2024/2025 Anniversary Theatre Season

Coppin State University’s resident theatre company, Coppin Repertory Theatre, will raise the curtain on its twentieth season of plays, called the Anniversary Theatre Season, celebrating the rich artistic heritage of African American culture through theatre. This year’s schedule features three shows—two new dramas, and an ancient Greek classic.

Marty and the Hands That Could, the season premiere, is a new play by Coppin’s Playwright in Residence, Josh Wilder. The protagonist, Marty, is released from prison on the eve of his 25th birthday. He returns home to his family, equipped with a handwritten manuscript and big dreams to turn his life around. But his cousin Junior has also come home with problems of his own, setting them on a collision course as they struggle to break free of the curse that has haunted their family for generations. Can Marty put his hands to good use, or is his fate already written? Performances are scheduled in the James Weldon Johnson Auditorium October 10-13, 2024.

Antigone, Sophocles’ perennial classic, explores the tension between personal morality and the laws of the state, the nature of justice, the role of fate in human life, and the danger of excessive pride. This exploration produces a thought-provoking play that has been deliberated throughout the centuries. The central figure is Antigone, the daughter of Oedipus and Jocasta, who displays an unwavering commitment to her familial duty and to the gods, even in the face of opposition from the state. Her character challenges the audience to consider the importance of standing up for one’s beliefs, even in the face of resistance from authority. King Creon, her uncle, on the other hand, is blinded to the higher rulings of the gods. He exhibits a resolute adherence to the law, maintaining order and stability for the peace of his state. The complicated relationship between personal conscience and law, tackled within the play, has enshrined Antigone as one of the most famous Greek tragedies. Production dates are December 5-8, 2024 in the Theatre Lab.

Leftovers, another new work by Josh Wilder, is the season finale. Jalil and Kwamaine just want their family to be “Cosby Show happy,” but that kind of life does not seem to be in the cards—until an enormous dandelion pops up in front of their South Philly home and wishes start falling from the sky. Seizing the possibility of no longer feeling like the city's leftovers, the brothers begin to dream their way out of the cycle of poverty that has governed their lives and find themselves on an adventure they never could have imagined. Leftovers closes the Anniversary Season again in the Theatre Lab, running May 1-4, 2025.

For more information about the Anniversary Theatre Season, call, or email Dr. Hyatt in the Visual and Performing Arts Area at (410) 951-3369 or [email protected].

2023/2024 Theatre Season

Ghosts

April 25-28, 2024

Written by Henrik Ibsen, Adapted by Richard Eyre

Directed by Willie O. Jordan

Though written in 1881, Henrik Ibsen’s domestic tragedy is still urgent, timely and relevant today. The play asks each of us to confront some very poignant questions: How does the past influence the present? How does society invade our personal lives? What do we do with the lies, deceit, and hypocrisy? Can we free ourselves from dead ideas, dead customs, and dead morals as we face our Ghosts?

Chicken & Biscuits

February 29 - March 10, 2024

Written by Douglas Lyons

Directed by Daniel Carter

Chicken & Biscuits is a raucous family comedy so full of laughter and love, it’ll leave you begging for seconds. The Jenkins family is coming together to celebrate the life of the family patriarch—hopefully without killing each other! But any hopes for a peaceful reunion unravel when a shocking family secret shows up at the funeral. A feel-good comedy that will feed your soul.

Pipeline

November 10-12, 2023

Written by Dominique Morisseau

Directed by Willie O. Jordan

A mother’s choices. A son’s rage. A rigged education system. In PIPELINE’s opening scene we meet Nya, a dedicated teacher in an inner-city public high school, who has just discovered that her son’s in trouble. After one impulsive act, Omari is in danger of being expelled from his upstate private school, and Nya’s hopes for his bright future are threatened. With language lyrical and potent, Morisseau’s deeply compassionate and dynamic award-winning play dives into the painful truth of “the school-to-prison pipeline.”

Shakin' The Mess Outta Misery

September 28 - October 1, 2023

Written by Shay Youngblood

Directed by Rashida Forman-Bey

Adapted from the Shay Youngblood's book, THE BIG MAMA STORIES, SHAKIN' THE MESS OUTTA MISERY is the inspirational, semi-autobiographical story of a young black girl's coming of age in the 1960s South. "Daughter," the main character and 25-year-old narrator, lost her mother when she was very young and a community of women raised her, some blood related, some not. As she remembers how her 'Big Mamas' prepared her for womanhood, the women enter to tell their stories and "Daughter" becomes a child again, reliving her vivid memories of growing up--recalling the rituals, the faith healings, and the stories she was told and the lessons she learned about survival, healing, sisterhood, family, and faith. Youngblood's play confirms the African proverb—"It takes a village to raise a child."

2022-2023 Theatre Season

Pipeline

March 2-5, 2023

Written by Dominique Morisseau

Directed by Willie O. Jordan

A mother’s choices. A son’s rage. A rigged education system. In PIPELINE’s opening scene we meet Nya, a dedicated teacher in an inner-city public high school, who has just discovered that her son’s in trouble. After one impulsive act, Omari is in danger of being expelled from his upstate private school, and Nya’s hopes for his bright future are threatened. With language lyrical and potent, Morisseau’s deeply compassionate and dynamic award-winning play dives into the painful truth of “the school-to-prison pipeline.”

Shakin' The Mess Outta Misery

April 27 - May 7, 2023

Written by Shay Youngblood

Directed by Rashida Forman-Bey

Adapted from the Shay Youngblood's book, THE BIG MAMA STORIES, SHAKIN' THE MESS OUTTA MISERY is the inspirational, semi-autobiographical story of a young black girl's coming of age in the 1960s South. "Daughter," the main character and 25-year-old narrator, lost her mother when she was very young and a community of women raised her, some blood related, some not. As she remembers how her 'Big Mamas' prepared her for womanhood, the women enter to tell their stories and "Daughter" becomes a child again, reliving her vivid memories of growing up--recalling the rituals, the faith healings, and the stories she was told and the lessons she learned about survival, healing, sisterhood, family, and faith. Youngblood's play confirms the African proverb—"It takes a village to raise a child."

Broke-ology

November 10-13, 2022

Written by Nathan Louis Jackson

In Broke-ology, despite economic and emotional hardships, the King family has survived thanks to their love for and dedication to one another. William, the father afflicted with MS, still lives in the house in which his sons grew up, continuously grasping at the memories of his late wife, Sonia, and the dreams they shared of a better future for their children. Ennis, his elder son, takes care of William despite the pressure that comes with having a baby of his own on the way. Malcolm, the younger son, is a college graduate recently returned home after a taste of life outside the asphyxiating cycle of poverty and struggle in which he was raised. When the offer of a job in Connecticut tempts Malcolm into leaving for good, he is forced to decide between his duty to his family and his refusal to further defer the dreams of his father.

The Overcomers Theatre Season 2021-2022

Colorblind: The Katrina Monologues

May 1-31, 2021

By Tom Flannery

Directed by Azya Maxton

On the morning of August 29, 2005, Hurricane Katrina hit southeast Louisiana. Today, it is still remembered as the most apocalyptic storm to hit the US, causing severe damage along the Gulf Coast. In the aftermath of the storm, the federal flood protection system in New Orleans failed in more than fifty places, causing nearly every levee to break. Thousands of families were uprooted. More than 1800 persons lost their lives. Flannery's Katrina Monologues tells the stories of nine people affected by Hurricane Katrina and its aftermath.

Blues For an Alabama Sky

October 29-31, 2021

By Pearl Cleage

It's the summer of 1930 and the promises of the Harlem Renaissance are giving way to the dashed dreams of the Great Depression. Playwright Pearl Cleage tells a strikingly modern story about four friends whose lives and passions collide when an innocent newcomer from Alabama arrives in New York.

Private Wars

November 4-5, 2021
The Theatre Lab, Grace Jacobs Building, Lower Level

• Thursday November 4th at 10:30 a.m.
• Friday, November 5th at 10:30 a.m.
• Friday, November 5th at 7:30 p.m.

By James McClure

Popular anti-war comedy about the humorous and intense recovery of three Viet Nam Vets from physical wounds and PTSD.

Admission: $10 General, $5 Coppin Student with ID

Fully masked audience, proof of vaccination or negative test result within 72 hours

The Colored Museum

April 21-24, 2022

• April 21 & 22 at 7:30 p.m.
• April 23 & 24 at 3:00 p.m.

By George C. Wolfe

A poignant, socially-conscious, satirical comedy, The Colored Museum is a depiction of black culture in America, especially relevant in today’s world of “Black Lives Matter”. Tony Award-winning playwright, George C. Wolfe, takes us on a journey of Black culture with an “in-your-face,” non-apologetic, “take no prisoners” satire that electrifies, unsettles, and delights audiences of all colors.

84th Annual Conference of the National Association of Dramatic and Speech Arts (NADSA)

April 6-9, 2022

Coppin State University
2500 W. North Avenue
Baltimore, MD 21216

The Glass Menagerie

May 6-8, 2022

By Tennessee Williams

An American classic of great tenderness, charm, and beauty, The Glass Menagerie is an icon of the American theater. Known as Tennessee Williams's autobiographical “memory play,” we meet the Wingfield family—frustrated writer Tom, his nagging mother, Amanda, who is often lost in memories of her Southern-belle past, and his painfully shy sister, Laura—and the effect a visit from a “gentleman caller” for Laura has on all their lives.

2019-2020 The Season of Change

2018-2019 The Commemorative Theatre Season

Theatre Trip to New York City to see The Lion King on Broadway

For Colored Girls… by Ntozake Shange (October 2018)

Harlem Renaissance Program (original world premiere of student-written production, Harlem Song) (November 2018)

A Soldier’s Play by Charles Fuller (December 2018)

KCACTF Region II Festival 2019 at Montclair State University in Montclair, New Jersey (January 2019)

A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry (March 2019)

NADSA Conference 2019—Coppin State University is host (April 2019)

2017-2018 The Social Justice Theatre Season

Suspects in America by Willie Holmes

Tell Pharaoh by Loften Mitchell

KCACTF Region II Festival 2018 at Indiana University, Pennsylvania

For Colored Girls… by Ntozake Shange

2016-2017 The Awakening Theatre Season

You’re A Good Man Charlie Brown

Homeplace by Claudette Alexander-Thomason

Suspects in America (A Staged Reading) by Willie Holmes

2015-2016 The Community Theatre Season

Zooman and the Sign by Charles Fuller

Under the Skin by Michael Hollinger

Homeplace (A Staged Reading) by Claudette Alexander-Thomason

2014-2015 The Nobility Theatre Season

A Lesson Before Dying by Romulus Linney

Jar the Floor by Cheryl L. West

2013-2014 The Revelation Season

Truth Stands, a world premiere by Cynthia Hardeman (October 2013)

To Be Young, Gifted and Black by Lorraine Hansberry (November 2013) Adapted by Robert Nemiroff

The Waiting Room By Samm-Art Williams (March 2014)

2012-2013 Season

From the Mississippi Delta by Endesha Ida Mae Holland (October 2012)

Harriet Jacobs by Lydia Diamond (November 2012 & February 2013)

One Night Only- A Christmas Show by James Macon Grant (December 2012)

2011-2012 Season

Every Tongue Confess by Marcus Gardley (October 2011)

From the Mississippi Delta by Endesha Ida Mae Holland (December 2011)

God’s Trombones: From Test to Testimony by James Weldon Johnson; Adapted by D. Wambui Richardson (April 2012)

2010-2011 Season

In the Blood by Suzan-Lori Parks (October 2010)

Antigone by Sophocles (November 2010)

God’s Trombones by James Weldon Johnson (April 2011)

2009-2010 Season

The Colored Museum by George C. Wolfe (November 2009)

Constant Star by Tazewell Thompson (March 2010)

Pill Hill by Samuel Kelley (April 2010)

Guest Artists Series

Students engage and interact with several prominent and emerging artists in our Theatre Arts Program. These artists visit the campus to act, direct, design, speak, and teach master workshops. Some of our past guests included: 

• Ruben Arana-Downs
• Nicoye Banks
• David Barr III
• Christopher Benson
• Trezana Beverley
• Maria Broom
• Phillip Burgess
• Kevin Carroll
• Rosiland Cauthen
• Anthony Chisholm
• Sharlene Clinton
• Kurt Columbus
• Aunjanue Ellis
• Cynthia Hardeman
• Charlene Harris
• Gregory J. Horton
• Sallah Jenkins
• Timothy Jones
• Lillie Kahkonen
• Woodie King, Jr.
• Kwame  Kwei-Armah
• Antoinette McDonald
• David Mitchell
• Prince No Ra
• Howard Overshown
• Donald Owens
• Marc Payne
• Rain Pryor
• D. Wambui Richardson
• Jefferson Russell
• Sadiqa  
• Mark St. Germain
• Daniel Sunjata   
• Alvin Sykes
• L. Steven Taylor
• Claudette Alexander Thomason
• R. Paul Thomason
• Douglas Turner Ward
• Allan Weeks
• Linda West
• Robert White
• Samm-Art Williams
• Ian Wooldridge

National Organizations and Festivals

Coppin students attend, participate, and compete in several national organizations and festivals.

The National Association of Dramatic and Speech Arts (NADSA)

NADSA is an association of students, faculty, staff, alumni and other arts/entertainment professionals from historically black colleges and universities across the country. Founded in 1936, NADSA is today the nation’s oldest surviving educational theatre association. The four-day annual conference, held in March or April, features a series of workshops, competitions, performances, panels and plenaries. Theatre and speech communication enthusiasts use NADSA as an opportunity to network, build skillsets, and share best practices of the field.

Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival

The Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival (KCACTF) is a national theater program involving 18,000 students annually from colleges and universities across the country. KCACTF aims to:

• Encourage, recognize, and celebrate the finest and most diverse work produced in university and college theatre programs;
• Provide opportunities for participants to develop their theater skills, insight, and achieve professionalism;
• Improve the quality of college and university theatre in the United States; and
• Encourage colleges and universities to give distinguished productions of new plays, especially those written by students; the classics, revitalized or newly conceived, and experimental works.

Since its inception, KCACTF has given more than 400,000 college theater students the opportunity to have their work critiqued, improve their dramatic skills, and receive national recognition for excellence. More than 16 million theatergoers have attended approximately 10,000 festival productions nationwide. Since its inception, KCACTF has given more than 400,000 college theater students the opportunity to have their work critiqued, improve their dramatic skills, and receive national recognition for excellence. More than 16 million theatergoers have attended approximately 10,000 festival productions nationwide.

University Resident Theatre Association

Founded in 1969, the University Resident Theatre Association works to ensure the continued renewal of the American theatre by supporting excellence in the professional training of new artists. URTA continues to develop programs and services that answer the needs of university theatres, training programs, and individual artists. Whether it’s articulating the highest standards for professional training, helping to match potential students with the MFA program best suited to their needs, facilitating engagement of professional artists at universities, or expanding the scope of our education and career outreach programs, URTA is setting the stage for emerging theatre artists, and professional advancement.

Coppin State University is a member of Alpha Psi Omega (ΑΨΩ), a National Theatre Honor Society for participants in collegiate theatre. It began in the early 20th century as result of the growing interest in dramatic arts among colleges and universities throughout America, with the aim of encouraging dramatic production at every step in a person’s academic career. Alpha Psi Omega is the largest national honor society in America. Membership is open to students who are active in collegiate/university theatre at four-year institutions. Students strive to earn membership into this prestigious organization.

Apply for the Scholarship

Theatre is a part of the Urban Arts major at Coppin. We are searching for talented individuals who are interested in majoring in theatre (Urban Arts) and whose gifts and passions are found in areas that feature on stage performances, and backstage work. Theatre is a gateway major that accommodates skills and competencies that will prepare students to work in environments that require integration and cross-pollination of thought, philosophy, and skills as 21st century learners.

Apply Now

Preparing for the Scholarship Audition

What you need to do

• Perform a monologue that suits you and your age (no more than 5 years older or younger than your actual age)
• No overdone selections                                                
• Choose and show drama that is active
• Character must tell an urgent story right now  
• Know selection well
• No profanity (know sensibilities of the adjudicators)
• Selection should honor time limit
• No dialects

Pre-preparation

• Give yourself time to get ready (can’t start the night before)
• Make a good impression
• Spend lots of time reading scripts, screenplays, poetry, fiction, musical scores, and other sources for audition material. Give yourself many options to make your final choice(s).
• Find or adapt the perfect selections
• Spend time rehearsing under the guidance of a trusted director or coach
• Research the full production
• Understand every word you speak (look up unfamiliar terms and expressions)
• Make it fresh
• Practice your slate
  • short and upbeat
  • A sincere greeting, your name, the play from which your selection is taken, and the author is sufficient information
  • Place a chair, if needed, and set before your introduction
  • Begin and end strongly
  • Practice your entire presentation
  • At the end, restate your name, the selection, your number and say a dignified “Thank you” and exit

 Your Appearance

•  Dressing is a part of the “package”
•  Polished, professional appearance
•  Clothing with neutral, plain, and solid colors work best
•  Avoid noisy footwear and jewelry (keep jewelry small and  unobtrusive—again, loop earrings may steal the attention from your work; you are not there to make a fashion statement)
•  Dancers should not hide their bodies beneath loose clothing

The Printed Materials

Résumé, application, sheet music:

• Neat and error-free
• Music should be in the proper key (with returns, tempo changes, and other irregularities marked clearly for the accompanist—remember, this is somebody who will be reading the music on the spot)

Taking Care of Yourself

• Take care of your voice
• Get a good night’s sleep
• On Audition day
  • Eat lightly before the audition
  • Arrive early enough to scope out the audition space, if possible
  • Find a quiet place to warm up your voice and body
  • Know where you will focus your eyes during your presentation
  • Experts suggest visualizing your partner at some point just above the heads of the auditors
  • Address your listeners directly
  • Be sensitive to the acoustics of the space. Use sufficient breath to fill the room with your voice

What Not to Do

• Do not apologize or make excuses                                                      
• If you blank out, take a breath, remember your character’s objective, find a line, and continue
• Never ask to start over, particularly in a singing or dance audition
• Be prepared to answer auditors’ questions when your presentation is over. Know the full play, your character’s objectives, and intentions
• Dancers, especially, should remain in their places until excused
• Enjoy yourself. Share your love of performing with your audience

Pointers for Completing the Audition

• Be animated
• Show range in pitch and physicality (do not be monotone)
• Use your whole body and not just from the waist up
• Use the stage
• Do not turn your back to the audience or turn your performance to the side. Let the director see the open (full front) view. It is the strongest body position for your presentation.
• Feel free to use several levels, i.e., sitting in a chair, standing, walking with a purpose
• Speak with a clear, distinct, and articulate voice
• Listen to the text that you are speaking or singing or dancing to for the show. Let it make sense to you.
• Please look and learn to pronounce words that are not familiar to you before coming to the audition
• Do not perform an act that has offensive words, trigger words or vulgar language (plenty of time to explore that avenue later)
• Stay away from sexually suggestive works.
• Either sing a cappella or with an instrumental track. DO NOT SING WITH THE CD. We want to hear you and not the original artist singing.
• Act like you want to win a spot in the show! Make it hard for the sponsors to say no to you.
• Choose a work that shows your range of talent.
• Choose one that is age and gender appropriate.

“Luck is what happens with preparation meets opportunity.”

Be very prepared. You are trying to make a good impression. Break-a-leg!