Presented by Capital Group

April 17 - May 5, 2024

Harlem, 1930. The Blues are getting bluer and the gin is running dry. A free-spirited Cotton Club singer has just been fired with nowhere left to go but down. So, she turns to her best friend, an extravagant costume designer with plans to dress Josephine Baker in Paris. Maybe they can run away together? Or maybe the handsome southerner that just came knocking can offer an even better life? But the saxophone dreams of Harlem rarely end as smoothly as they start.

Blues for an Alabama Sky now playing at Virginia Stage Company through May 5th.

Run Time
2 hours and 45 minutes with one 15 minute intermission
Audience Recommendation: This production is suitable for ages 14+.
Content Advisory: There is strong language that is reflective of the era, placement and use of staged prop weapons, references to abortion and alcoholism as well as the simulated consumption of alcohol. There are loud noises. There will be no real alcohol use or scents on stage.
April 17 - 19 | Preview Performances
April 17 at 6:30PM | Pre-Show Panel
April 19 at 7:30PM | Young Professionals Night
April 20 at 7:30PM | Opening Night
April 21 | Post-Show Talkback
April 24 | HR Pride Night Out
April 24 at 6:30PM | Pre-Show Panel
April 27 at 2PM | Audio Description & Open Captioning*
April 27 at 7:30PM | ASL Performance*
April 28 | Post-Show Talkback
*Seating for Audio Description & Open Captioning is provided in the Orchestra Left. Please use promo code “AccessVA” on checkout for proper booking.
*Seating for ASL is provided in the Orchestra Left side of the House. Please use promo code “ASL” on checkout for proper booking.
Directed by JERRELL L. HENDERSON †
Scenic Designer CAITLN MCLEOD
Costume Designer GREGORY GRAHAM
Lighting Designer DEANNA DOGGETT
Sound Designer SHARATH PATEL §
Intimacy Coordinator JORDAN SETZER
Casting EMEL ERTUGRUL
Production Stage Manager KIM FULLER*
Assistant Stage Manager CRISTINA ROSE
*Denotes a Member of Actors’ Equity Association§ Member of United Scenic Artists, local USA-829 of the IATSE.† Member of the Society of Stage Directors and Choreographers, Inc., an independent labor union.
Meet the Cast & Creatives HERE

directed by JERRELL L. HENDERSON†

MORE…

Featured

Blues for an Alabama Sky, season 45

Virginian-Pilot Review: Virginia Stage Company’s stellar ‘Blues for an Alabama Sky’ returns for rare second production

Blues for an Alabama Sky, season 45

season 45, Blues for an Alabama Sky

A Letter of Welcome from the Director

season 45, Blues for an Alabama Sky

Director of VSC’s Blues for an Alabama Sky, Jerrel L. Henderson, shares a letter of welcome for you, you the patrons of VSC. We hope you’ll enjoy the show.

season 45, Blues for an Alabama Sky

Virginia Stage Company's latest, "Blues for an Alabama Sky" on Coast Live

season 45, Blues for an Alabama Sky

Join director Jerrell L. Henderson and actor James T. Lane as they share some of the exciting and beautiful layers that make Virginia Stage Company’s production of BLUES FOR AN ALABAMA SKY sing in a way that everyone needs to hear!

season 45, Blues for an Alabama Sky

A Letter of Welcome from Playwright Pearl Cleage

season 45, Blues for an Alabama Sky

A special letter of welcome about the inspiration and inception of Blues for an Alabama Sky from the writer of this work, Pearl Cleage, for our audiences of Hampton Roads.

season 45, Blues for an Alabama Sky

Season 45, Blues for an Alabama Sky, Dramaturgy, Diving Deeper

Diving Deeper into BLUES FOR AN ALABAMA SKY

Season 45, Blues for an Alabama Sky, Dramaturgy, Diving Deeper

Dive Deeper into BLUES FOR AN ALABAMA SKY with a “Who, What, When, Where” listing of references in the script, to information about the Harlem Renaissance and more…

Season 45, Blues for an Alabama Sky, Dramaturgy, Diving Deeper

Season 45, Behind the Scenes, Director's Note, Through the Director's Eyes, Blues for an Alabama Sky

BLUES FOR AN ALABAMA SKY | A Word from the Director

Season 45, Behind the Scenes, Director's Note, Through the Director's Eyes, Blues for an Alabama Sky

Before you make your plans to fall into the overwhelming layers and beauty of the Blues that makes up The Harlem Renaissance, share in some of the evocative thoughts of the director bringing this captivatingly tragic tale of identity, struggle, and survival to life.

Jerrell L. Henderson shares his thoughts on the shape of Blues for an Alabama Sky in the rehearsal room, to the stage.

Blues for an Alabama Sky written by Pearl Cleage comes to The Wells Theatre April 17 - May 5, 2024. Sponsored by Capital Group and supported by the generous partnership of The YWCA of South-Hampton Roads.

Season 45, Behind the Scenes, Director's Note, Through the Director's Eyes, Blues for an Alabama Sky

season 45, Blues for an Alabama Sky, Diving Deeper, Playwright

Playwright Pearl Cleage joins BLUES FOR AN ALABAMA SKY Post-show Talkbacks

season 45, Blues for an Alabama Sky, Diving Deeper, Playwright

Virginia Stage Company is excited to invite you to a unique post-show talkback experience with Blues for an Alabama Sky’s playwright, Pearl Cleage!

season 45, Blues for an Alabama Sky, Diving Deeper, Playwright

Season 45, Blues for an Alabama Sky

BLUES FOR AN ALABAMA SKY | Cast & Creative

Season 45, Blues for an Alabama Sky

Meet the Cast & Creatives who will be bringing the enrapturing, majestically somber, and overwhelming spirit of Harlem to life in Virginia Stage Company’s production of Blues for an Alabama Sky.

Sponsored by Capital Group and supported by the generous partnership of The YWCA of South-Hampton Roads.

Season 45, Blues for an Alabama Sky

Blues for an Alabama Sky, season 45, Behind the Scenes

Go BEHIND THE CURTAIN of BLUES FOR AN ALABAMA SKY

Blues for an Alabama Sky, season 45, Behind the Scenes

Join Virginia Stage Company virtually as we discuss the magic behind music, and the impact of sound design on a production with Blues for an Alabama Sky director Jerrell L. Henderson and Sound Designer Sharath Patel!

Blues for an Alabama Sky, season 45, Behind the Scenes