It almost seems as if fate decreed that Timothy Douglas would direct Round House Theatre's production of Father Comes Home from the Wars (Parts 1, 2 & 3). With personal connections to both the playwright and the Bethesda theater's artistic director and a career built around plays that take on issues of race in the United States, Douglas is uniquely suited to the task.
Father Comes Home garnered huge critical acclaim, not to mention the Edward M. Kennedy Award for a play inspired by American history, when it debuted in New York in 2014. Written by Pulitzer Prize winner Suzan-Lori Parks, the play is set during the Civil War and tells the story of a slave named Hero who is given an impossible choice: His master asks him to go to war and serve him as he fights for the Confederacy. In return he will grant Hero's freedom. Loosely based on Homer's Odyssey, the show, which is actually a trilogy of three one-hour plays, explores notions of freedom, betrayal and heroism. And that's just the beginning. Parks is working on the next parts of what will eventually be a nine-play cycle, a truly epic undertaking.
For Douglas, 54, what makes the play special is how it gives voice to the frustrations and joys of African-Americans in a way that is accessible to broad audiences.
"Our entire existence is in response to the dominant culture. I no longer expect a white person to understand what I go through on a day-to-day basis," Douglas said. “Through her writing, [Parks] has accessed the conversations and concerns that we as black people have with each other, what makes us strong, what makes us triumph quietly."
It's not Douglas's first encounter with Parks. In addition to directing her plays In the Blood and Topdog Underdog (for which she won the Pulitzer), Douglas had a personal preview of some of her work.
“We were coffee buddies,” Douglas said. “I lived near her in Brooklyn. We’d meet for coffee and chat through her writing.”
Through those chats, Douglas learned about the ideas behind the plays. He credits Parks with “laser-like clarity” and a commitment to American history, which is a common thread throughout her body of work.
Douglas has a personal connection to Round House Artistic Director Ryan Rilette as well. Douglas directed Rilette in a play when he was in drama school at the American Conservatory Theatre in San Francisco and taught several workshops to his class.
The two were excited to bring Father Comes Home to Round House for its regional premiere, although the show is not without its challenges.
“At most theaters around the country, audiences are not running out to see plays about slavery,” Douglas said.
But Father Comes Home isn’t a straight-up period piece. Parks herself called the show a “mash-up” because of the way it blends period, hip-hop and Classic language, costumes and ideas. The conflicts addressed in the play have far-reaching impacts and even reflect on present-day issues. Douglas points out a scene in which Hero questions whether he is worth more as a slave or a free man. If he is stopped on the road by a patrolman, as a slave he might be spared a beating because he belongs to his master. But if he says he’s a free man, will the patrolman leave him alone? The scene has echoes of current struggles in Ferguson, Chicago, Baltimore and other cities around the country.
Douglas is known for directing work that takes on race issues including August Wilson’s King Hedley II, an African-American version of The Trip to Bountiful and a version of Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing set at Washington, D.C.’s Caribbean Carnival. As an African-American man, Douglas says his work and his art reflect his life experiences and Father Comes Home is right in line with that.
"This country still has a lot of issues around race," he said. "As an African-American man, black culture is going to be my primary milieu."
Jan. 27- Feb. 21, Round House Theatre, $41-56, www.roundhousetheatre.org
Broadway Star Kristin Chenoweth to perform at Strathmore
A little taste of Broadway comes to North Bethesda this weekend when Kristin Chenoweth performs at The Music Center at Strathmore in North Bethesda. A Tony and Emmy award winner, she sings and dances and has acted in roles both comic and serious. A classically trained opera singer, she is perhaps best known for originating the role of Glinda in the Broadway musical Wicked. She's appeared in movies, such as Running with Scissors, and TV shows including Glee and The West Wing. But to truly appreciate the big voice that comes out of that 4-foot 11-inch body, you've got to see her live. The concert is part of Chenoweth’s Coming Home Tour. Chenoweth will share stories from her life and career, her personal favorite songs and debut a new song composed by Andrew Lippa from his new concept opera I Am Anne Hutchinson, which will have its world premiere at Strathmore this spring.
8 p.m. Jan. 29, Strathmore, $58-$155, www.strathmore.org
Bethesda Blues and Jazz Club Celebrates David Bowie
A handful of musicians from around the region will come together at Bethesda Blues and Jazz Supper Club in Bethesda this week for a tribute to the life and music of David Bowie. Bowie, who died Jan. 10, had a career spanning 50 years and left an indelible mark on music, fashion and pop culture. The tribute will include music from throughout Bowie’s remarkable career.
8 p.m., Jan. 28, Bethesda Blues and Jazz Supper Club, $15, www.bethesdabluesandjazz.com
