Regina Taylor
All Stories

The playwright for the ninth installment in Carthage’s New Play Initiative is Golden Globe and NAACP Image Award winner Regina Taylor. Ms. Taylor’s play “The Regina Taylor Project: A Seat at the Table” will have its world debut on the Carthage stage in March 2017.

“Regina Taylor is a big get for us, being both an acclaimed actress and an acclaimed playwright,” said Theatre Department Chair Prof. Martin McClendon. “We’ve also had a lot of male playwrights in the past, so it’s nice to follow up last year’s playwright Caridad Svich with Ms. Taylor. It’s really a home run.”

Ms. Taylor, an actress, director, and playwright, has segued between television and film. She also has been active on the stage, and she holds the honor of being the first black woman to play William Shakespeare’s Juliet in “Romeo and Juliet” on Broadway. She is an artistic associate with the Goodman Theatre in Chicago and the resident playwright for the Signature Company in New York. She earned the Edgerton Foundation New American Play Award in 2010 and her critically acclaimed musical “Crowns” earned four Helen Hayes awards.

The play focuses on the life of voting rights activist Fannie Lou Hamer, from her beginnings in abject poverty to the halls of power in Washington, where she testified before the Democratic National Convention with the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. Utilizing iconic songs immortalized during the struggle for civil rights, this new play will span Ms. Fannie Lou Hamer’s life while still connecting to contemporary struggles regarding race.

“The play deals with the struggle of overcoming gender and racial bias in society,” Prof. McClendon said. “These issues unfortunately still loom large today. These are the questions our students are confronted with in class and in everyday life, and we’re always excited when our work onstage reflects that.”

About the New Play Initiative

Carthage commissions acclaimed playwrights to create plays and to work with Carthage students. Students experience the joys and challenges that come with being a part of the creative process and to make history. Many times, roles are created with a specific student in mind to fill that character’s shoes. The production is not just a new play for the season, but a brand new play for the world of theatre. Many of these productions have gone on to win accolades at the annual Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival.

The Spring Performances of the 2016-17 Theatre Season

Main Stage Performances - Wartburg Theatre

The Regina Taylor Project: A Seat at the Table (New Play Initiative World Premiere)
March 3-11
Written by Regina Taylor
Directed by Martin McClendon
Music Direction by Dimitri Shapovalov

The Mystery of Edwin Drood
April 28-May 6
Written by Rupert Holmes
Directed by John Maclay
Music Direction by Corinne Ness and E. Ed Kawakami

Studio Series - Studio Theatre

A History of Falling Things
Feb. 16-18
Written by James Graham
Directed by Logan Milway ’17

Dance Concert: Away From The Mirror
April 8-9
Choreographed by Carthage dance minors