See BLACKBERRY WINTER On-Demand

BLACKBERRY WINTER  Written and Directed by Kai Elijah Hamilton

An African-American mother finds herself in the abandoned house from her dreams, a place where, as she thinks, her child has been held captive after his abduction. Will a haunting, years-long mystery be solved? Something just ain’t right.

Watch it On Demand Now at https://vimeo.com/ondemand/blackberrywinter

Each ON DEMAND Viewing counts as a vote for your play.

The play with the most On Demand Views wins a spot in the FINALS.

The Top 5 On Demand Plays will get extra votes added to the total votes in the festival.

Voting Ends July 26th at 8pm

The FINALS for the Strawberry One-Act Festival is on

Thursday, July 28th at 7pm at the Theatre at St. Clement's

423 West 46th St, NYC

For tickets go to https://www.therianttheatre.com/item.php?date=2016-07-28

BLACKBERRY WINTER by Kai Elijah Hamilton

BLACKBERRY WINTER by Kai Elijah Hamilton

An African-American mother finds herself in the abandoned house from her dreams, a place where, as she thinks, her child has been held captive after his abduction. Will a haunting, years-long mystery be solved? Something just ain’t right.

Wednesday, July 20th at 7pm

For tickets go to https://www.therianttheatre.com/item.php?id=263

At the Theatre at St. Clement’s, 423 West 46^th Street, NYC
The Riant Theatre’s Strawberry One-Act Festival

BLACKBERRY WINTER Program Information, Creative Team & Actors

 BLACKBERRY WINTER

Written & Directed by Kai Elijah Hamilton

Time:  Present Day. Western North Carolina.

Place:  A White Dingy Room.

 

Characters in order of appearance

Carolina                               Nickengie A. Sampson

Yvonne                                 Gaysha Snipes

Farer                                    Kai Elijah Hamilton

 

Who’s Who

 

Nickengie A. Sampson (Carolina) is a native of Jacksonville, Fl. She moved to N.C. with her parents James and Julia Alston, where she graduated from North Henderson High School. Recent stage credits—The Music of James Bond, Funny Little Thing Called Love, Dreamgirls, and A Raisin in the Sun (HCT Barnie winner for Best Lead Actress). Her greatest achievements are her three children Machi, Jirah and Shylah Sampson. None of this would have been possible without God being on her side. She would like to thank everyone that has supported her along the way.

 

 

 

Gaysha Snipes (Yvonne) a Hendersonville, N.C. native that developed her passion for acting as a youngster. Inspired by seeing My Grandmother Prayed For Me, she thought, “Man! I want to do that!” Recent stage credits—Dreamgirls and To Kill A Mockingbird. In addition to acting, she enjoys being a mother to her three children, attending church, and sharing her contagious personality and warming smile. She would like to dedicate this performance to her grandmother Margaret Ann Moore Cantrell who passed away this March.

 

 

 

Kai Elijah Hamilton (Farer/Director/Playwright) I was born and raised southern-style in the beautiful mountains of Western N.C. Some call me a creative Jack-of-all-trades. Various acting credits include—Bloody Poetry, A Streetcar Named Desire, The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, To Kill A Mockingbird, & The Glass Menagerie. I’ve directed the hits Closer, The Turn of the Screw & A Raisin in the Sun. On her deathbed, my mother said to blow her a kiss from the Empire State Building. It’s truly a blessing from God to return to NYC. This one’s for you, Ma...

 

 

Sherrie Nock Koone (Costume Designer/Rehearsal Stage Manager) Born in south Florida, Koone moved to the mountains of Western North Carolina in her teens. She loves to read, sing karaoke, and has a flair for the Arts. Once upon a time she was on stage as the Apothecary in Hendersonville Community Theater's Romeo and Juliet, but she’s most comfortable behind the scenes. She recently designed the costumes for HCT’s production of The Miracle Worker. Koone has been working her hair magic for 20 years and is the owner of Cutting Edge Salon in Fletcher, North Carolina.

 

 

Marqueta Smith (Running Crew) was born in Asheville, North Carolina.  She graduated from Charles D. Owen High School in 2007.  She has been employed at Thermo Fisher Scientific for 6 years.  When not at work, she can be found caring for her 2 children and her family.  She would like to thank this “theatre family” for welcoming her and hopes to learn more about acting in future shows.

Nikita Maturine (Lighting Design) is delighted to be working on the production of Blackberry Winter for the 2016 Strawberry Festival. She recently graduated from The City College of New York earning her Bachelor’s. Recent works include Marisol, Incorruptible, Sexual Perversity in Chicago and Romeo and Juliet. She is thankful for the opportunity to be a part of and create theater with this talented cast and crew.

Theresa Cox (Sound Design) lives in the mountains of NC. An actress herself, Theresa has appeared in August: Osage County, Macbeth and Funny Little Thing Called Love. She has worked side by side with author/director Kai Elijah Hamilton on several short films and trailers and hopes for many more. Check out the web series "Irrational Statues" on Youtube!

BLACKBERRY WINTER by Kai Elijah Hamilton

An African-American mother finds herself in the abandoned house from her dreams, a place where, as she thinks, her child has been held captive after his abduction. Will a haunting, years-long mystery be solved? Something just ain’t right.

Saturday, July 16th at 1pm

Sunday, July 17th at 5pm
Wednesday, July 20th at 7pm

For tickets go to https://www.therianttheatre.com/item.php?id=263

At the Theatre at St. Clement’s, 423 West 46^th Street, NYC
The Riant Theatre’s Strawberry One-Act Festival

BLACKBERY WINTER by Kai Elijah Hamilton: Program Info, Creative Team & Actors

Written & Directed by Kai Elijah Hamilton

Time:  Present Day. Western North Carolina

Place:  A White Dingy Room

Characters in order of appearance

Carolina...................................................Nickengie A. Sampson

Yvonne.....................................................Gaysha Snipes

Farer.........................................................Kai Elijah Hamilton

Who’s Who

Nickengie A. Sampson (Carolina) is a native of Jacksonville, Fl. She moved to N.C. with her parents James and Julia Alston, where she graduated from North Henderson High School. Recent stage credits—The Music of James Bond, Funny Little Thing Called Love, Dreamgirls, and A Raisin in the Sun (HCT Barnie winner for Best Lead Actress). Her greatest achievements are her three children Machi, Jirah and Shylah Sampson. None of this would have been possible without God being on her side. She would like to thank everyone that has supported her along the way.

Gaysha Snipes (Yvonne) a Hendersonville, N.C. native that developed her passion for acting as a youngster. Inspired by seeing My Grandmother Prayed For Me, she thought, “Man! I want to do that!” Recent stage credits—Dreamgirls and To Kill A Mockingbird. In addition to acting, she enjoys being a mother to her three children, attending church, and sharing her contagious personality and warming smile. She would like to dedicate this performance to her grandmother Margaret Ann Moore Cantrell who passed away this March.

Kai Elijah Hamilton (Farer/ Director/ Playwright) I was born and raised southern-style in the beautiful mountains of Western N.C. Some call me a creative Jack-of-all-trades. Various acting credits include—Bloody Poetry, A Streetcar Named Desire, The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, To Kill A Mockingbird, & The Glass Menagerie. I’ve directed the hits Closer, The Turn of the Screw & A Raisin in the Sun. On her deathbed, my mother said to blow her a kiss from the Empire State Building. It’s truly a blessing from God to return to NYC. This one’s for you, Ma...

Sherrie Nock Koone (Costume  Designer/ Rehearsal Stage Manager) Born in south Florida, Koone moved to the mountains of Western North Carolina in her teens. She loves to read, sing karaoke, and has a flair for the Arts. Once upon a time she was on stage as the Apothecary in Hendersonville Community Theater's Romeo and Juliet, but she’s most comfortable behind the scenes. She recently designed the costumes for HCT’s production of The Miracle Worker. Koone has been working her hair magic for 20 years and is the owner of Cutting Edge Salon in Fletcher, North Carolina.

Marqueta Smith (Running Crew) Smith was born in Asheville, North Carolina.  She graduated from Charles D. Owen High School in 2007.  She has been employed at Thermo Fisher Scientific for 6 years.  When not at work, she can be found caring for her 2 children and her family.  She would like to thank this “theatre family” for welcoming her and hopes to learn more about acting in future shows.

Nikita Maturine (Lighting Design) is delighted to be working on the production of Blackberry Winter for the 2016 Strawberry Festival. She recently graduated from The City College of New York earning her Bachelor’s. Recent works include Marisol, Incorruptible, Sexual Perversity in Chicago and Romeo and Juliet. She is thankful for the opportunity to be a part of and create theater with this talented cast and crew.

THERESA COX (Sound Design) lives in the mountains of NC. An actress herself, Theresa has appeared in August: Osage County, Macbeth and Funny Little Thing Called Love. She has worked side by side with author/director Kai Elijah Hamilton on several short films and trailers and hopes for many more. Check out the web series "Irrational Statues" on Youtube!

 

BLACKBERRY WINTER by Kai Elijah Hamilton

An African-American mother finds herself in the abandoned house from her dreams, a place where, as she thinks, her child has been held captive after his abduction. Will a haunting, years-long mystery be solved? Something just ain’t right.

Saturday, July 16th at 1pm

Sunday, July 17th at 5pm

Wednesday, July 20th at 7pm

For tickets go to https://www.therianttheatre.com/item.php?id=263

At the Theatre at St. Clement’s, 423 West 46^th Street, NYC
The Riant Theatre’s Strawberry One-Act Festival

BLACKBERRY WINTER: What Do We Want? A Responsible Solution to Society's Ills! When Do We Want It? Now!

By Jenan Jacobson 

Jenan Jacobson

The play Blackberry Winter by Kai Elijah Hamilton  brings together many issues relevant to the state of our society, blending aspects of Black Lives Matter and also the single-minded dedication—bordering on obsessiveness—of a mother whose child has gone missing. A woman who cannot get the support from the people around her, the character of Carolina is “a strong-willed African American mother” who seems to be the only person fighting in her own corner. Her position is a familiar one: a mother who is convinced deep in her bones that her child is still alive, even at the pressures from those around her telling her to give it up. 

This is a remnant of the failures of the authorities to provide the proper support for someone in her situation—what happens when the Criminal Minds experts don’t find the kidnapper, when they leave and return to their normal, day to day lives. Unfortunately, for a mother who is in the throes of devastation, this is not a situation that she can easily extract herself from. And, as far as she can tell, there is nobody reaching out a helping hand.

We have all had these moments. Perhaps not as intensely felt as a mother who is desperate for the return of a lost child, but the experience of letting loose a cry for help that goes unanswered is common enough. Students on college campuses, advocating for reforms in the policies that deal with sexual assault, issues contained in Black Lives Matter that constantly come up against legal roadblocks, or mental illness that is written off as a cry for attention and brushed aside. We are a society that lets people fall through the cracks. We are failing those who need help, and therefore people are led to increasingly independent courses of action. 

Not only does Blackberry Winter make us question the effectiveness of authority in dealing with cases that might prove challenging for them, or require more than their half-hearted provision of resources, but it also questions how victims are treated in these processes. We don’t know precisely what Carolina’s life has been like for the duration of her son’s disappearance, but we know she has not been provided with the resources to cope with it. Regardless of whatever means have been exhausted to try and find her child, her obsession surrounding it shows the poor coping strategies of someone whose psyche has been left to fester. This play reveals the chilling isolation encouraged by our refusal to properly dispense aid to those who need it. In addition to being strongly indicative of a problem in our society, the play is also deeply moving, psychological in the most compelling way, and constructed from strong characters with real voices.

Have you ever gone up against a problem, only to find the people who should be helping you are gone? Are there more ways our society is failing us, and can you think of ways to correct it? Please comment below!

Blackberry Winter will be performed as a part of the Strawberry One-Act Festival on July 16^th (Saturday) at 1pm, July 17^th (Sunday) at 5pm, and July 20^th (Wednesday) at 7pm. The performance will take place at the Theatre at St. Clement’s at 423 West 46^th Street, NYC, between 9^th and 10^th avenue. Tickets can be purchased online at www.therianttheatre.com.