Performance Date: August 6 at 10 p.m. 

for colored girls who have considered suicide/when the rainbow is enuf is a choreopoem by Ntozake Shange. Premiering in 1976 in Berkeley, California, for colored girls... was Ntozake’s first and most widely produced work. The poem follows seven nameless woman through a world of racism, oppression, and sexism. These women of color are named after the colors of the rainbow: Lady in Red, Lady in Blue, Lady in Purple, Lady in Yellow, Lady in Brown, Lady in Green, and Lady in Orange. They tell their stories and the stories of other women they know through poetry, music, and dance. It is a piece that flows effortlessly from one story into the next, never really taking a moment to breathe. The women often help each other tell their stories by acting as a chorus or stepping into the shoes of another character. for colored girls... became a revolution for actresses of color and made its way from a tiny theater in Berkeley to New York City where it became the second play by a black woman to reach Broadway. The 20 poems that make up the piece are complex, rhythmic, delicate, rough, violent, and fragile. The physicality and rhythm are just as vital to understanding what the women are going through as the words they speak.

Kathryn Hunter-William, Rasool Jahan, TyDiam Coleman, NJ Agwuna, Asia Mark, Mengwe & Tia James. 

Sound Designer - Derek A. Graham

Stage Manager/Sound Operator - Larkin Ethridge 

Lighting Operator - Allison Gerecke

for colored girls is a piece that has been very close to my heart for many years. written by one of my favorite authors, it is a beautiful collection of poetry dedicated to Black women and our experience in this world. as a mover, I’ve always been drawn to the choreopoem aspect of the piece, but what excited me the most about exploring a solo version, was the opportunity to use my body and voice as a vessel for each lady, and to find all of the women in myself. this has been the most challenging but simultaneously rewarding artistic experience of my life, and getting to explore this text with an artist I look up to, admire, and respect immensely, is a gift I will cherish in my heart forever. thank you Tia, Julia, Tracy, Vivienne, Ms Kathy, everyone at PlayMakers, the Department of Dramatic Art, and Ntozake Shange, for helping find my rainbow <3

This production of for colored girls who have considered suicide/when the rainbow is enuf is rooted in love, trust, and deep listening. Bringing this work to life as a one-woman piece has been both an artistic challenge and a profound gift, and it has been an honor to witness the beautiful, brave work Mengwe has poured into every moment of this performance. Mengwe carries this text not simply as an actor, but as a vessel—holding memory, history, vulnerability, rage, humor, and hope with extraordinary care and intention. for colored girls... is, at its heart, a chorus of Black girls’ stories. It speaks of joy and heartbreak, desire and disappointment, survival and self-discovery. In this one-woman version, those voices do not diminish; they expand. Through her body, her breath, and her emotional precision, Mengwe allows each woman to exist fully and distinctly, while also reminding us of their shared humanity. Her work honors Ntozake Shange’s language as living poetry—something meant to be felt, not just heard. Working alongside Mengwe on this piece has been deeply meaningful. Our process has been one of mutual care, rigor, and honesty. Together, we have sat with the weight of these stories, celebrated their beauty, and made space for the tenderness required to tell them truthfully. This collaboration has reaffirmed for me the power of mentorship rooted in respect and trust, and the transformative potential of allowing Black women artists the space to lead, explore, and claim their voices without apology. My hope for the audience is simple, yet expansive. I hope you leave feeling seen, or having truly seen someone else. I hope you carry the echoes of these stories with you—stories of Black girls who love fiercely, who hurt deeply, who fall and rise again. May this performance invite reflection, compassion, and conversation. May it remind us that healing is communal, that survival is an act of resistance, and that there is, indeed, a rainbow—bold, complex, and radiant—waiting on the other side of truth.

Julia Gibson, Vivienne Benesch, Tracy Bersley, TJ Carr, Hannah LaMarlowe, Jocelyn Chatman, Kathryn Hunter-Williams, Michael Rolleri, Rasool Jahan, TyDiam Coleman, Pamela Bond, NJ Agwuna, Asia Mark, the Professional Actor Training Program, and the Chautauqua Theater Company. 

CTC LEADERSHIP 

Producing Artistic Director: Jade King Carroll 

Managing Director: Emily Glinick

CTC ARTISTIC COMPANY

Conservatory Actors: Gabriel Cali, Roggi Chuquimarca, Thaddeus Fitzpatrick, Ashley A. Laroche, Brendan Kyle Lowry, Chris Martin, Lydia Mushkatina, Hillel Rosenshine, Mengwe Wapimewah

Drama League FutureNow Playwriting Fellows: Jenny Connell Davis, Sarah Saltwick

Drama League FutureNow Directing Fellows: Bronwen Carson, Liz Fisher

Design Fellows: Abi Farnsworth, Taylor Helms, Gabriela Hartel, Robert Salerno, Yuxun (Sherry) Wu

Equity Guest Actors: Molly Brennan, Geneva Carr, Darlesia Cearcey, Crystal Dickinson, John El-Jor, Adrian Blake Enscoe, Jo Lampert, Lance E. Nichols, Olivia Oguma, Brian Owen, Madeline Seidman, Sydney Sheperd, Nandita Shenoy, Regina Strayhorn 

Dramaturg: Liz Frankel

Playwrights: Zora Howard, Sharyn Rothstein, Jenny Stafford

Directors: Peter Andersen, Oliver Butler, Jade King Carroll, Keenan Tyler Oliphant

Designers: Loyce Arther, Amith Chandrashaker, Betsy Chester, Christopher Darbassie, Germán Martínez, Rodrigo Muñoz, John Narun, Anita Stewart, Brittany Vasta

Choreographer: Lee Heinz

Fight & Intimacy Director: Rick Sordelet

Season Casting by The Telsey Office

Faculty: Mei Ann Teo, Maxine Davis, Crystal Dickinson, Deb Hecht

CTC ARTS ADMINISTRATION 

Company Manager: Sarah Vardigans 

Assistant Company Manager: Kimberly Pienkowski

Company Management Fellow: Rebecca Shivers 

New Works Associate: Lily Wolff

Artistic Assistant: Jennifer Davis

Business Management Fellow: Sarah Vig

Bratton House Manager: Ashley Austin 

Assistant House Manager & Sales Assistant: Isabelle Seiler

Roe Green Theater Center Head Usher: Sandra Cline

Marketing & Sales Assistant: Brianna Anzures 

Graphic Designer: Chance Brinkman-Sull

STAGE MANAGEMENT 

Preseason Production Stage Manager: Jenn Rae Moore

Equity Stage Managers:  Denise Cardarelli, Jenn Rae Moore, Savanha Moore, Bea Perez-Arche

Assistant Stage Managers: Emma Battle, Kathleen Stanton-Sharpless  

Stage Management PAs: Angela Park, Greta Steever

PRODUCTION

Production Manager: Bryant Heatherly

Assistant Production Manager: Julia He 

Stage Operations Coordinator: Maggie McClellan

Stage Operations Assistant: Emily Lawson

Production Management PA: Savannah Venegas 

Prop Supervisor: Hyla Sue Stellhorn 

Assistant Prop Supervisor: Donnie Woodard 

Prop Artisans: Catherine Rouselle, Sebastian Tingle

Costume Supervisor: Corrine Bottelsen 

Assistant Costume Supervisor & Draper: Helen Ryser  

First Hand: Larissa McConnell 

Costume Assistant: Olga Shevelkina

Wardrobe Supervisor: Sophie Millar 

Lighting Supervisor: Jonah Bobilin

Assistant Lighting Supervisor: Serafina Ramirez

Lighting Technician & Board Operators: Dianette Moore, Ayibainatimi Miracle Ebieri

Sound Supervisor: John Kolbinski 

Assistant Sound Supervisor: Larkin Ethridge 

Audio Engineers: Carson Phillips, Hal Sufrin

CLEVELAND PLAYHOUSE BUILD TEAM

Technical Director: Josh Padgett

Associate Technical Director: Emma Sherban 

Carpenter Lead: Logan Snodell

Stage Carpenter: Brandon Rice

Carpenters: Marcus Class, Ellie Goll, Clark Van Beek, Jenna Conley