The Daughters of the Kush by George Corbin

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L - R Alisa Murray, Dee Dee Stephens, Vanoy Burnough - Photos by Alberto Santillan

By Joe Straw

Pledging a fraternity in the south in the 1970s—after weeks of working hard, getting signatures and cleaning the fraternity house, I heard that I was being blackballed. Actually that didn’t surprise me, what surprised me was that my lifelong friends, at that time, told me there was nothing to worry about.  “Well”, they said, “not much.”

I knew who was throwing the blackball my way.  Not much I could do about it except try not to worry, keep a low profile, and keep moving in the right direction.

The big night came; they put my pledge class, about 11 of us, in an unkempt room upstairs in the frat house.  We sat among the stench of wet towels, soiled sheets, and someone’s ungodly body order, waiting. 

Some had somber faces before they were led down to be grilled.  First they asked questions; then they threw the pledge out the front door like a scene from a western movie.  

Now it was my turn. I took the blindfolded steps down the stairway and into the living room.  

A fraternity brother yanked the blindfold off and splashed the spotlight into my face.  Gorgonized, I saw the shadows of about forty members sitting on used dilapidated furniture around the living room; ever so quiet except for the occasional beer can being crushed under the weight of someone’s foot, but nevertheless, between belches, they took their jabs and jobs very seriously and asked poignant questions.

Some questions were easy, others were harder, and then came this, “Are you a smart ass?”

I knew who it was, I let out an exasperated sigh, mixed with a smile, and said: “When I’m in the mood.”

I heard unexpected laughter, all around the room, even from the questioner and for the time being I was saved. – Narrator

The world premier play, The Daughters of the Kush by George Corbin and directed by Veronica Thompson is now playing at the Stella Adler Theatre through October 29^th, 2017 in Hollywood. The Robey Theatre Company Advance Playwrights Lab developed the play.

The smallest of lies can alter a life dramatically.  The lie can be historic or current, either way it can have a lasting effect.

The time of the play is 1963.  Martin Luther King, Jr. and Malcolm X are having a dramatic impact on African American college students. Little went unnoticed, from the Civil Rights protest to the four young girls killed in the 16^th Street Church Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama (Addie Mae Collins, Cynthia Wesley, Carol Robertson and Carol Denise McNair).

But now, Clara (Vanoy Burnough), Brenda (Dee Dee Stephen), and Rhonda (Alisa Murray) are in a lot of trouble.  They, members of the Kappa Lambda Nu sorority, sit politely in chairs and wait for the questions they know will be coming.

Campus police Sgt. Diggs (Mack Miles) is the only African-American officer at Plaines University, which is located in Iowa. He watches the polite young ladies intently as he questions their nocent world about the death of a white pledge, Kathy (Hannah Mae Sturges), who allegedly threw herself out of an eight-story dorm room.

There’s something wrong in their answers, the way they speak about Kathy, the deceased.  Rhonda is deeply upset and crying. Brenda, president chair and pre-law major, is cautious about disclosing information.  Clara, the pledge chair, is angry about the way things went down, throwing out false information and misleading statements. The three indicate they will help in the investigation.

Sgt. Diggs moves on to collect more evidence before the night is through.

And then, we go back in time to see how the drama unfolds. Rhonda, Brenda and Clara sit in Clara’s bedroom, along with Ida (Paris Nicole), an exuberant Kandie pledge, willing to do anything to make her sisters happy.  They put Kandie pledge Ida to work shining shoes when Frat Boy (Conor Sheehan) busts into their room on a panty raid.

L - R Conor Sheehan, Vanoy Burnough, and Paris Nicole

But, white Frat Boy wears a Confederate uniform and immediately knows he is in the wrong place.  The girls grab him and tie him to a chair.  And straightaway, they ask questions, get creative, and put him on a mock trial, until an authoritative voice is heard coming from the hall.  They paint Frat boy’s face with black shoe polish and untie him before they throw him into the hall and all is back to normal.

The young ladies cheer and dance suddenly stopping when Kandie pledge Ida oversteps by joining in and dancing exuberantly. Ida stops, rings her tiny bell, and is dismissed.   

College life continues when Kathy, having set her sights on Kappa Lambda Nu, first inches her way in through Rhonda’s psychology club and then battles through Clara’s obstructionism.  Later, Kathy has the attention of Barry (Brandon Raines), a white assistant track coach; unfortunately Clara has her eyes on him as well.  

Brandon Raines and Vanoy Burnough

And, for the sake of reality, not once on this night did I see anyone open a book and study.  

George Corbin, the playwright, has written a fascinating play that captures the spirit of the times. And while not everything works, there is burning energy and a wonderful core from which to build from this solid foundation. When moments are simple, Corbin excels in dramatic ecstasy.   For example, light skinned Clara’s wonderful story about her white father. Also, the dancing scene with Rhonda and Kathy is so delightful because it starts with a confession, to a plea, and ends in a delightful unity of compassion and love. These are the moments that stay with you long after the night has past.

Hannah Mae Sturges and Alisa Murray

Daughters of the Kush, (the sorority sisters) refers to the women who were from a country south of Egypt, which is now Sudan, and one would suggest the women of that region were dark, all dark.

Sadly we don’t see the sorority sisters get together and discuss allowing a white girl to pledge. There is no scene showing Kathy, her sponsor Rhonda, being introduced to the rest of the sorority sisters.

One thinks the character Barry is responsible for the trouble the young ladies have all gotten themselves into but his actions on stage were pretty tame, even for 1963.

What fails to work are the scenes of hatred that has one sister threating a pledge do to her dirty work for ambiguous reasons. Those scenes require the character to show us the connection, a visible and viable backstory that ties her to that desperate action.   

Also, we are left in the end with the major characters not really feeling good about how their relationship has ended because of this tragedy. And they all go on with their lives holding on to another grave secret, a secret that protects the bonds of being sorority sisters, but ultimately hurts their being as they move on in life.

Also, one got the impression from the first scene that the sisters were recreating the events for the campus police, the reason we go back in time.  This was not the case.

Veronica Thompson, the director, does well in this outing except for the scene changes, which are long and laborious, and stop the momentum of play. Set pieces moved creatively by actors would accomplish two things, one: give real life interactions as one would see in academia and two, would creatively move the play along judiciously.  Aside from dramatic costume changes, the actors need never leave the stage, or possibly they may move in just before their scene.  Clara’s scene alone on stage where she suddenly turns into an angry women, didn’t work, and there wasn’t a basis for why it was there or how it moved the play along.

One would like to see the dance number at curtain call moved up to near the beginning and used as a recruiting device for prospective pledges performed in the commons. This will also facilitate a stronger bond and a richer history between the sisters.  Then move on to the psychology club scene. 

Nancy Renee, Costume Designer, does magnificent work dressing everyone in the 1963 period, and that was outstanding!  

Vanoy Burnough has some marvelous moments as Clara.  Through a set of circumstances she becomes a heavy character in this play and very hard to like at the end. There must be a better approach to the character as she moves in ways that are unbecoming, threatening (the screw driver scene was too much), and sometimes dangerous.  The scene about her father was outstanding and maybe that is the key for other moments in the play with her boyfriend, the pledge, and her sorority sisters.

Mack Miles

Mack Miles seemed to have opening night jitters in his first moments as Diggs.  Those early moments on stage need to set a tone, as the sorority sisters recreate the events leading up to Kathy’s death. But by the end, Miles settled down and really had the character nailed. Miles has a wonderful look and was exceptional.

Alisa Murray is delightful as Rhonda. She is a stunning actor with expressive eyes and an extremely viable craft. Initially, she won’t give an inch to let a white girl join her sorority, but eventually she is open to the possibility, and these transitions in the character present an exceptional craft.

Paris Nicole has some terrific moments as Ida.  And, as far as the progression of the play, her moments accumulated quite nicely right up until the end of the play. It was terrific work and Nicole was outstanding.

Dee Dee Stephens has a stoic presence as Brenda, the leader or president of these young ladies.  Brenda does not give away much and, because she knows everyone’s secret, the less she says the better it is for all of them.  Still I would want to know: what drives this character and what overreaching conflict keeps her from getting it?  

Hanna Mae Sturges is terrific as Kathy.  Sturges has a strong craft and is powerful in her scenes.  But, everything seems so easy for her. She gets her way, all of the time.  She gets the boyfriend.  She is easy to get along with.  Where is the conflict that keeps her from reaching her objective? What drives her and why is she not getting it?

Brandon Raines employs his southern accent (Tennessee?) as Barry, the white assistant track coach, who is single and on the prowl.  We need more of a backstory from Raines. Also, we need to see the thing that keeps him from kissing the girl.  In order for there to be more dramatic conflict, we need to see a stronger interest in both women, in fact this white character should take these choices to the extreme measure to give dramatic movement to the story.  

Connor Sheehan is terrific as the confederate Frat Boy.  The scene he is in plays very well.  There is more to add to this character, humiliation is one thing that would give this character more mileage in this scene. Revenge is another, revenge to those that got him in this predicament. A sincere apology would work and maybe a panty for his effort. He can do this without adding dialogue. 

Charlotte Evelyn Williams

Charlotte Evelyn Williams did not perform the night I was there. 

Kappa Lambda Nu is the name of this fictionalized sorority in this play. (Kappa Lambda Nu was also the name of a fraternity in the successful television show “A Different World”, in fact Wikipedia has a list of fictionalized fraternities and sororities if one were interested.    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_fictional_fraternities_and_sororities).

Other members of the crew are as follows:

Kristina Roth – Production Stage Manager

Kenneth Cosby – Lighting Designer/Projectionist

Mark V. Jones – Set Designer

Christian Cesena – Assistant Stage Manager

Melvin Ishmael Johnson – Production Consultant

JC Cadena – Social Media Director

Kurt Maxey – Consultant

Judy Bowman – Promotion

The welcomers in the front of the house were so welcoming!  They are as follows:

Charlotte Plummer

Pam Noles

Raquel Rosser

Levi Austin Morris

Spencer Frankeberger

Run!  And take a sorority sister with you.  Between the dramas there are a lot of funny moments in this play that you will both enjoy.

Stella Adler Theatre

6773 Hollywood Blvd. 2^nd Floor

Hollywood, CA  90028

Reservations: 213-908-5032

Online Ticketing: https://corbinkush.eventbrite.com