.

Shandrea:  What is the biggest lesson learned as being part of this play? 

Rachel:  Things were AFFIRMED that were a part of this play.  I’m sure there is something I learned brand new but Affirmations include: Keep talking in relationships.  You have to keep talking.

Theresa:  Communication

Rachel:  Yeah, and Touch is important.  As an actor, I learned that the more prepared and comfortable you are, the better.

Theresa:  When you mean Touch, do you mean sex?

Rachel:  No.  Contact.  It’s when someone touches you in the arm and asks, “How are you?” and then you break down.  They’ve touched you either spiritually or physically.

Theresa:  This performance is described as a brief view of the actors in undergarments, some sexual references and implied sexual acts.  How are the sex scenes?

Rachel:  (Laughs) to me, I think it’s very steamy, right?  So you really have to have an open mind to go through a couple of scenes.  Because if you’re not ready, the people in the audience will be offended.  Right?  And it’s also fun.  So that’s something I learned.  Just trusting each other.  But I knew that.  This was new, this amount of intimacy.

Theresa:  You’re in bed….

Rachel:  Oh yeah.  We’re in bed with no clothes pretty much (laughs).

Theresa:  Would you consider Plenty of Time as a comedy or a drama?

Rachel:  It’s a romantic comedy.  There are comedic elements.  It’s a drama because of the way the relationship is portrayed.

Shandrea:  Who would you dedicate this performance to?

Rachel:  The first two people that come to mind are my mother and my husband.  My mother Jean Hemphill is deceased.  I’ve come a long way definitely in the journey from 17 to now.  And in this play Christina finds relationship with her mother in one of the scenes.  So the very first time we did it, Eileen the director said, “That was your mother, wasn’t it?”  And then my husband Timothy Dickson, typical marriage and the challenges of balancing our lives.

Theresa:  How long have you been married?

Rachel:  16 or 17 years, somewhere around there (laughs).  I don’t know.  He’s the keeper of time.  This show has made me find some of the joy that they (Christina and Corey) have and that they don’t allow the daily grind to get in the way of their relationship.

Shandrea:  Of all the roles you’ve played, which one is your favorite?

Rachel:  Well, you know, you’re favorite is the one you’re doing right now.  Or maybe the one coming up (laughs).  But this show has been so much fun!  Normally, any other show, by the first opening, I’m like “Is it going to be over soon?”  Because I love the process more than the product.  But this show, I was telling Steve (Scott) my co-star, “I had a thought about closing and it made me very sad.”  And we haven’t even opened yet!

Shandrea:  Who is your inspiration?

Rachel:  Life in general, my kids.  I have to stay grounded and find joy for them.  All of them are artists in their own way.  I have 3 kids and they range from 15, 11 and 4.  My 15-year old is an actor, 11-year old is a singer and they both dance.

Theresa:  What do they think of Mom on a lead role?

Rachel:  Well, I’ve done enough shows in their time.  They’re kind of like, “She’s going to the Theatre.”  The 4-year old asks, “Are you going to rehearsals?” (Laughs).  And I go, “Yes, baby.”  But the two older ones get it, they both get it.

Theresa:  They’re not allowed to see this one, though.

Rachel:  No, no, no, no.  My 15-year old is lobbying.  And, you know, she’s about there.  She’s an actor herself.  She would like to see it.  But this is different, because this is mommy.

Shandrea:  Who influenced you as an artist?

Rachel:  Angela Basset.

Theresa:  She’s also a director now.

Rachel:  We all have to do everything if we really want to keep working (laughs).  But her skill is so amazing.  If we go way back, there’s Cicely Tyson.

Shandrea:  What would you like the audience to gain from watching this play?

Rachel:  Life is short.  Find joy.  Seek joy.

 

Tickets Available Online: www.EnsembleHouston.com   

Where:  3535 Main St, Houston, TX 77002

For Information Call: 713-520-0055

 

The Ensemble Theatre was founded in 1976 by the late George Hawkins to preserve African American artistic expression and to enlighten, entertain, and enrich a diverse community. Thirty-nine years later, the theatre has evolved from a small touring company to one of Houston’s finest historical cultural institutions.

 

The Ensemble is one of a few professional theatres in the region dedicated to the production of works portraying the African American experience. The oldest and largest professional African American theatre in the Southwest, it holds the distinction of being one of the nation’s largest African American theatres owning and operating its facility and producing in-house. Board President Emeritus Audrey Lawson led the capital campaign for The Ensemble’s $4.5 million building renovations that concluded in 1997. The Ensemble Theatre has fulfilled and surpassed the vision of its founder and continues to expand and create innovative programs to bring African American theatre to myriad audiences.