Lydia R. Diamond’s “Stick Fly” opens on Wednesday, April 17 at 8 p.m. and runs through Sunday, April 21 in the Bruce Davis Theater, Montgomery Hall, on the St. Mary’s College of Maryland campus. Ticket prices are $4 for teachers, students, senior citizens, and Arts Alliance members; $6, general admission. To make reservations, email the Theater Box Office at boxoffice@smcm.edu or telephone 240-895-4243.
Produced by the Department of Theater, Film, and Media Studies and directed by guest artist Denise J. Hart from Howard University in Washington, D.C., “Stick Fly” is playwright Diamond’s comedy-drama of the depiction of generational conflict among an affluent contemporary African American family and friends, tackling issues of gender, race, class, and privilege in a searing way.
Written in 2008, the play follows members of the LeVay family, who gather at their Martha’s Vineyard home for the weekend. Brothers Kent and Flip have each brought his girlfriend home to meet the parents for the first time. Kent’s fiancée, Taylor, an academic whose absent father was a prominent author, struggles to fit into the LeVay’s upper-crust lifestyle. Kimber, on the other hand, a self-described WASP who works with inner-city schoolchildren, fits in more easily with the family.
Joining these two couples are the demanding LeVay patriarch, Joe, and Cheryl, the daughter of the family’s longtime housekeeper. As the two newcomers butt heads over issues of race and privilege, long-standing family tensions bubble under the surface and reach a boiling point when secrets are revealed.
“Stick Fly” performs April 17-20 at 8 p.m. and April 21 at 2 p.m. An informal talk-back with cast, crew, and director follows the opening night performance. Refreshments provided.
