JACKIE, VI, AND LENA

Photos from Jackie, Vi, and Lena

First came My Soul Is A Witness, the acclaimed chronicle of the Civil Rights Movement. Now, The JENA Company continues the story with JACKIE, VI, AND LENA…three extraordinary people who stood up in the storm.

Charismatic, intensely private, Jackie Robinson, the first black man to play Major League Baseball. His fierce heart, sharp mind, and phenomenal physical talent made him the idol of millions. Defining it all was a commitment to justice so strong, he acted on it until- literally- the last hours of his life.

Viola (Vi) Liuzzo, an overscheduled Detroit housewife… Stirred by television reports of the brutal beatings of Civil Rights workers in Alabama, she drove 1,000 miles to take part in Martin Luther King's legendary march from Selma to Montgomery. And lost her life for it. Bright, passionate, and ahead of her time, she was the only white woman enshrined on the National Civil Rights Monument.

Lena Horne, brilliant singer, stunning beauty, star… of television, recordings, Broadway, and in supper clubs and concert stages all over the world. Lena fought fiercely for Civil Rights, with words, actions, and the full force of her celebrity and fame. Sexy, elegant, tart-tongued, she was an original who called it as she saw it and told it like it was.

JACKIE, VI, AND LENA gives us the richness of their world, from jazz and bee-bop to baseball hysteria, violent protests in the streets… and the first flickerings of television. Full of vivid sounds and color, it's a past time that still echoes in our own.

But the play's true strength lies in the portraits of its heroes. Their stories, fascinating and untold, range from the joys and challenges of the everyday to events so large and shattering, they'll take your breath away.

JACKIE, VI, AND LENA -- real, vibrant, extraordinary people.

They stood up-- and alone-- in the storm.

About the Playwright David Barr III

David Barr III is the author of My Soul Is A Witness, a documentary play about the key people and events of the Civil Rights Movement, 1955-1968. Produced by The JENA Company of New York, My Soul has played over 60 cities coast to coast in two recent National Tours.

David's playwriting career began ten years ago with his first full length work, The Death of the Black Jesus. The production was the recipient of numerous awards, and earned him a 1995 Illinois Arts Council Fellowship. Produced at the Chicago Theatre Company, it was subsequently published by Dramatic Publishing Company. His two-act drama Black Caesar became the first play published for the New Plays Series in PerformInk, Chicago’s foremost entertainment paper, in 1999.

That same year he received a second Illinois Arts Council Fellowship for Playwriting/Screenwriting and won the Unicorn Theatre Company’s National Award for Ev’ry Time I Feel the Spirit, a musical about the legendary American contralto Marian Anderson.

The State of Mississippi vs. Emmett Till, was written with Mamie Till Mobley and based on the life and tragic death of her son Emmett Till. Working again with Pegasus Players, its world premiere in 1999 won wide-ranging acclaim both regionally and nationally, and productions were mounted on both coasts. In September 2003, The State of Mississippi vs. Emmett Till was staged once again to commemorate the 25th Anniversary Season of Pegasus Players.

His musical The House That Rock Built!, based on the musical legacies of Fats Domino, Chuck Berry, and Little Richard, premiered at Chicago’s Black Ensemble Theatre in late Spring 2004. His most recent piece, The Upper Room, won the Joseph Jefferson Award for Best New Play in 2005.

Written with Chris Benson, David's screenplay adaptation, The Death of Innocence, has been purchased by Fox Searchlight as a major feature film property.

JACKIE, VI, AND LENA

About the Playwright David Barr III

The JENA Company Is Also Proud To Present:

My Soul Is A Witness

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