black mary

Black Mary

Demaskus Theater Collective

produced by Charles E. Timbers Jr., Karla C. Payne,

Rev. Dr. Leah C. K. Lewis, & Shaunda Miles McDill


Tickets On Sale for Mail Engagement until April 1

Mail Engagement: April 12 - May 7

TIER ONE TICKETS SOLD OUT!

Tickets On Sale for Culminating Online Presentation until June 19

Culminating Online Presentation: June 17 - 19

 Honor the life of the first African American female United States Star
Route mail carrier while partaking in a deeply connected communications experience meant to
guide each participant along their personal path to healing and liberation.

 How will you know when you are truly free?

more about the project

Black women are the most resilient and resourceful people on the planet. Time and time again, we have delivered ourselves, our loved ones, communities, and nations. Freedom is our quest. How will we know when we're free? BLACK MARY is an interactive above ground journey to personal freedom t hrough community correspondence and connectivity. Based upon the life of Mary Fields (known also as "Black Mary"), the first Black female U.S. star route mail carrier, deemed "one of the freest souls ever to draw a breath, or a .38," the U.S. Star Route mail carrier will be remembered through the performance of the works created in a newly formed community forged through the mail engagement. Actors will cultivate meaningful experiences for each participant through daily text messages and weekly challenges meant to guide each participant along their personal path to healing and liberation.

details for participation

Black Mary's mail engagement will take place for four weeks and requires a physical mailbox (residential, business, or PO Box) and a virtual inbox (email or text) to receive materials and messages. Participants will also need internet access to view the online finale event during Juneteenth weekend. Participants who only wish to view the online culminating event will only need access to the internet to view the culminating event, and can purchase tickets now or closer to Juneteenth for $18.65 in honor of the announcement of freedom for enslaved Africans. After purchasing a ticket, participants will receive a personalized email with guidance for the  start of their journey. On April 9, DEMASKUS Theater Collective will send the curated mail satchels that evoke remembrance and rebellion via USPS to the select ticket buyers who purchased them. Prompts will direct participants throughout the month.  Journal entries will be utilized to inform the script for the final presentation. Details on accessing the finale online event taking place June 17 - 19 will be provided as the date approaches. All ticket levels grant you access to the "Black Mary" online finale event during Juneteenth weekend. 

purchase tickets to the culminating online presentation

the
creative team

Karla C. Payne is an accomplished writer/actor/poet/voice-over talent. She wrote and produced her first production in 2014, entitled Poetic Rehab, a collage of performance poets set in a theatrical format. Karla has appeared in countless productions for companies such as New Horizon Theater, Pittsburgh Playwrights Theater Company and Shona Sharif Drum and Dance Ensemble. Under the pen name “Spirit-Lead (lehd)”, Karla released two spoken word CDs,
Words Unspoken and Relatively Speaking, and a poetry chapbook entitled From My Indigo Pen. She is currently working on her newly written one-act play, Collateral Damage and multiple voice over projects.
Charles E. Timbers Jr.
Actor, Singer, Motivational Speaker has been in performing arts for greater than 30 years. Associates Degree in Theater. Has performed in more than 50 plays locally and across the country. Producer and Director of local cable show focusing on health care. Has done multiple student and professional films, TV and commercials. Studied film at the Sherwood Oaks Experimental College Los Angeles Ca. Studied voice over with Jack Baily and Amy Hartman and has done several voice over projects. Movie credits include The Jacksons an American Dream; Concussion, Rehabilitation of the Hill and House Of Stone.
Shaunda Miles McDill is a producer, director and playwright with experience in the arts and
culture field as an artist, publicist and program officer. Shaunda has more than fifteen years of nonprofit executive and arts management experience, working for theater companies across the country, including The Goodman Theatre of Chicago, Second Stage Theater, Yale Repertory Theatre, Pasadena Playhouse and Cornerstone Theater Company. In 2006, Shaunda founded DEMASKUS Theater Collective. Shaunda has a Bachelor of Arts from Dartmouth College and a master’s from Yale University’s School of Drama with a concentration in theater management.
get to know the collective

Banner Image Credit: Explore Montana

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