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Down Stage Center (DSC) was absolutely farklempt to learn of past practices using child brides in some African-American communities and abroad. She...like anyone with a level of intelligence pondered why? What is the benefit and to who? Well!...when DSC got the answers she could hardly wait to tell it because she knew you, our dedicated E-patrons would want to know prior to coming to the show. Here, in an E-Patron exclusive, Helen Hayes nominated actress, Author and Playwright Perri Gaffney (PG) took a break between performances at Perseverance Theatre in Juneau Alaska to address some of DSC's most probing questions about making "The Resurrection of Alice. Here goes it...
DSC:
What was the inspiration for, "The Resurrection of Alice?
PG:
A friend, Loretta, told me about her mother being raised in rural Alabama. She was the first person in her family to graduate from high school and received a full four year scholarship to attend college. But her mother's parents told her she couldn't go to college because she had to marry Mr. Thompson, the family benefactor. This man was older than her parents, but that's why he had been their benefactor. I was appalled. I told my 87 year old aunt who told me that was a very common practice with black folks up through the mid 1950's. She said it was done throughout the country, not just in the south and she named six of her friends that were put in arranged marriages in Cleveland, Ohio. I wanted this to be a biography, but my friend's mother died before I met her so it's a novel dedicated to countless women who were made to marry prosperous, old men.
DSC:
Why do you feel this story is important?
 PG: Arranged marriages have been happening throughout the world for thousands of years and continue to this day. So I think the topic remains pertinent and important on a global level. The difference in what African Americans used to practice and what has always been done, is in America the bride's price was paid years before there ever was a wedding and if the old man married someone else before the young girl grew up, or if the old man died, or if the old man lost his fortune before he was married to the young girl, then the wedding was off and nothing was owed to the prospective husband even though he had been paying for years. I think that difference adds interest and intrigue to the African American historical footnote of dabbling in arranged marriages. DSC: How long have you been performing this script and how long did it take you to get to this point in the performance? PG: I performed my very first "... Alice" excerpt in the Fall of 2006 in Ashland, Oregon while working at Oregon Shakespeare Festival (OSF). I debuted the first full-length workshop version in the Spring of 2007 for a week at the Flashpoint Theatre in DC, and that script changed daily. I got the script to this pared down version in the Fall of 2007 with the help of The Ultimate Dramaturge/Director, Talvin Wilkes. DSC: You have found lots of funny moments in the play despite its topic's seriousness; how did you do that?  PG: Alice was caught totally unaware when she found herself obligated to marry Mr. Tucker. That in and of itself can be shocking and sickening for a reader to learn. But to help the audience/reader experience the full impact of Alice's loss, they need to feel the happy, hopeful life she lived, and the love and plans for which she worked and longed. So I peppered the beginning of the story with warm, whimsical humor. I find people funny in general, particularly when they're not trying to be, so I laced the middle of the story with a humor born of manipulation and rationalizations. The humor is more ironical. And it all serves to support the old adage; You wanna make God laugh? Tell Him your plans. DSC: As the Playwright/Performer what were some of your unique challenges? PG: Since I also wrote the book, it was hard for me to delete information because everything was "important" to me. Also, it was hard for me to catch the holes in the story's flow when I did delete information. And apparently it was difficult for Shona and Sherri, my first directors, because they both had read the book. Talvin didn't know the story and he pointed out several holes that needed to be filled, then he deleted about 18 pages saying that the information didn't propel the story forward. The words could be replaced with a paragraph, a sentence, or a gesture... I love Talvin! I love Shona and Sherri, too! DSC: How does the version of the play vary from the textbook? PG: There are fewer historical references, although I tried to include as much history as possible about the times (WWII, education in the rural south, Jim Crow, etc.). The play explains less of what Alice feels about a situation or certain people and demonstrates her feelings instead. Sound cues, especially music cues, enhance the moods that are described in the book.  | | Perri Gaffney in various stages of Alice. |
DSC: As the writer creating a story about what could be considered a cultural practice, at what points did you feel safe taking dramatic liberties? PG: I never took liberties about the cultural practice. I used Loretta's personal recounting of her mother's life (however few the details) and I used my aunt's recounting of what went on back then. I did take liberties with the details of Loretta's mother's life because I never spoke with her and no one could tell me what she was feeling but her. Loretta suggested talking to some uncles and aunts about her mother, but I declined the offer saying, "Only your mother can tell me about her life. Your aunts and uncles will give their opinions and I have opinions of my own." When presenting the play and selling the book around the country people have told me; "That was my grandmother." "That was my aunt." "I wonder if that was my godmother's story" DSC: Are you still writing and doing edits or is this story for the stage complete? PG: This script is done and done. I always wanted the play to be a multi-media production. When I performed it as the 2012-2013 season opener for the off-Broadway Billie Holiday Theatre in Brooklyn, New York, I had pictures projected on a screen behind me that many people who have seen the play 2 and 3 times said enhanced the show. Although a couple of people found the pictures distracting. DSC: What memories do you want an audience member to take away from your performance? PG: I want audiences to walk away feeling inspired and empowered to take charge of their lives, really knowing that they are ultimately in charge. Bad things happen to good people all the time, but it is within us and up to us to make lemonade from the sour lemons we are given. The original title when I was writing the novel was "A Dream Deferred." I changed it to "The Resurrection of Alice" to imply a hopeful and happy resolution to circumstances that were so dreadful and heavy, that young girls in them felt dead and buried, but Alice was one who made a way out. Do you know someone in an arranged marriage? DSC wants to know. Follow us to tweet it up on Twitter@essentialtDC and become eligible for our drawing for free tickets and more. What: The Resurrection of Alice When: August 26-September 7th Where Undercroft Theatre Mt. Vernon Pl. United Methodist Church 900 Massachusetts Avenue NW Washington, DC 20001 For more Info and tickets visit: resurrectionofalice.brownpapertickets.com Made possible in Part by Support from the Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation Special presenters Initiative in partnership with DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities and The National Endowment for the Arts.  
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