November 5–15, 2015

Stuart Theatre

Written by Marcus Gardley. Directed by Kym Moore.

WONDERFUL: What if I don’t like it? What if my story’s bad?

HORSE POWER: … Ain’t no such thing as a bad history. There’s only a bad way to tell it. You need to know where your fathers came from so you don’t go down the same roads they got lost on. You need to know what’s in your blood, Wonderful.

(The Road Weeps, The Well Runs Dry prologue)

The Road Weeps, The Well Runs Dry, by Brown University Assistant Professor Marcus Gardley, presented a story of spirituality, identity, and migration. It was directed by Kym Moore, a published playwright, producer, and Associate Professor in the Department of Theatre Arts and Performance Studies.

Surviving slavery, revolts, and the “Trail of Tears”, a community of self-proclaimed Black Native American Freedmen have incorporated the first all-black town in Wewoka, Oklahoma circa 1850. The foundations of the town are tried when a new religion comes head to head with tradition. When former enslavers attempt to seize the new town, the leader of the Freedmen springs into action.

The Road Weeps, The Well Runs Dry is a myth based on historical events. The story is informed by the migration of Black Seminoles (African and Native American people) from Florida to Oklahoma. At its core, The Road Weeps, The Well Runs Dry is a story that explores what happens to a group of people whose faith and identity are put to the test when their water well runs dry. Gardley’s work presents a rare opportunity to explore a complex history, hidden by traditional US understandings of cultural identity. Although set in the past, The Road Weeps, The Well Runs Dry resonates with issues still very present in the US today.