Gamalia is a member of Actors' Equity Association and has
appeared at Wheelock Family Theatre in The Wizard of Oz, The Hobbit,
Cinderella, A Little Princess, Kiss Me Kate, The Good Times Are Killing Me,
Ole' Sis Goose, The Sound of Music, Beauty and the Beast, The Beanstalk, The
Giant and Jack, Lilly's Purple Plastic Purse, Pippi, Honk, Seussical, Hello
Dolly, Oliver, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Trumpet of the Swan, Anne of Green
Gables, Stuart Little, Aladdin, My Fair Lady, Once Upon a Mattress
and Phantom Tollbooth.
"When I saw John Waters’ film Hairspray in the 80’s, it really
resonated with me. As a child growing up in the Mission Hill (Roxbury) area of
Boston in the 1960s, I have memories of singing Stop
in the Name of Love with my childhood friends as we walked to
school. My family had one black-and-white television, and when an
African-American group or singer appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show
on Sunday night, it was monumental! My older sister, would teach me the latest
dances she learned from the parties she would go to on the weekends! I could do
the shimmy, the pony, the skate, the swim, the monkey and the twist! I idolized
my older teenage sister and would borrow her records (when she would let me),
and enjoyed watching her hair style change from a ‘swinging sixties’ bouffant
to the militant Black Panthers afro! I also remember seeing my parents openly
weep with the assassinations of JFK, MLK and Malcolm X. The strong feeling of
the loss of hope was palpable - memories of the riots, the horror of hearing
about lynchings in the south, and watching my father deal with discrimination
at his work place. Growing up in the inner city I also experienced ‘white
flight’ when many of my white friends’ families moved or took their children
out of public school.
"The world vision Martin Luther King envisioned in the
1960s, is one I feel Wheelock Family Theater embraces, with its mission of
inclusion and diverse casting policies. I feel lucky to have found WFT, and
have enjoyed being a member of many casts that reflect the diversity of Boston
in all aspects - race, gender and individuals with disabilities.
"I am thrilled to be a member of this amazing WFT
production!"
No comments:
Post a Comment
Wheelock Family Theatre always hopes to engage in a lively dialogue. All voices make up our varied and colorful family and free speech is a cherished right. While critical analysis is welcome, and indeed, anticipated; discriminatory or hateful language will not be tolerated.