Synopsis
Nine-year-old Tonia Bridge is growing up in a working-class, African-American home in Milwaukee in 1964. Young Tonia's artistic soul is at odds with her parents' fears and pragmatism. Her efforts to please and appease them are in conflict with her own needs and desires. Complicating Tonia's world is her mother's mental illness and her father's anger at the insidious racism of the times, which hampers his own ambitions to pursue a career in science. Tonia tries to please her mother by wearing safe, but drab, clothing. She also follows the rules in a famous etiquette book on hair, deportment and manners. She tries to please her father by making a beautiful science project she thinks will make him proud. A different Tonia takes the stage when she is guiding her friend Theo into the world of her imagination, or finding a thrill in her secret games with her dolls. Tonia finds her way, the only way possible, by allowing her parents to see her true self with all its flaws, beauty and possibilities.
Notes
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Details
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Status
In stock
- Type of Show Full-length Play
- Product Code DE9000
- Cast Size 5
- Min. Royalty Rate $90/perf
- Cost $10.95
- Approx. Run Time 65 min
Categories
- Target Audience Young Audiences | Middle School | Family (all ages)
- Performing Group Middle School | High School | College Theatre | Community Theatre | Professional Theatre | TYA
- Genre Drama
- ISBN(13) 9781583428092
Hints, Tips, and Tricks
- "Actors must understand the culture of the time period. Extremely important that the actors develop the arc of the characters. Each character has growth that is essential for the delivery of the message. The story has a message that is age-old for African Americans, yet often it isn't addressed. The message: "To be seen, or not to be seen. That is the question.""
- Tip by Renee Jones, Lancaster ISD, Lancaster, Texas