Playwright Gabrielle Pina says, “LETTERS FROM ZORA ” is an authentic multi-sensory experience of an extraordinary woman who defied the social conventions of the day and lived a life of her own creation. The artistic fusion of music, history, and literary prose illuminates the resilience of the human spirit as well as Ms. Hurston's philosophy of life and literature in her own words.” Through the dramatization of personal letters, LETTERS FROM ZORA explores Hurston’s controversial views on integration, segregation and social justice showcasing a life that was filled with artistic triumphs as well as abject poverty and self-doubt. Veteran actress Vanessa Bell Calloway plays the role of Zora in this provocative multimedia production directed by Anita Dashiell-Sparks and written by novelist Gabrielle Pina. With live music composed by Ron McCurdy and archival images collected by Margie Labadie, LETTERS FROM ZORA will illuminate Hurston’s prose, her life, her distinctive array of friends and foes and her unique view of a jazz-age world.
