Community Activities Enrich The Color Purple

The Umbrella Stage Company has announced a planned series of community activities to support and enrich theatergoers’ experience of this spring’s production of The Color Purple, the musical adaptation of Alice Walker’s Pulitzer Prize-winning classic novel, and the 1985 film by Steven Spielberg.

From talkbacks with the cast and moderated discussions on the show’s themes, to childcare and packaged meal options, to informative guided tours exploring the stories of Women and African Americans throughout Concord’s history, audiences will have several opportunities to engage more deeply and comfortably with this “exuberant celebration of community and female empowerment” (The Guardian).

Friday May 19 – 4PM – Pre-Show African American History of Concord Walking Tour, in partnership with Concord Visitor Center

Saturday, May 20 – 4PM – Pre-Show Women of Concord Walking Tour, in partnership with Concord Visitor Center

Sunday, May 21 – Kid-Care Performance*, Community Discussion with Kira Troilo of Art & Soul

Thursday, May 25 Night – Pre-Show Soul Food Dinner Option from Nosh; Post-show Talk Back with the cast

Friday, May 26 – 4PM – Pre-Show Women of Concord Walking Tour, in partnership with Concord Visitor Center

Saturday, May 27 – 4PM – Pre-Show African American History of Concord Walking Tour, in partnership with Concord Visitor Center

Sunday, May 28 – Brown Out Performance with Post-show Affinity Space Potluck for BIPOC Artists, Audiences & Allies — All are Welcome!

Thursday, June 1 – Pre-Show Soul Food Dinner Option from Nosh

Friday, June 2 – 4PM – Pre-Show Women of Concord Walking Tour, in partnership with Concord Visitor Center

Sunday, June 4 – Post-show Talk Back with the cast

NEW! #DinnerAndAShow Thursday Night Out Packages!

Thursdays in Concord are now a fun and easy entertainment Date Night thanks to optional pre-show dinners at The Umbrella, provided by Nosh by Concord Market!

Coming straight from work? No problem! Park free at The Umbrella, then take a load off in their beautifully renovated space. Sit to enjoy a delicious catered dinner (you can pre-order vegetarian, fish and meat options), pick up a beverage at concessions, and then explore the international art exhibition Points of Return the art galleries at your ease until it’s time for curtain!  Chef-planned themed menus for The Color Purple can be pre-ordered right up until NOON on Wednesday before  the performance; menu options can be selected and added to your online cart at the same as you are making your seat selections! See The Color Purple ticketing options.

ENTREES

  • Cauliflower Pimento Mac and Cheese
  • BBQ Pulled Pork Mac and Cheese
  • Seared Mustard Salmon with Apple Celery Slaw and Jalapeno Cornbread

DESSERT

  • Grilled Peaches with Mascarpone

 

In addition to catered Thursday dinners at The Umbrella, all of our performances are supported by day-of-show special offers from our several wonderful #DinnerAndAShowConcord Hospitality PartnersFind special discounts on meals and overnight stays here in the heart of historic Concord with partners including Adelita, Aloft/Element Hotels, Concord’s Colonial Inn, Fiorella’s, and Nosh by Concord Market!

The Umbrella Stage Company presents: Middleton Heights

The Umbrella Stage Company presents Middleton Heights

March 31 – April 23, 2023
World Premiere commissioned by The Umbrella
By Hortense Gerardo
Directed by Michelle Aguillon
Presented on the Black Box Stage

BOOK TICKETS NOW

“Funny, heartbreaking, well-paced, and full of memorable moments. [This] play left me feeling warm, full, and hungry for more” – Linda Chin, Theater Mirror

The Umbrella Stage Company is thrilled to commission its first full-length play, created by local playwright Hortense Gerardo.

Called one of “13 fresh theater productions to see this spring,” (Jacquinn Sinclair, WBUR Artery), Middleton Heights is a dark comedy that follows Meena and her Filipino family as they assimilate to life in a fictional Midwestern suburb of Cleveland, Ohio. The play traces historical events from 1967 to 2014 and the pursuit of the American Dream, refracted through the intersectional lens of the Asian American Pacific Islander immigrant experience.

In the world premiere of an original play commissioned by The Umbrella Stage Company, Hortense Gerardo’s Middleton Heights unravels a wry, charming and honest tale that follows Meena and her Filipino family as they assimilate to life in a fictional Midwestern suburb of Cleveland, Ohio. The play traces historical events from 1967 to 2014, examining transformative social moments from the Hough riots to the Robert Kennedy and MLK assassinations to the protests in the aftermath of the killing of Tamir Rice, refracted through the intersectional lens of the Asian American Pacific Islander immigrant experience and the pursuit of the American Dream.
A writer, choreographer, filmmaker, and anthropologist, Gerardo is a member of the Dramatists Guild of America and The International Center for Women Playwrights, and Director of the Anthropology, Performance and Technology Program UC San Diego. From 2018-2020, she served as the Metropolitan Area Planning Council’s artist-in-residence, promoting creative placemaking and community resilience through art throughout MAPC’s 101 cities and towns.
This production is directed by Michelle Aguillon, who has helmed several popular productions for The Umbrella Stage, including this season’s sold-out run of Kate Hamill’s DraculaFencesJoy Luck ClubTo Kill a Mockingbird, and True West, which earned a DASH Award for Best Production (Play). Aguillon and Gerardo have collaborated frequently on recent projects, including last season’s Incantation for The Umbrella Stage @Home New Works series and Scensation for the Boston Theater Marathon XXIII, among others.

Special Associated Programs

  • Friday, March 31 – Iskwelahang Pilipino (IP) Rondalla Ensemble performs pre-show
  • Sunday, April 2 – Trish Fontanilla post-show Talk Back with Playwright and Director, in partnership with BosFilipinos
  • Saturday, April 15 – Iskwelahang Pilipino (IP) Student Dance Group performs pre-show
  • Sunday, April 16 – Kid-Care Performance*, Post-show Talk Back with the cast, moderated by WPTZ NBC5 Morning Host Lauren Granada
  • Sunday, April 23 – Iskwelahang Pilipino (IP) Tinikling Dance Group performs pre-show

* The Umbrella is pleased to announce our new Kid-Care Show Program, a pilot program to give parents an opportunity to attend select performances while their child(ren) engage in art activities inspired by the production. This is a new pilot program aimed at providing better access to arts and culture events and creating a shared experience opportunity for families. Spaces are limited and can be reserved alongside ticket purchases.

Playbill Notes

Community Partners

Related Readings

Past Associated Programs

The Umbrella Stage Company was pleased to present a special program on October 30, 2021 exploring the Filipino American Experience through the dramatic writing and production process as part of the 2021 Concord Festival Authors. An interactive discussion with playwright Hortense Gerardo, director Michelle Aguillon, and actors Jude Torres, Liza Fermin-Granada, and Justin Budinoff presented a scene of an original play examining what it means to be a Filipino American in relation to the American Dream through the lens of a Filipino family in the suburbs of Cleveland. The event included a short scene-in-progress from the commissioned World Premiere!

An Evening with Laura Benanti at Umbrella Arts!

MARCH 10 & 11 at 7:30PM

“Broadway wunderkind Laura Benanti isn’t just a smashing vocalist; the woman is a comic genius…See her in any way you can!”

– Kevin Taft, EDGE Media

The “glamorously witty” (Associated Press) Tony® Award-winner and five-time Tony® Award nominee joins The Umbrella in an intimate concert performance — two nights only!

Want to know more about the Broadway star? Check out the links below!

  • See Laura’s recent interview on Good Morning America about her role on the new hit Amy Schumer series, Life and Beth, the challenges of motherhood, and how her relationship with her daughter has inspired her.
  • Get a sneak peek of Laura singing in this music video for, “Wives and Lovers”, off her solo album. The proceeds from this music video go to the wonderful organization Birth Queen, educating, supporting, and empowering Black women, parents and birthing people, enriching the Black birth experience and saving lives!

LEARN ABOUT LAURA:

Hailed by The New York Times for her “effortless” vocals, and by the New York Post for her ability to “whip up laughs out of thin air,” Laura Benanti is a highly celebrated stage and screen actress.

Ms. Benanti has an impressive television roster including Hulu’s Life & Beth, created by and starring Amy Schumer, the hit series Younger, HBO Max’s Gossip Girl reboot, and the upcoming second season of HBO Max’s The Gilded Age. Other television credits include guest starring roles on Cinema Toast, created by Jeff Baena and produced by the Duplass Brothers, ZIWE featuring comedian Ziwe Fumudoh, both for Showtime, as well as Inside Amy Schumer on Paramount+ (among many others. Benanti has also made widely acclaimed appearances on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert as Melania Trump.

In film, Benanti starred in Netflix’s Worth opposite Michael Keaton, Stanley Tucci and Amy Ryan, Here Today opposite Billy Crystal and Tiffany Haddish, and was featured in Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Tick,Tick…Boom!

In the theater, Ms. Benanti took Broadway by storm at the age of 18 as Maria in The Sound of Music and has subsequently starred in ten more Broadway shows (musicals, straight plays, comedies and dramas) including Into the WoodsNine (opposite Antonio Banderas), Gypsy (for which she won a Tony Award), She Loves MeMy Fair Lady, and Steve Martin’s Meteor Shower opposite Amy Schumer and Keegan Michael Key.

Additionally, Benanti co-authored a comedic board book for mothers entitled M is for MAMA (and also Merlot): A Modern Mom’s ABCs, co-written with Metropolitan Opera Star Kate Mangiamelli, and created and executive produced the HBO Max special Homeschool Musical: Class of 2020 based on her viral social media movement: #sunshinesongs. Benanti released a self-titled audio album for Sony Music Masterworks and tours the world performing solo concerts alongside highly celebrated musicians and orchestras.

Ms. Benanti is currently filming the Sony Pictures comedy No Hard Feelings opposite Jennifer Lawrence and Matthew Broderick, as well as The Shade based on the award-winning short of the same name.

“You can’t pin Laura Benanti down. Her shape-shifting sense of humor is immediately enchanting, but it turns out to be her secret weapon. She can feel like a goofy sister and then you blink and she’s breaking your heart. She’s dry and deadpan and then she’s full-throat laughing at something sad that happened to her. It’s disarming in the best way and the key to unlocking her talent. Her many facets keep the ground shifting and keep us from putting her in a box. It’s what makes her a great actor. By constantly surprising, she makes it seem like she can do anything.”

– Exeunt NYC, Review of Laura Benanti at Feinstein’s/54 Below