If I Should Wake Review – A Greenway Court Theatre Twentieth Anniversary Celebration

Madeleine Humphries in "Body Quakes" - Photo courtesy of Greenway Court Theatre
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In 2000, the Greenway Court Theatre first opened its doors with the premiere of “Sonnets for an Old Century,” a series of monologs set in the afterlife. How fitting that – twenty years later – the Greenway Court Theatre presents a collection of eight monologs bringing many of the “Sonnets” thoughts and perspectives to the very different world of 2020. IF I SHOULD WAKE has been divided into two parts, each with four monologs exploring some contemporary – and also timeless – issues in a fresh and creative way.

Sammy June in “The Waiting Room” – Photo courtesy of Greenway Court Theatre

PART 1 opens with “The Waiting Room,” a tale featuring Sammy June as Billie, an Instagram celebrity who has been stuck in her childhood bedroom for months courtesy of COVID – and who must now re-read and re-think her teenage diary entries.

In the second monolog, Madeleine Humphries as SJ in “Body Quakes,” a piece by Arianna Basco. Love, loss of identity, and independence clash as a woman realizes that she must reclaim her body when her former lover returns.

Larry Powell in “The Reclamation of my Black Ass Imagination: An Awakening” – Photo courtesy of Greenway Court Theatre

“The Reclamation of my Black Ass Imagination: An Awakening” features Larry Powell as just Somebody, with movement provided by Jamal Wade. Has someone stolen his imagination? And can he imagine it back?

Jon Victor Corpus in “Francis” – Photo courtesy of Greenway Court Theatre

The final piece in PART 1 is “Francis,” penned by Boni B. Alvarez and featuring Jon Victor Corpus as Francis. Surfing the web can be quite an experience – but perhaps the electronic sea has a life of its own.

Carla Valentine in “They Say My Name” – Photo courtesy of Greenway Court Theatre

PART 2 opens with “They Say My Name” by Inda Craig-Galvan. Featuring Carla Valentine as Jackie, this hapless lady has been clinging desperately to a pole over an abyss for 49 days – but perhaps this is the day that everything changes. Should she let go?

Shanelle Darlene in “Cassandra” – Photo courtesy of Greenway Court Theatre

“Cassandra” by Alex Alpharaoh features Shanelle Darlene as Cassandra, a college freshman who gets to share her divorced father’s thoughts and dreams through a poignant letter in which she suddenly realizes the sacrifices which he made to make sure that he stayed in her life.

Diana Burbano in “Quicksand” – Photo courtesy of Greenway Court Theatre

Diana Burbano is both author and actor in “Quicksand,” her wanderings through downtown Los Angeles as her own traumatic history unfolds.

Trieu Tran in “The Let Go” – Photo courtesy of Greenway Court Theatre

Finally, Yehuda Hyman’s “The Let Go” features Trieu Tran as He. As his body dies and turns to a vaporous haze, he meets a stranger who is also fading away – but will this stop them from a final new kind of dance?

IF I SHOULD WAKE offers a peek at some young talents as they consider life, death, and everything before, in between, and after. Presented online, the eight monologs aptly reflect 2020, a time of plague, uncertainty, and isolation – but also of creativity.

IF I SHOULD WAKE is screened in two parts. Part 1 originally streamed at 7 p.m. (PST) from 11/20/20 and continued on demand through 11/27/20, with a reprise from 12/4/20 to 12/10/20. Part 2 began streaming at 7 p.m. (PST) on 11/27/20 and continues on demand through 12/10/20. Both Part 1 and Part 2 are free online, and each is 45 minutes long.

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