The Three Graces
by Zane A. Coleman, Robert Thomas Noll,
and Pamela V. Noll
“The Three Graces” moves Chekov’s “Three Sisters” to a segregated army base in the South during World War II where three daughters of a Black General deal with love, friendship, racism, and sibling rivalry. The play celebrates The Three Graces of every woman of color: Brilliance, Joy, and Flowering.
While this play captures the differences still existing between the North and the South, as well as the stresses that arise between parents and children, siblings, and men and women, it is primarily a play about one family’s life together, with the warmth and memories of the past.
It is a joyful celebration of Black lives with an emotional and dramatic ending. The work is also historic in how it accurately depicts how Black soldiers were treated at the time, thanks to playwright Zane A. Coleman who served in a military base like the one depicted in the play.
- Cast Size: 6M 5W
- Running Time: 90+ minutes
- Royalty Rate: $75 per performance
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About the Playwrights
Zane A. Coleman is an award-winning playwright/poet. Among his awards, he twice won fellowships and grants in creative writing from the Ohio Arts Council.
His many plays have been produced at many theaters including Karamu House, Cleveland Public Theater, East Cleveland Theater, Cuyahoga Community College and at the Roxbury Center for the Arts in Boston. He studied playwriting at The Cleveland Play House and at Karamu. Zane is a veteran of the Second World War where he served in a segregated unit in Charlestown, South Carolina and in the South Pacific. Zane’s wife Hazel is a retired Social Worker who volunteers at the Greater Cleveland Food Bank. She and their son Jason reside in Euclid, Ohio. Zane passed away in 2009.
Robert Thomas Noll’s plays have been performed hundreds of times throughout the United States (seven off-off-Broadway) and in many countries. Sixteen have been published with one translated into Dutch and another into Hindi. Four were produced at the Cleveland Play House. During his years working at NBC, he wrote and produced the Emmy Award-winning nationally syndicated NBC children’s series, “Hickory Hideout” that is now available on YouTube.
Noll teaches scriptwriting in the Tim Russert Department of Communication Department at John Carroll University. He is also adviser to the university’s television station and newspaper. For many years, he also help coordinate their Urban Journalism program with The National Association of Black Journalist. He also spent nearly 20 years teaching playwriting at the Cleveland Play House. He has degrees from Kent State University and Ohio University.
He has been a Marketing Consultant for 35 Broadway national tours. He has written and edited publications for the Education Department of Playhouse Square Center in Cleveland and Radio City Music Hall. He is an active member of the Dramatist Guild.
Dr. Pamela V. Noll is a writer who has won awards for her dramas and comedies. She has had plays produced off-off Broadway, at the Cleveland Play House, at Actors’ Summit, at the Cleveland Public Theatre and at the Roxbury Center for Arts in Boston. She has five plays and one book published. She has produced one short film for which she wrote the script. She was also a finalist at the British Filmmaking Institute competition in London and won the first place award from the Gloria Film Festival in Utah. Her love of writing developed after completing her dissertation in psychology. As a psychologist, her specialty is Health and Happiness. She has written book reviews for professional journals and nonprofessional book. Her portfolio includes six films and twelve plays (many published), and almost all address feminist issues.
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