- Home >
- Dibden Center for the Arts >
- About Dibden >
- Featured Artists & Faculty >
- Voices
Voices
Voices: Conceived and Directed by F. Reed Brown
At Dibden on September 4, 2008
Voices, a play conceived and directed by F. Reed Brown, weaves together the words of five literary figures who, for varying reasons, wrote in isolation: Anne Frank, Helen Keller, Henry David Thoreau, Emily Dickinson and Langston Hughes.
Despite the diversity of the subjects, and despite their relative isolation from their cultures, Brown notes all five "were writing about universal human themes — love, death, family, nightmares — though from vastly different perspectives." It was this connection that fascinated Brown and prompted him to create the play, a collection of excerpts from journals, letters, and published works.
The play itself, Brown says, is a kind of yet-unamed genre. There is no traditional dialogue; instead original music (composed by JSC Associate Professor Diane Huling Reed) and choreographed movement work with the words of the writers. This layering of elements helps to bring to life these writers and their perspectives on these endlessly compelling themes.
After its debut at Dibden Center for the Arts, the play will continue to tour at various places, including the Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center in January 2009.
Cast and Crew
Emily Dickinson: Jess Silva
Anne Frank: Lauren Chapman
Langston Hughes: Zach Boykins
Helen Keller: Maris Wolff
Henry David Thoreau: F. Reed Brown
Musical Direction: Dr. Lisa Jablow
Singers: Jahida Jorganes, Josh Pupolo, Kate Severance
Stage Manager: Amber Couture
