September 29–October 9, 2016

Leeds Theatre

Written by Lynn Nottage ’86. Directed by Kym Moore.

Brown University Department of Theatre Arts and Performance Studies and Sock & Buskin presented the first show of their 2016–17 season. By The Way, Meet Vera Stark by Lynn Nottage ’86 is a satirical comedy set in glamourous 1930s Hollywood, the revolutionary 1970s, and the present day. Inspired by screwball comedies of the early twentieth century, the show told the story of Vera Stark, a fictional Black actor struggling to break into the Hollywood studio system. She finds unexpected fame, but at what price?

By The Way, Meet Vera Stark introduced us to Vera, Gloria, Lottie, and Anna Mae—four aspiring actresses trying to find their big break in the movies. When a studio announces casting for a new historical Southern blockbuster, a scramble for parts begins. Doing whatever it takes to land the role, mayhem ensues as they do what they have to do to make their way to the top.

Cut to the present day and a panel of “experts” is holding a conference to discuss the legacy of Vera Stark’s film career. Battling her whole life against the very system she fought so hard to get into shaped Vera Stark’s work and her life. What will a group of academics today think about that telling interview in the 1970s where Vera finally cut loose? And what secrets lie beneath the surface of her life?

By The Way, Meet Vera Stark ran September 29 to October 2 and October 6 to 9 in Leeds Theatre on the main campus at Brown University (83 Waterman Street, Providence, RI 02912). Performances took place Thursday through Saturday at 8pm, and 2pm on Sundays.

This year’s season grew out of ongoing conversations on campus at Brown University about issues of diversity and inclusion. Sock & Buskin, the student-faculty board that selects the Brown University Theatre season, wanted to represent this conversation through their choice of plays, writers, directors, and casting. The season aimed to reflect the strengths and the challenges that students face in making contemporary performances that embrace diversity and can effect social change.

Brown University Theatre’s 2016–17 performance season was produced by Brown University Department of Theatre Arts and Performance Studies and by Sock & Buskin, a student-faculty board that has an unbroken record of producing theatre at Brown University for over 100 years.

Produced by Sock & Buskin and Brown University Department of Theatre Arts and Performance Studies.