The play, which was nominated for a Pulitzer after its off-Broadway production in 1991, uses three actresses to portray all the characters in Holland's story of growing up poor in the Deep South and finding redemption in the civil rights movement and through education. The production is directed by Shirley Jo Finney and stars Bernadette Clarke, Juanita Jennings and Aloma Wright. Fountain Ave. in Hollywood. Special benefit performances of From the Mississippi Delta are planned for the School of Social Work on Thursday, Oct. 23, and the School of Theatre, on Friday, Nov. 7. Holland's play is the centerpiece of a three-month festival dedicated to African American women playwrights, poets and fiction writers.
Most events are free, but reservations are required.
For information, call the Fountain Theatre, 663-1525. A 1950s portrait of Endesha Ida Mae Holland's late mother, her namesake, Ida Mae.