“There is a gross lack of representation of people of color in all aspects of storytelling in Hollywood, as we are witnessing right now with 2016 being the second year in a row that no actors of color were nominated for an Academy Award. However, across the country on the so-called Great White Way, there is this phenomenal play, and the first written by, directed by, produced by and starring Black women. Eclipsed is a superb model of diversity that will hopefully serve as a catalyst for the needed change in Hollywood, Broadway and beyond. It was important for me to showcase this on the pages of UPTOWN.”
The legendary production for colored girls debuted on Broadway in 1976 with an all-black female cast and a black female writer, but it had a male director. Eclipsed is directed by Liesl Tommy, native of Cape Town, South Africa. “Traditionally, there is a male director attached to a project like this,” says Tommy. “In order to affect change both here and in Hollywood, we need to recognize our ability to lead, have a vision and be entrusted with big budgets and large staffs.”
Penned by Gurira (The Walking Dead) and produced by Stephen Byrd, Alia Jones-Harvey, LaLa Anthony and Marvet Britto—amongst an amazing group of others producers—Eclipsed exposes audiences to a remarkable story never told before: of five extraordinary women brought together by upheaval in their war-torn homeland of Liberia. They forge a close-knit bond during the devastating despair and severe brutality of the African nation’s second civil war. “Stephen and Alia are trailblazers,” says Harris. “As Broadway’s only two black, full-time producers, they have been integral in bringing black actors, black stories and black audiences to Broadway and London’s West End. They can green light their own productions. It was important for me to present their story as well.”The significance of Eclipsed attracted LaLa Anthony to the play. “Lupita Nyong’o and the entire cast are unbelievable,” says Anthony, a first-time Broadway producer. “I wanted to align myself with a project that was powerful and sparked meaningful conversation across the board. I think it’s amazing, necessary and important for Broadway to continue to support multicultural plays for audiences to enjoy.”
“I was first cast as the understudy in the role I’m playing now so it was the very first role I under-studied and it was the very first role that I was assigned to at Yale. I was just drawn. I thought it was an incredibly engaging and riveting story and I was just dumbfounded that I never experienced anything like it before — five African women telling their stories and each of the women are so distinct from the other one. And it was so funny and also heart-breaking at times. It was just a very powerful story.”
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