Religion. Love. Suicide. Hip-hop.
The Ebony Readers/Onyx Theatre used these topics for its dynamic fall show filled with poetry, spoken word and theatrical drama. If you weren’t able to make it to the E-Write showcase on Nov. 30 or Dec. 1 at UNC-CH, you missed a treat.
EROT, a subgroup of the Black Student Movement, consists of a group of poets and playwrights, or E-Write, which stages writings for live performances. Two shows that are religiously held by E-write are Cat Mommas & Cat Daddies (fall semester) and Love Potions (spring semester).
When you weren’t being educated or forced to dig deep within yourself for reflection, you were laughing nonstop during EROT’s recent Cat Mommas & Cat Daddies showcase. The actors articulated words and worked the stage as if they meant and felt every word they said.
At the show, during a performance on Muslim women, the audience sat quiet in awe as performers, Lyndsey Fowler and Candace Crawford, spoke about the internal and external conflicts of the Islamic faith. They voiced everyday thoughts of what women wish they could change about themselves, from submission to their husband to wearing the hijab, a Muslim women’s headscarf.
However, during the performance of “Bitter Black Women” by Rashonda Joplin, silence from the theatre turned to uncontrolled laughter. If you thought Tyler Perry’s Madea was a character, you’ve got to see EROT reader Kahlil Blount. His performance with a group of women in a fictional college organization, Niggas Ain’t Sh*t Association, emphasized the importance of a black man’s respect for women in society. It also showed how black women shouldn’t categorize all black men based on stereotypes, and how women should respect each other.
Aside from comedy, the showcase consisted of a tribute to homosexuals who have committed suicide and a message to men and women on true love in relationships.
If you want to be schooled and entertained simultaneously, make sure you attend EROT’s spring performance. But, make sure you’re ready to be stunned and bedazzled by E-Write’s dynamic performers!
Ebony Shamberger
Black Ink, Copy Editor
