The Ritz Theatre kicks off its 2021-2022 season with an outdoor production of Daryl Lisa Fazio's Split in Three. The performances will take place on The Commons in front of the Tennessee Valley Museum of Art in Tuscumbia, AL. The performance on May 16 will be followed by a Talkback with the cast, director, and community members.
About the play:
The Mississippi Delta. 1969. The Supreme Court has put its foot down and in this last county, desegregation must dissolve. Poor, white sisters, Nola and Nell, one grounded by cynicism and the other by faith, live day-to-day. Until they discover a mixed-race, highly-educated sister they never knew they had. And in a place where separation begets isolation, difference turns out to be a saving grace.
Content Warning: Contains strong language and sensitive thematic content referencing racial discrimination, including racial slurs.
Director: Stephanie Vickers
Cast:
Kasmine Roach (Penny Tompkins)
LesLee Gavin (Nola Parsons)
Lucy Hill (Nell Parsons Cobb)
Cory Buffaloe (Tucker "Tuck" Tackett)
Nick Grigsby (Clifford Barnhill)
“…THIS IS A LOVELY PLAY. Like William Inge, Fazio is quite good at drawing a scene that seems ordinary, then slowly revealing its crumbling foundation. … As a story that ultimately hints at redemption and healing, the working out of the complicated knots of family ties, that is an asset and a blessing.”
—The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
“…a compelling, often funny, ultimately rewarding piece that goes a long way in bringing this volatile moment of history to vivid life. Ms. Fazio has created a family that seems real…[and has] put them in a stew of a plot peppered with the perfect flavoring of dialogue, incident, and surprise.”
—Atlanta Theatre Buzz