Oya, the goddess of wind and lightning in Yoruba mythology, summons the spirits of change and tumult with deep inhalations. Alluding to her divine namesake, Oya, the protagonist of In The Red and Brown Water played by Aloysia Jean (COL ‘16), must summon her own spirits as her life and sense of security fall apart.
Under the direction of Professor Isaiah Matthew Wooden (COL ‘04), the Department of Theater and Performance Studies and Black Theatre Ensemble’s co-production begins the 2014-15 season with a young woman’s journey into the unknown world of adulthood, set in the confining Louisiana projects. Oya’s talent for running track appears to be her ticket out of the projects, setting her on the path for a better life. But when her mother Moja, played by Nona Johnson (COL ‘17), suddenly falls ill, Oya makes the difficult decision to stay behind to care for her.
In her attempts to fill the void left by her mother, Oya shifts between lovers: the awkward, and safe Ogun, played by CeeJay Hayes (COL ‘17), and Shango, played by Isayah Phillips (SFS ‘15), who epitomizes irresistible carnal love. Oya’s tragic inability to create a family to replace the one she lost transforms her home from a haven into the ultimate confinement.
The actors read the stage directions aloud, at the playwrights direction, drawing extra participation from viewers, who were made aware of the inner machinations and desires of the characters. Jean, who plays the tender Oya, agreed that the stage directions help make the characters more personal. “It’s a way of bringing yourself into the character. As Tyrell [McCraney] told us, you are not this character… you’re a person telling their story, and the way you personally tell it is unique.”
McCraney, the playwright, also uses different artistic forms to heighten the beauty and tragedy of In The Red and Brown Water. Both dance and music weave through the storyline, often symbolizing a transition from reality into a dream realm, to which both Oya and Elegba retreat when reality becomes too much to bear.
Yoruba cosmology, too, plays a fascinating role in the play, lending a symbolic nature to each character. Shango, the god of war in Yoruba mythology, epitomizes masculinity through his decision to serve in the army and his unbridled lust. On the other hand, both Elegba, played by Jack Schmitt (COL ‘15), and Elegua, played by Daniella Lomas (MSB ‘15), are representations of Eshu, the “trickster” god, providing excellent comic relief. The relationships within the play also mirror Yoruban cosmology and lore—while Shango represents thunder, Oya is lightning—two forms of energy that are never far apart.
The production’s stage becomes a romanticized wasteland, lined with rusted shutters and tilted walls. A small moat surrounds the stage, changing colors and rippling when characters drift into dream states, and the actors embody complex roles, as they adopt several layers to embody bitterly realistic characters.
But what makes In the Red and Brown Water a story of origins? For starters, it’s a tragic coming-of-age story, as Oya struggles to find her way into womanhood without her mother. As for migrations, it’s not necessarily the move from place to place, but rather, as Aloysia explains, the change within the individual as life goes on.
“It’s the migration within ourselves, and our different states of mind. We originate as one person, and we think we’ll stay that way. As time goes by, we keep those roots—but we change, migrating from one state of mind to the next… That’s just life.”
Devine Studio Theatre
Oct. 9-12, Oct. 16-18
performingarts.georgetown.edu
Photo by Joshua Raftis
