About performance
Pecola Breedlove, a young Black girl in 1940’s Ohio, wants nothing more than to be loved and prays for Shirley Temple’s blue eyes. Enthralling, gorgeously written, and incredibly heartrending, this stunning adaptation of Nobel and Pulitzer Prize-winner Toni Morrison’s debut novel centers three young Black girls as they strive to make sense of love, sisterhood, abuse, and hate.
Content Advisory: Recommended for mature audiences ages 14 and up.
This production will use strobe lights and haze.
“UNFLINCHING WISDOM… summon[s] the essence of the novel to powerful life onstage.”
-Charles McNulty, Los Angeles Times
“EVOCATIVE… ACCOMPLISHED… Neither the passage of time nor the ongoing attempts to erase Morrison’s voice have dulled its purifying blaze… what you will witness will forever change your way of seeing.”
-Victoria Thomas, Local News Pasadena
“AN ASTOUNDING WORK OF ART… If you want to see theatre at its finest with all the cylinders firing, do not hesitate and go watch The Bluest Eye immediately.”
-Edward Hong, The Nerds of Color
“RHYTHM AND REPETITION, MOVEMENT AND MUSIC… The poetry and power of the Morrison novel come alive onstage in this seminal and deeply affecting work.”
-Laura Foti Cohen, Larchmont Buzz
“DARK AND STIRRING… rich with deeply moving narrative.”
-Eddie Rivera, Pasadena Now
“PITCH-PERFECT… a peerless cast… painfully exposes the poisonous effects of systemic racism and the heartbreak of shame, all the while retaining the distinctively rich and lyrical language of Morrison’s novel…. Few theatergoers will leave untouched by this courageous little miracle.”
-Eric Gordon, People’s World
TRAILER, GALLERY & VIDEO
The Bluest Eye Production Photos
The Bluest Eye contains descriptions of sexual violence and domestic/child abuse. If you or anyone you know is impacted by these issues, please consider the resources below.
National Sexual Assault Hotline
Hours: Available 24 hours – 1-800-656-4673
https://www.rainn.org/resources
National Domestic Violence Hotline
Hours: 24/7. Languages: English, Spanish and 200+ through interpretation service
1-800-799-7233
https://www.thehotline.org
Header photo by Daniel Reichert. Pictured: Akilah A. Walker.
Sponsors
Producing Sponsor:
David Lee Foundation
Student Matinee Sponsors:
Suzanne & Lawrence Hess
Post Show Sponsors:
Marianne & Mike Newman
A Noise Within’s 2023-24 Season is presented by the S. Mark Taper Foundation.
Additional Information
Special Performances
Pay What You Choose
Pay What You Choose tickets will be available to purchase online for as low as $5 starting at 12pm on the Monday before the performance with the choice to pay $5, $10, or $15 (excluding handling fee). Tickets can also be purchased at the Box Office after 2pm day of the performance. Suggested price of $10.
August 30, 2023
August 31, 2023
Sensory Friendly
Join us for the first Thursday evening (7:30 pm) performance for a Sensory Friendly performance. A handout detailing when an abrupt or intense moment of lighting, sound, or on-stage action will occur, and a discreetly-placed lantern will provide a visual indication of when these moments will occur.
August 31, 2023
Opening Night
Join us for a free post-show cast party after the 8pm performance.
September 2, 2023
Black Out Night
Black Out Night is a purposeful, exciting creation of an environment in which an audience, self-identifying as Black, can come together and experience a performance in community. A reception will follow the performance, providing an opportunity for the audience to discuss their experience and to socialize! Non-Black-identifying patrons have the option to attend, or to select a different performance.
September 7, 2023
Community Wellness Day
A free post-show event following the September 16 at 2 pm matinee of The Bluest Eye designed to provide our community with resources to nurture their physical, mental, and emotional well-being. Featuring an Afro-Caribbean dance-fitness class with a live African drum circle to promote self-love and finding joy within one’s body.
September 16, 2023
Post-Show Conversations
After select Friday 8pm and Sunday 2pm performances, join us after the show for a conversation with the actors moderated by Bernard Addison.
Friday, September 8 at 8 pm
Sunday, September 10 at 2 pm
Friday, September 15 at 8 pm
Friday, September 22 at 8 pm
artists + cast
The Artists
Novel Author: Toni Morrison
Adapter: Lydia R. Diamond
Director: Andi Chapman§
Stage Manager: Zaira Paredes-Villegas*
Assistant Stage Manager: Arielle Hightower
Scenic Designer: Fred Kinney†
Lighting Designer: Andrew Schmedake
Sound Designer: Jeff Gardner†
Costume Designer: Wendell C. Carmichael†
Properties Designer: Stephen Taylor
Dramaturg : Dr. Miranda Johnson-Haddad
Choreographer: Indira Tyler
Composer/ Musical Director: Maritri Garrett
Wig/Makeup Designer: Shelia Dorn
Master Electrician: Ken Booth
Sensory Friendly Consultant: Sheridan Vieyra
The Cast
Soaphead Church/Daddy: Alex Morris*
Pecola: Akilah A. Walker*
Frieda/Darlene: Mildred Marie Langford*
Claudia: Kacie Rogers*
Maureen: Alexandra Metz*
Mrs. Breedlove: Julanne Chidi Hill*
Mama: Crystal Jackson
Cholly: Kamal Bolden*
Understudy Pecola: Gioya Tuma-Waku*
Understudy Frieda / Darlene: Nathalie Bennett*
Understudy Claudia: Sydney A. Mason*
Understudy Cholly: Lamont Young*
Understudy Soaphead Church / Daddy: Darryl Reed*
Understudy Mama / Mrs. Breedlove: Allison Reeves*
Understudy Maureen: Suzen Baraka
§ The Director is a member of the Stage Directors and Choreographers Society, a national theatrical labor union.
† Designer is represented by United Scenic Artists Local USA-829 of the IATSE
* Member of Actors’ Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States.
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