COURTESY NORTH CAROLINA A&T STATE UNIVERSITY

North Carolina A&T State University produced the play “Soulful Christmas”at Paul Robeson Theatre in Greensboro in 2021. A&T and Davidson College are collaborating on the launch of Common Thread Theatre Collective with two plays in June and July.

North Carolina A&T State University and Davidson College are teaming up for summer theater.

Common Thread Theatre Collective, a joint venture between A&T theater faculty and the Davidson’s Department of Theatre will launch professional theatre on the Davidson campus that engages communities from Lake Norman to Charlotte communities with stories of contemporary relevance.

“We want to create a strong company of local artists that value professional standards of production and work with us to produce stories that center communities and voices that have traditionally been underrepresented in the American theatre community,” said Davidson producer Karli Henderson, co-founder of Common Thread Theatre.
CTTC is producing two shows for production at Barber Theatre on Davidson’s campus.

The first is “Violet,” a musical set in North Carolina that earned the Drama Critics’ Circle Award and Lucille Lortel Award for Best Musical when it premiered off-Broadway in 1997 and a Tony nomination upon debut on Broadway in 2014. It will play June 17-July 3.

“Violet,” directed by Jeremy DeCarlos, is a story about a young woman’s quest for fulfillment with music ranging from American roots to folk to gospel. With a score from Tony-winning composer Jeanine Tesori (“Thoroughly Modern Millie;” “Shrek;” “Fun Home”) and book and lyrics by Brian Crawley (“A Little Princess”), Charlene Thomas is the musical director.

The second production, “Barbeque” by Robert O’Hara and directed by Donna Bradby, plays July 14-31. The story contrasts two family reunions to spark dialogue about racial and family politics. “Barbeque” centers around the dysfunctional O’Mallery siblings, who come together for a park barbeque and emergency intervention for their sister Barbara, whose drug habit has gotten out of hand. The twist is there are two O’Mallery clans: one Black, the other white.

Common Thread Theatre is funded by the Bacca Guest Artist and Scholar Fund, Clark Ross Innovation in Academics Fund, Arts and Science Council, and North Carolina Arts Council.

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