Swimming Upstream has emotional debut after Obama election
Friday, November 7th, 2008
November 5 may have been either the most or the least opportune night for the Atlanta premiere of True Colors Theatre’s Swimming Upstream, a star-studded evening of stories, songs and spoken-word poetry about Hurricane Katrina and the women of New Orleans.
Everyone in the 14th Street Playhouse seemed charged with excitement over the previous day’s election of Barack Obama as president of the United States. In the curtain speech, True Colors artistic director Kenny Leon said “I’m glad we’re all here the night after we’ve elected a new president” before adding, of Swimming Upstream, “This is probably the most important, best written show I’ve ever worked on.”
The way was developed by African-American theater True Colors in partnership with New Orleans’ Ashé Cultural Arts Center and the V-Day movement opposed to violence against women, organized by The Vagina Monologues‘ Eve Ensler. Ensler teared up during her introductory remarks and said, “Welcome to the New World. I can’t believe we’re opening this play on this night. It’s too perfect.”
Despite the thrill over the prospect of the new White House, Swimming Upstream demands the audience shift some emotional gears to revisit arguably the lowest moment of the current administration.
