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April 18, 2010 The Beacon By Nancy Fowler Larson |
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Acting Out for Justice
 A global vision of music, dance and drama led sociologist and social worker Cecilia Nadal to found Gitana productions in 1996. Along with St. Louis-born former Alvin Ailey dancer Danny Clark, Nadal sought to bring diversity and its issues to life onstage. According to Nadal, the arts can put a face on otherwise dry statistics. As an example, she cites these figures: 79 percent of African Americans live in poverty at some time in their lives as opposed to 17 percent of whites.
"You might not really understand the implications of that, but if I had onstage an older black woman talking to white woman at bus stop about their lives and the black woman says, 'Well you know I once was a CEO at a corporation but I didn't use my money right; I helped my family and now I have nothing' -- that kind of gets to you a little bit differently," Nadal said.
 Both student actors and professionals like Briston Ashe (left) take the stage in Gitana's performances. In Gitana's 2008 production of "Complacency of Silence: Darfur," Ashe played a young teenager who is raped and attacked by terrorists, and then shunned by the man she loves, but eventually escapes victimhood. Ashe, who now lives in New York City, said the experience changed her life, giving her a broader perspective as she handles the daily hassles of her comparatively easy existence.
"People are going through horrible things every day and still finding a way to be triumphant," Ashe said. "Gitana is bringing the reality of what's going on in the world to the stage and allowing regular people like me a personal view of what others in the world are going through."
'Eye on the Sparrow'
When: May 21-June 6, 8 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays, 2:30 p.m. Sundays
Where: The University Theater at Xavier Hall, 3733 West Pine Mall
Price: $12-$15
Information: 314-721-6556
 "Complacency of Silence: Darfur" was nominated for five 2008 Kevin Kline Awards; in 2009, Gitana's "My Heart Is Always Shaking" was nominated in the outstanding new play or musical category. Next up for Gitana is "Eye on the Sparrow," an original production based on real-life unsung heroes of St. Louis. Running May 21 through June 6, "Eye on the Sparrow" also focuses on St. Louis' issues around social inequality.
"I have always felt the largest issue in St. Louis is with social conflict," Nadal said. "Race is part of it, no question, but the biggest part of it is the economic disparity irrespective of race."
Looking toward the future, Nadal is contemplating a production about the difficulty of being lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender in the African American community.
"We always want to bring something to the table that people have not seen before," Nadal said.
The Beacon© April2010
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