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Hattiloo Theatre will soon have its first performance in Africa.
“Blues in the Night” will run Feb. 5–22 at the Market Theatre in Johannesburg, South Africa.
The theater was founded in 1976 at the height of the struggle to end the country’s oppressive apartheid laws.
In 1995, the theater received the American Jujamcyn Award and became internationally recognized as South Africa’s “Theatre of Struggle.”
“Blues in the Night,” Sheldon Epps’ Tony Award-nominated musical, showcases blues, jazz and gospel through 26 numbers encompassing love and heartache.
The production will feature Memphis talent, including director and choreographer Emma Crystal; musical director Ashley Davis; and performers Jamille Hunter, Grant Kee, Chasity Alliston and Zan’Tarria R. Edwards.
“This will be the first time I have gone to the continent of Africa,” Crystal said during a rehearsal on Tuesday night. “I have been talking about it for years. I want to go to the continent. That’s all I’ve ever called it, ‘the continent.’”
The all-Memphis cast will spend a month in South Africa, with support from Hattiloo.
“Hattiloo is generous in that they are covering meals and transportation and housing and all of that stuff,” Crystal said. “And there is a stipend for the actors. Because, yeah, nobody can live for a whole month with nothing.”
“I really am grateful to (Hattiloo’s founder and CEO) Ekundayo Bandele — just the way his mind works. He’s always thinking about partnerships with the growth and all of that, and to be able to offer things like this to locals is amazing.”
Crystal says this is just the beginning of a partnership with the Market Theatre.
“I just think the partnership is such a beautiful idea. You take the rich Southern culture from here and take it to a beautiful place like Johannesburg, South Africa. Yeah, it’s a good partnership.”
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