Shayna Jones – Grandmama Speak (Venables Theatre)

Grandmama Speak is a kaleidoscope of Afro-centric folklore and fact, old wives tales and history. With song, rhythm and fine movement infused throughout the telling, Shayna mesmerizes her listeners with tale upon interlocking tale pieced together from the diverse traditions of the African Diaspora. Love and loss, pride and pain, hambones and redfish take center stage in a show packed with bold vocal and physical dynamism. Listeners will be left laughing, sighing, and lingering over the age-old wisdom of Grandmama Speak.  Ages 13 +

Grandmama Speak is a part of a body of work that Shayna has created and presented centered on the exploration, embodiment and reclamation of her African cultural and ancestral Heritage. Shayna has written a one woman play entitled Black Skin Deep that brings to light her tenuous relationship to her Skin and her Origins. She has also crafted numerous performances based on African and Afro Diasporic folklore to bring herself and her audiences closer to the wisdom of African Traditional Culture.