Arts Alive San Antonio

By JASMINA WELLINGHOFF, Editor

When Jade Esteban Estrada assumed the role of artistic director at the Overtime Theater just three weeks ago, he started his new job by asking a crucial question: Who is the Overtime Theater?

“We can’t do everything here, so we needed to define what we wanted to accomplish,” he said in an interview Tuesday. “We need to focus on what we are good at, and one thing that we have always been is a home for playwrights. So, my first week here, I started the New Play Development Series as an ongoing program that allows playwrights to have stage readings, and see their work grow in the hands of actors and directors.”

With that in mind, he sent out a call for new scripts, specifically from black playwrights given that February is Black History Month. In poured more than 60 scripts from across the nation, and one of those, “Coco Queens,” stood out in a special way. “It really touched my heart,” said Estrada. He then explained further: “We can become trapped in our own identity. I know what it’s like to be Mexican-American, for instance, but you don’t always understand how other people deal with their identity. When I read this script, I saw what the characters – four black women – had to deal with, not only as women but as black women in the 1970s. The play really shows what it was like for black women at that time.”

Written by Los Angeles-based writer, LaDarrion Williams, the play is set in a small town called Helena in Alabama and focuses on the aforementioned black women who are dealing with an array of personal challenges as well as challenges imposed on black women by society. However, a major theme in the play is forgiveness, noted Estrada.

“There are several things going on, but the central theme of the play is about the challenge of forgiving someone you don’t want to forgive,” he added. “Forgiveness is something everybody grapples with. Forgiveness takes a lot of work, and it becomes very hard if you are not willing to do that work.”

As young women, three of the characters– Dawn, Tammie and Chantal – were in a pop music group together and had fun performing as a group. But one of them, Dawn, eventually became a star who pursued a successful career, leaving the other two behind.  While Tammie found happiness in being a wife and mother, Chantal, the group’s songwriter, became resentful and angry. When Dwan tries to reunite with her former friends, Chantal is not exactly welcoming.

Matters are further complicated by the fact that Dawn is light-skinned because her father was white, while Chantal is dark-skinned. And to make things worse, Dawn got the man that Chantal was in love with.

The fourth character, Gloria, in an older and wiser woman who tries to bring harmony between group members and teach the younger crowd about counterproductive historical divisions among black women.

The four characters will be portrayed by Danielle King, Shania Thomas, former District 2 councilwoman Jada Andrews Sullivan, and Denise Swain. Aisha Love, who is also black, is the director. Estrada emphasized that it was important to him to have a black female director for this play.

Casting was easy, he noted. “The play got the attention of black actors in San Antonio.” Because of COVID, the artistic director would like to have an understudy for all roles in this and other shows, and that appears to be definitely feasible, given the acting community’s response.

“The Overtime is a place where I want to give everyone an opportunity,” said Estrada. “Many black actors told me that opportunities for them were few in San Antonio. I want that to change. And there are lots of stories that we want to tell.” The New Play Development Series will continue, running concurrently with the main-stage programming. Each play will receive two rehearsals, a public staged reading and an audience feedback session.
 ——————————————————————————————————————–
Staged Reading of “Coco Queens” Feb. 3 at 7 p.m.; Overtime Theater, 5409 Bandera Rd., Suite 205; tickets $9 at the door or online at www.theovertimetheater.org; 210-557-7562