Today we are excited to share with you all that we are once again teaming up with the new DIY theater troupe – “The Absurdist People’s Theater” for another round of performances at the end of this spring. The theater troupe will be taking on performing August Wilson’s “Gem of the Ocean” first performed in 2003 dramatizing the African-American experience in the twentieth century. There will be three performances of the play put on by The Absurdist People’s Theater at Black Sheep and those are as follows:

Friday, May 19th at 7:00 pm
Saturday, May 20th at 7:00 pm
Sunday, May 21st at 1:00 pm

The Absurdist People’s Theatre also have a new website launched where you can reserve tickets for each of the performances. Tickets are $12 per show, and you can find the site right here. More on the play from the facebook event:

Directed by Alex Martin

Set in 1904, August Wilson’s Gem of the Ocean begins on the eve of Aunt Esther’s 287th birthday. When Citizen Barlow comes to her Pittsburgh’s Hill District home seeking asylum, she sets him off on a spiritual journey to find a city in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. Gem of the Ocean is the ninth work in Wilson’s ten-play cycle that has recorded the American Black experience and helped to define generations. The Broadway run starred Tony Award winner Phylicia Rashad as Aunt Esther.

We are excited to see more of our friends make it big to The Illinois Times once again- this time there is an article inside this week’s issue focusing on The Absurdist’s People Theatre – a newer DIY Theater Troupe based out of Springfield. Those of you may remember the theater troupe puttin gon a few performances of the play “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Wolfe” inside Black Sheep this past summer. They are now gearing up for their second round of performances for the play “Gem of the Ocean” by August Wilson to happen at some point later this year inside of Black Sheep.

Self-described by founder and director Alex Martin as “DIY rogue theater,” Springfield’s  Absurdist People’s Theater Troupe would like nothing more than to shake things up in Springfield. “I went to Blackburn College and did theater for four years,” Martin said. “When I came back here to my home community and looked around at the different theater projects that were happening, I noticed that there wasn’t much of the kind of theater I’m interested in happening in the local theater community.” Instead of passively waiting for Springfield’s theater scene to change, Martin decided to create her own company. “I want to show people that there are other kinds of theater out there, instead of just the same musicals, the same plays again and again. I’d like to do plays that haven’t ever been produced here, newer stuff by newer playwrights.”

Check out the full article online right here, or pick up a copy of this week’s Illinois Times inside Dumb Records or other local businesses. Stay tuned on date announcements for “Gem of The Ocean” performances inside Black Sheep.

The Absurdist People’s Theater is gearing up big for their second week of theater performances after a successful debut this past August with their performances of “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Wolfe” which was also the first ever theater performances to have taken place inside Black Sheep. The Absurdist People’s Theater is a newly formed DIY Theater Troupe based right here in the capital city. This time around the group will be taking on the play “Gem of the Ocean” by August Wilson. Gem of the Ocean was first performed in 2003, and is set in the year 1904.

Auditions for the new play are from 6:00 pm to 10:00 pm inside Black Sheep on Tuesday and Wednesday- January 24th and 25th. You do not have to be already a member of the Absurdist People’s Theater Troupe to audition. You can look over a list of the characters and find out more about auditions on the Absurdist People’s Theater facebook event right here.

Final performances are set to take place on March 24th, 25th, and 26th this year inside Black Sheep.