Benjamin Barlow
Sagashus Levingston, author of Infamous Mothers, watching rehearsals at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church.
With some notable exceptions, Madison’s community theater scene is not known for bringing the voices of women of color to the forefront. So, when Strollers Theatre began rehearsing Infamous Mothers, a play that centers around five fictional black women, some conventions were changed to make the process more inclusive. A longstanding rule against children on the set was suspended, making rehearsals a kid-friendly space. The play is directed by Marie Justice, a black actor and mother of four. Justice starred in a 2016 production of Detroit ’67, by Dominique Morisseau
Infamous Mothers, which runs Nov. 8-24 at the Bartell Theatre, is based on the coffee table book by Sagashus Levingston, a local entrepreneur who has made it her mission to tell the stories of women who have “mothered from the margins” and are changing themselves — and the world. The fictional women in the play gather to read and discuss the true stories told in Levingston’s book.
Themes of intersectionality, race and gender dominate the show, which also features Levingston, playing herself, standing on a platform separate from the cast.
“I set the tone, guide the audience through how to hear these stories,” says Levingston. “I’m also the conscience of the play. It raises issues and topics, and my role is to help you think about those issues and topics.”
“I’ve come to learn that people do a great job of messing up the ‘why’s,’” she says in one of her monologues in the play. For instance, “Teen mothers are the reason why poverty exists.”
“I myself like the power of the‘how,’How did a single mom of six manage to earn a Ph.D?... There’s real magic, real beauty, real power in the ‘how.’”
The conversations taking place among the characters create a model for what Levingston hopes can take place in Madison.
“The dialogue itself gives us ways to think about issues like cultural appropriation, sexuality, homelessness, black moms’ relationship with child protective services, sexual trauma and health care,” says Levingston, a single mom of six who is completing her doctorate in English literature at UW-Madison.
The production has experienced conflict. The Infamous Mothers playwright, Coleman (who goes by one name), is a retired white gay man from rural Mineral Point. Although Levingston served as a consultant throughout the writing process, the revelation that a white man created voices of fictional black women caused friction among some cast members. Brandi Grayson, an actor and co-founder of the activist group Young Gifted and Black Coalition, left the production, saying she was terminated because she was vocal about feeling Coleman misrepresented black women in the play.
“In Infamous Mothers, black women speak for themselves,” says Coleman. “That’s what the book was about, that’s what the play is about, and that’s what the audience will hear.” He and Levingston feel his experience as a marginalized gay man who spent two years in federal prison for anti-Vietnam activism provides the empathy needed to tell the fictional women’s stories.
Tanisha L Pyron, a regional multi-disciplinary artist whose story is featured in the book, stepped in to cover the character when Grayson left. She says the breakdown is rooted in barriers for women of color to participate in the arts, and how white allies become involved in interpreting black womanhood.
“Class and income absolutely play a role in who can afford to volunteer, who can chase their dream and who can’t, and who can and cannot have a say in how black women are depicted,” says Pyron.
But Pyron accepts Coleman’s role as a playwright. “He is open to feedback and aware of his proximity to the work as an ally,” Pyron says. “He understands how this underserved population is at the heart of the work.”
For her part, Levingston trusts Coleman’s work, but she values the contribution Grayson made to the production; she promoted the idea of making seats available for low-income audience members.
Levingston hopes the conflict will serve as a microcosm for a larger discussion about race and representation. “My job isn’t to just pay attention to the people I agree with or whose work is in perfect alignment with my own; my job is to understand all of the conversations around the work,” says Levingston. “If people don’t like a white male writing a play about black women, then we need to talk about how we can fund black mothers to have voices. This model is going to incite conversation so something different can happen. But I’m definitely not running from the conflict, I’m running to the conflict.”
