For Colored Girls... Tells Powerful Stories with Poetry and Movement

By Sharon Falduto
Photos by Len Struttmann

Cassie Liendo, Genevieve Johnson Heinrich, Heather Byrd,  Tierra Plowden,
Olivia Villela Lestrud, Shacorrie Mcbride, Iris Strong

It's amazing how much raw power seven women can bring to an intimate, sparsely decorated space.

Theatre Cedar Rapids's production For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow is Enuf is in the Grandon Series, and takes place in the black box Grandon Theatre downstairs at TCR. Director Angie Toomsen chose a white flooring to offset the dark walls and the bright colors the actresses wore, which made for a striking visual as the riot of colored dresses filled the stage.

For Colored Girls... is what is called a choreopoem; a melding of poetry and choreography first created by playwright Ntozake Shange in 1975. The play is a collection of twenty poems interpreted by women who are known only by the color of their clothing--"Lady in Green," "Lady in Purple," and so on, encompassing the colors of the rainbow.