More Information About Dessa Rose

Description

After the resounding success of the ’03-’04 production of A Man of No Importance, Apple Tree Theatre is excited to produce another moving piece written and composed by Tony Award winners Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty, starring Susan Moniz and Karla Beard. Dessa Rose, which had a very successful run at the Lincoln Center last year, is based upon the lives of two women who actually lived in the antebellum Deep South. A beautiful drama of historical fiction, Dessa Rose is about a pregnant slave of the same name, condemned to death after leading an uprising. Her captors, choosing not to destroy "perfectly good property," delay her sentence and keep Dessa imprisoned until she gives birth. Ruth Sutton is a white woman abandoned by her slave-owner husband on an isolated farm in Northern Alabama. When Dessa and her companions escape, they make their way to Ruth, who has begun to provide sanctuary to fugitive slaves. Initially distrustful of each other, Dessa and Ruth form an unsteady alliance after a bold scheme is devised to win the slaves' freedom by fleeing to the West. Through hardship and humor, the two women slowly unite, discovering greater strength by being together than by being alone. Dessa Rose is a truly powerful tale of courage, brutality, redemption and friendship. The cast, led by Susan Moniz and Karla Beard, features Sean Krill, Byron Willis, Dan Loftus, Bethany Thomas, Charrisa Armon, James Earl Jones II, Terry Price and Sonya Tate.

About the Ticket Supplier: Apple Tree Theatre

Apple Tree Theatre is committed to producing a diverse and challenging selection of both dramas and musicals, from new works to classics, all of which illuminate the human condition, celebrate the tenacity of the human spirit, and expand the vision of artists and audiences alike—culturally, intellectually, emotionally and spiritually as they connect with one another.

Apple Tree Theatre in Highland Park, Illinois (near Lake Michigan in the Northshore suburbs of Chicago), has been producing award-winning plays and musicals since its inception in 1983. Now nationally known and highly respected, Apple Tree has remained an artistic and cultural force in Chicago theater for 22 years. Apple Tree provides a professional five show mainstage season.