First Run Theatre: Dreaming in Black & White

NEW ORIGINAL PLAY

Dreaming in Black & White

Summer, 1963.  Danville, Virginia.  Here and elsewhere in the South, civil rights protests are dividing the races.  Half a world away, a war is heating up that’ll also have folks choosing sides.  Less ominous but vying for attention are a looming presidential election and a down-to-the-wire race for the National League pennant.  

Against this backdrop, we meet Sonny – white, bitter, suffering the effects of rheumatic heart disease – who hopes to live long enough to see his son play major league baseball;  Pearlene – black and poor – who dreams of seeing her troubled son employed;  Sister – Sonny’s live-in, care-giving sister – who seeks a life free of Sonny’s manipulation;  Lucille – a wacky friend and confidant prone to visions – who’s finding her way in a changing South; and Charlie – Lucille’s husband – who fears change.

Dreams and fears collide when Pearlene is hired to help care for Sonny who’s chased away dozens of other would-be caretakers.   The pair form a bond based on a their mutual interest in baseball and their dreams for their sons.  Too bad the bond is severely tested by a series of twists, turns and reversals.  Along the way, enemies are revealed and defeated, relationships are ended and begun, and dreams are considered and reconciled.