March 22 through April 14, 2024
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Showtimes are
Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays at 8:00 PM
and Sunday at 2:00 pm
(Single tickets: $28 for adults)
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Fri., Mar. 22, 8:00 p.m. Opening Night
Sat., Mar. 23, 8:00 p.m.- Student Night!
Sun., Mar. 24, 2:00 p.m.
Thu., Mar. 28, 8:00 p.m. - mask required
Fri., Mar. 29, 8:00 p.m.
Sat., Mar. 30, 8:00 p.m.
Sun., Mar. 31, 2:00 p.m.
Thu., Apr. 4, 8:00 p.m. - mask required
Fri., Apr. 5, 8:00 p.m.
Sat., Apr. 6, 8:00 p.m.
Sun., Apr. 7, 2:00 p.m.
Thu., Apr. 11, 8:00 p.m. - mask required
Fri., Apr. 12, 8:00 p.m.
Sat., Apr. 13, 8:00 p.m.
Sun., Apr. 14, 2:00 p.m.
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THEATRE NOVA PRESENTS
the ripple, the wave that carried me home
by Christina Anderson
Michigan Premiere
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A memory play about family and the complicated truths we pass along.
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In 1960s Kansas, a Black family fights to integrate public swimming pools. When their youngest daughter, Janice, is pressured by her father to participate, she grows to resent him, eventually leaving to start a life elsewhere. Years later, she looks back on the past she tried to forget.
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Lynch Travis directed the production, which features Bryana Hall, Yolanda Davis, Tayler Jones, and Jonathan Jones. The production team includes Paul Taylor (set design), Jeff Alder (lighting design), Micha Mallett (costume design), Briana O'Neal (Stage Manager, sound design, and props), and Amanda Grace Ewing (Intimacy Choreography).
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All Thursday performances will be mask-required to provide a safe space for our immunocompromised patrons and those who want a higher level of risk mitigation.
ENCOREMICHIGAN.COM
REVIEW: 'THE RIPPLE, THE WAVE THAT CARRIED ME HOME' AT THEATRE NOVA
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"At its heart, “the ripple” is a deeply emotional journey, guided by a diverse cast of characters who grapple with their own hopes, fears, and desires. From the enigmatic protagonist, Janice (Bryana Hall) to the supporting players who weave in and out of the narrative, each character is brought to life with depth and nuance, allowing audiences to connect with their struggles and triumphs on a visceral level.
Playwright Christina Anderson layers the story of a middle-class black family into a broader story about social justice, segregated swimming pools, generational divide, and the blessing and curse of water.
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Directed by Lynch R. Travis, one of the play’s most powerful themes is its exploration of the interconnectedness of all things. Through Janice’s story, we come to understand that every action, every choice, sends out ripples that reverberate throughout the universe, shaping destinies and forging connections across generations.
The story is not subtle. It is written to talk to us, the audience. The theme is so powerful that this approach can be justified. Ms. Hall is excellent leading us through her story, changing from an agitated adult to a scared child in one of the flashback scenes. [Yolanda] Davis and [Jonathan] Jones have excellent chemistry in creating the energy and body language of two people in love for a long time, and living with a purpose. [Tayler] Jones toggles between her role as “Chipper” and Aunt Gayle with great ease and natural comedy.
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The sound and props are simple, designed by Briana O’Neal, making best use of Theatre NOVA’s intimate space. Paul Taylor designed a simple straightforward versatile set. Jeff Alder is lighting designer. Micha Mallett is costume designer.
Thomas Wolfe wrote You Can’t Go Home Again. But, of course, we do all the time. We don’t always want to. And when we do, it doesn’t always turn out well. In this case, though, Janice’s trip home is fruitful, and we get to eat the fruit too." -David Kiley
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PULP: ARTS AROUND ANN ARBOR
THEATRE NOVA'S "THE RIPPLE, THE WAVE THAT CARRIED ME HOME" EXPLORES HOW A FAMILY DEALS WITH A LONG FIGHT FOR SOCIAL JUSTICE
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"the more we get to see Janice’s family come to life in her memories—including her graceful swim instructor mom, Helen (Yolanda Davis), and her larger-than-life Aunt Gayle (Tayler Jones, doing double duty)—the more the ripple starts gaining depth and emotional traction.
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Director Lynch Travis and his able cast make you feel like a fly on the wall of this family’s home, so we see them at their most endearing—dancing with each other, joking around, sharing memories—and their most vulnerably human.
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[Bryana] Hall carries the biggest load, acting-wise, as she must play Janice at different ages, make these shifts instantly (and often), and also deliver connective narrative tissue between scenes. Davis, meanwhile, makes Helen a queenly, principled woman who is deeply proud of her father’s legacy of teaching local Black children to swim for free. Jonathan Jones projects a fierce rectitude as a man who’s witnessed racial politics playing out in local pools his whole life; and Tayler Jones is a scene-stealer, earning both laughs and sympathy in her two outsized roles.
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I found the ripple to be a thoughtful, engaging show - one that explores, from a Black perspective, the way racism does damage not just externally but internally as well. And even though the play ends with a moment of healing and renewal, the disarming passages that precede it temper the hope we so badly want to feel. [Playwright Christina] Anderson doesn’t let us off the hook so easily - and rightfully so. "
-Jenn McKee
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