The Huntington's world premiere of Obie winner Kirsten Greenidge's Our Daughters, Like Pillars—about a whirlwind week in the life of a contemporary Black Boston family—officially opens at the Massachusetts venue April 20 following previews that began April 8.
Directed by Kimberly Senior (Disgraced), performances continue through May 8 at Huntington’s Calderwood Pavilion at the BCA, with digital access to a filmed performance available through May 22.
Originally scheduled to premiere in March 2020, the cast and crew were about to start technical rehearsals when COVID-19 shut down live performance venues around the world.
The story about the Shaw family begins when Lavinia brings her sisters and mother on a much-needed family vacation. She has planned the week to the smallest detail, and if Lavinia gets her way, they will stay forever.
The cast features Lyndsay Allyn Cox as Zelda, the free-spirited, youngest sibling of the Shaw family; Lizan Mitchell as Yvonne, the matriarch of the Shaw family, who raised all three girls on her own after their father left; Julian Parker as Paul, the romantic interest of Zelda, who he met two weeks before agreeing to accompany her on a family vacation; Postell Pringle as Morris, Lavinia’s husband, who regularly assists in her antics; Nikkole Salter as Lavinia, the eldest sister who has rented out a vacation house in New Hampshire under the guise of a family reunion; Cheryl D. Singleton as Missy, the stepmother of the Shaw sisters, who arrives unexpectedly on their family trip; and Arie Thompson as Octavia, the accomplished and intelligent middle sister, whose marriage is slowly falling apart.
The production also has set design by Marion Williams, costume design by Sarita Fellows, lighting design by Mary Louise Geiger, hair, wig, and makeup design by Tommy Kurzman, and sound design by Jane Shaw. The production stage manager is Kevin Schlagle, and the stage manager is Ashley Pitchford.
“Given how difficult the last years have been for so many of us, I hope this play offers an invitation to get lost in another space for a short bit of time,” playwright Greenidge says. “I hope audiences enjoy the story of this particular family. I hope they laugh.”
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