Abibigromma, the resident troupe of the National Theatre of Ghana, was in residence in Washington, DC for three days only for an outdoor marketplace production of Ten Blocks on the Camino Real by Tennessee Williams.
Written by American playwright Williams in 1947, Ten Blocks related in songs, dialogue, and dance how the American hero Kilroy maintains his open heart in a grasping world, even after death. This production, performed in English, took a West African perspective on Williams’ classic story of love and heroism, weaving in vibrant music and presented in an experiential marketplace setting that highlights the themes of political economy and social stratification at the heart of the play.
The production premiered in marketplaces and outdoor venues in Accra in 2016, and continues to tour throughout Ghana.
Monday, September 25 at 7:00 p.m.
Tuesday, September 26 at 5:30 p.m.
Wednesday, September 27 at 3:00 p.m.
The DC performances were part of its multi-city tour, produced by the Provincetown Tennessee Williams Theater Festival.
The DC performances of Ten Blocks on the Camino Real were produced in partnership with the Shakespeare Theatre Company, Montgomery College’s Art Institute, and GU’s Theater and Performance Studies Program, African Studies Program, Office of the Provost, Mortara Center for International Studies, the Department of English, and Culture and Politics Major in the School of Foreign Service. Ten Blocks on the Camino Real was part of a multi-city U.S. tour, produced by the Provincetown Tennessee Williams Theater Festival in partnership with The Lab, the Tennessee Williams Festival St. Louis, the University of Michigan in Detroit and Ann Arbor, and Clark University in Worcester, Massachusetts.
David Kaplan, Provincetown Tennessee Williams Theater Festival Curator and director of the play, connected with Abibigromma and visited the company in Accra for three weeks in the spring of 2016, during which time the group developed its Ten Blocks on the Camino Real and performed in marketplaces and outdoor venues around the country. Since last year, most rehearsals have been held online, via video conference.
Ghanaian actress Abena Takyi, who plays the courtesan Marguerite, spent much of her childhood in Manhattan and Queens, then returned to study theater and music at the University of Ghana at Legon. She joined Abibigromma last year.
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