Talkin’ Broadway Review by Garrett Southerland
The idea of collaboration, according to Burning Coal Theatre Company Artistic Director Jerome Davis, is that it "brings together different points of view and removes extraneous points of view, revealing the heart." This is the goal of the most recent collaborative presentation of Burning Coal and New York based theatre company TÉA Artistry titled Being Chaka, currently playing at the Murphey School Auditorium through March 30.
The entire play, from conception to creation, is based on collaboration. The play is a shared vision of Tara Amber, Chuk Obasi (who also shares directing credit with Vieve Price), and Nalini Sharma. According to TÉA Artistry, the play is a result of an "exploration into how Americans apprehend the construct of race in their lives and how this affects the way they treat each other and the personal, practical, and institutional decisions they make." Though the play is titled Being Chaka, it is really an ensemble piece with several actors sharing their character's "lived experience."