While Troubadour kicked off the new year with rhinestones and rockin’ original country music, another historic Nashville-centered show has been taking shape downstairs on the Hertz Stage. Winner of the 2017 Alliance/Kendeda National Graduate Playwriting Competition, Too Heavy for Your Pocket centers around two married couples in the midst of the Civil Rights Movement. Bowzie, a young black man, receives a full scholarship to Fisk University. But when word of the Freedom Rides in the South infiltrates the classroom, he becomes pulled in another direction. What path will he take? What are the repercussions of this decision? 

Here are five reasons why you need to catch this world premiere production:

1) Hometown Hero, Jiréh Breon Holder
A graduate of Atlanta’s Morehouse College, Jiréh Breon Holder is no stranger to the city. In fact, while he was an undergrad in college, he interned and became a Kenny Leon Fellow at the Alliance before receiving his MFA in Playwrighting from the Yale School of Drama. When asked about why he wrote this play, he mentions that we was determined to enter a new play into the Alliance/Kendeda National Graduate Playwriting Competition specifically. For extra motivation, he says he acted as if the Alliance commissioned him to write it. The submission process was completely blind, but the work stood for itself and Too Heavy for Your Pocket was chosen.  

2) Top-Notch Cast and Direction
Two strong Atlanta-based actors, Stephen Ruffin and Rob Demery, as well as two outstanding out-of-towners, Markita Prescott and Eboni Flowers, round out a tremendous ensemble for the play. Each actor gets their chance to shine—a testament to their talent in addition to the writing. Tensions are high and bits of comedic relief are thrown in for a more realistic portrayal of the characters. Director Margot Bordelon unique staging makes impressive use of the black box space, using the audience stairways and entrances for more dynamic scenes. You’ll laugh and maybe shed a few tears during this powerful performance.

3) Kendeda Winner
The Alliance/Kendeda National Graduate Competition is an important initiative for emerging new playwrights. Once the script is chosen as a winner, the Alliance provides the playwright with tons of resources and insight into the professional world, including some areas not previously explored by the writer. Jiréh found the meetings about marketing the show as eye-opening experiences. After the competition, many of the playwrights go on to bustling careers. Previous winners include Tarell Alvin McCraney, whose script In Moonlight Black Boys Look Blue inspired the Academy Award nominated film Moonlight, and Ken Lin, a writer on the hit Neflix series House of Cards.

4)  That Tech, Though
Beautiful period costumes designed by Sydney Roberts melt into a sweeping, picturesque scenery of a rustic home and a vibrant grassy lawn designed by Reid Thompson. Sounds and tunes from the early 60s, designed by Elisheba Ittoop, fill the home and the hearts of the characters. The lighting design of Liz Lee gives an eerie context to the prison scenes. All elements work in harmony to provide an engaging and delightful look into this important time period in history.    

5) Off-Broadway, Here We Come
When a play premieres at the Alliance, the hope is that it gets another production somewhere else. And Too Heavy for Your Pocket has already booked another city—New York City, to be exact. As the winner of the Laurents/Hatcher Foundation Award, the Roundabout Theatre Company will present Jiréh’s play in an Off-Broadway theatre as part of their upcoming 17/18 season. Meaning, this play is about to garner much more attention very soon. You can catch it here first and have the bragging rights of declaring “I saw it when it first premiered…”

 

By A’riel Tinter, Brand Journalist

Our teen ensemble had the opportunity to see Too Heavy for Your Pocket and share their thoughts. Read what they had to say:

Too Heavy for Your Pocket, by Jiréh Breon Holder, is an absolute must see… Seriously. Not only will it make you gut wrench laugh and heart wrench cry, it is an essential story for anyone today.

Though the story is set in the 1960’s, in the height of the Civil Rights Movement, and centers around the famed Freedom Rides, it is very much about our future. It teaches us that if we are not willing to sacrifice our privilege, we will never see the future we desperately long for. The play tells the story of Bowzie (Stephen Ruffin), Evelyn (Ebony Flowers), Sally (Markita Prescott), and Tony (Rob Demery), as they figure out early marriage, family, and commitment, along with what it meant to be black in the 60’s.

The four actors create a beautiful ensemble, working together in moments of comedy and turmoil. You can see how the bond the individuals have offstage translates into creating this wacky, loving family onstage. As if Holder’s articulate and poetic words weren’t enough, the pages live and breathe through these four. It is all topped off with amazing costumes (Sydney Roberts), sets (Reid Thompson), sound (Elisheba Ittoop), and lighting (Liz Lee).

Too Heavy for Your Pocket runs through February 26th at the Hertz Stage. Ultimately, you will not want to miss out on this play before it heads off to New York in Roundabout Theatre Company’s upcoming season. You’ll be wishing you had said, “I saw it way back when”. 

Austin, 12th grade

Even days after seeing Jiréh Breon Holder’s Too Heavy for Your Pocket, it resonates with me unlike anything else. It is told simply but poetically and speaks to any audience.

Laughton, 11th grade

Too Heavy for Your Pocket was literally too heavy for your pocket. This new play by Jiréh Breon Holder embodies a side of the 60’s we never get to see. We are always able to see the activist, to see the hurt, but we are never able to see the families at home, their typical issues and how they had to cope. Eboni Flowers, who I must say was my favorite character , in my opinion, embodied exactly what a strong woman who knew what she wanted , knew her worth and valued herself more than any marriage would, to me, be like in that time period. Markita Prescott showed the ambiance of the 1960’s woman. From the way her hands shook when she received bad news, to the dependence of the lords word and her obligation to uphold her vows and respect her marriage could in no way shape or form be done any better than how she portrayed that character on stage. Rob Demery was a wonderful Tony. The one thing I truly loved about his character was his body and his body language. Without a voice, I could tell his story from the way he moved. From the way he held Sally, to the way he kissed Evelyn, to the way he would grab Bowzie in his time of need. I felt his character was well developed. Stephen, that Stephen Ruffin! Wow! Wow! Wow! There aren’t enough wows in the world to express how phenomenal he was. When he played Bowzie, I felt like I knew Bowzie myself. Like I wasn’t watching a play about his story, and his family and friends’ stories, but more so I was living it with him. Like when he couldn’t get in contact with Evelyn, I felt his sadness, I felt his questionable manner, and I felt his hurt. But I felt that with nearly all of the characters. And let me not forget the set, and costumes and just wow. If this play does not leave you with something to think about then I guess we are not watching the same play because I am astonished.

Rachael, 12th grade

Too Heavy for Your Pocket by Jiréh Breon Holder is a beautiful tale about real people. Everything was simply amazing. The set was an impeccable interpretation of real life in the set time period. The cast gave a performance full of real raw emotion, inviting the audience into the world of hardship and perseverance. A show to see again and again!

Sherifa, 12th grade