Event

Frank Theatre's THE CONVERT by Danai Gurira

Frank Theatre presents Danai Gurira's THE CONVERT, a powerful play exploring British colonialism in southern Africa and the use of Christianity for cultural disruption. Frank Theatre presented Gurira's earlier work ECLIPSED (named Best of 2010 by City Pages), and since then, Gurira has made big splashes with her roles in Black Panther and The Walking Dead. THE CONVERT will be presented at Gremlin Theatre, 550 Vandalia Ave. in St. Paul, Feb. 21-March 15. Tickets at franktheatre.org.

Set in 1896 Rhodesia, a young girl whose father has passed away is to be traded, by her uncle, to an older man with ten wives in exchange for a number of goats. She escapes this forced marriage by taking refuge in the home of an African teacher in the Catholic church. In exchange, she is given a new name, forbidden to practice her traditional beliefs, required to wear clothing of the colonizers, and, eventually, is cut off from her family to prove her Christian faith. As tensions in the surrounding villages grow, THE CONVERT explores the struggle between tribal customs and the ways of the British settlers, between traditional African beliefs and the Christianity brought by the colonizers. As tensions rise in the nearby villages, resistance could mean death.

THE CONVERT will be directed by Frank Theatre's Artistic Director Wendy Knox. The cast features Maje Adams, Yinka Ayinde, Warren C. Bowles, Hope Cervantes, Ivory Doublette, A.J. Friday, and Ashe Jaafaru. Scenery is designed by Joe Stanley, with costumes by Kathy Kohl, lighting by Tony Stoeri, fight direction by Annie Enneking, and sound by Dan Dukich. The production is stage managed by Megan Fae Dougherty.