Joe Turner a Class Act

BY Derek Reimer

On the opening night of August Wilson’s Joe Turner’s Come and Gone, a small crowd milled around the doors of the Stevenson Dining Hall with anticipation. Stevenson College preceptor Don Williams directed the production, and the UCSC African-American Theater Arts Troupe presented the play. Although the house remained far from full when the curtains opened, the performance was, by all definitions a first-class endeavor.

Joe turner’s Come and Gone, written by Pultzer Prize winner August Wilson, takes place in the early twentieth century in a Pitssburgh boarding house. Seth Holly (Eric Jackson) and his wife, Bertha (Lauren Smith), own the house and take in tenants on a regular basis. As the story develops, the Hollys rents a room to Harold Loomis (James Wellington Porter) and his daughter Zonia (Christy Humphry), who have been searching for Harold’s wife for four years.

Other boarders in the house include the dynamic Bynum Walker (Joshua Bee Graham), Mattie Campbell (Tsadae Neway), who is searching for her husband, the flirtatious Molly Cunningham (Fitima M. Morris), and Jeremy Furlow (Blake Riggs), an irresponsible young play boy. The group dynamics that evolve from the interaction of these characters and the stories that each character has to tell lend an authenticity to the entire production.

Graham steals his show with his energetic and powerful portrayal of Bynum Walker. He blends philosophical wisdom and quick wit to create a thoroughly entertaining and genuine performance. Eric Johnson turns in a straightforward and honest performance as the simple and hard - working Seth Holly. A highlight of the show is Zonia’s innocent romantic rendezvous with Reuben Mercer (Armond Edward Doresey), a neighborhood boy. Both Humphry and Dorsey bring realism and a child-like humor to Joe turner.

Since the conception of the UCSC African-American Theater Arts Troupe in the winter of 1991, the organization has maintained a tradition of quality entertainment. The quality of productions has increased consistently due to donations from over thousand members of the Santa Cruz community.

The troupe focuses on presenting plays with cultural significance for African-Americans and, in the process, attempts to educate about social issues through theater. The fall quarter production of David Rabe’s Streamers, also directed by Don Williams, was well received, and Joe Turner reaffirms the troupe’s dedication and the love that the actors and actresses have for their work.

As Williams said, "African-Americans have been major contributors to all areas of American life. I want people to leave Joe Turner with the understanding that we all have God-given talents that can be enjoyed by everyone.