Children's Theatre Company Announces Cast and Creative Team for Locomotion
By Macarthur "Genius" Grant Winner Jacqueline Woodson
“Sometimes I sit counting the stars. Maybe one is my mamma and one is my daddy. And maybe that’s why
sometimes they flicker a bit.” – Lonnie, Locomotion
Experience this heartfelt and hopeful story of family, friendship, and the power of finding your voice
January 24 - March 5, 2023
Minneapolis— December 19, 2022 — Children’s Theatre Company (CTC) has announced the cast and creative team for Jacqueline Woodson’s Locomotion, adapted from Ms. Woodson’s own book. The production will be directed by Talvin Wilks.
Locomotion takes the audience into the life of 11-year-old Lonnie Motion, as he finds new tools - the result of a school poetry assignment – which help him to process the tumult of life in foster care. As Lonnie discovers the power of poetry, he experiences deeper connections to his new foster mother, his school friend Enrique, his teacher Ms. Marcus, and his beloved younger sister Lili.
Uprooted from his family,
surrounded by the unfamiliar,
Lonnie couldn’t feel more alone.
But this year, his class is learning to write poetry.
Lonnie’s verses take him
from his foster home
to the classroom,
into the streets,
and back to a time when
his family was all together.
As Lonnie finds his voice,
you’ll discover how poetry can bring you
closer to others and to yourself.
Locomotion was a finalist for the National Book Award, and author Jacqueline Woodson has adapted her acclaimed work for the stage. CTC’s production is directed by Talvin Wilks, an award-winning playwright, director, and dramaturg.
Locomotion is proudly supported by the National Endowment for the Arts, with additional support from the James B. Linsmayer Foundation and Best Buy.
Locomotion plays from January 24 – March 5, 2023 at CTC’s Cargill Stage (2400 Third Avenue South Minneapolis MN 55404). Opening Night is Saturday, January 28 at 7pm. Tickets may be purchase online at childrenstheatre.org/locomotion or by calling the ticket office at 612.874.0400. Ticket prices start at $15.
"I am so excited to see Locomotion’s story on stage again,” says Playwright Jacqueline Woodson. “The story is one that is timely and timeless and speaks to all people, young and old.”
“Locomotion is a very important work in our current era of more diverse storytelling,” says Director Talvin Wilks. “The opportunity to see a young Black male’s journey as a universal story of overcoming hardships and the challenges of adolescence is vital and revelatory. That CTC is making a commitment to diversifying the canon of young protagonists is an important and vibrant investment, not only for youths of color to see themselves and their experiences on stage, but for all youth to begin to broaden their understanding of universality, the act of seeing oneself through the lives of others. This opportunity is a great gift for our new era of awareness, and Jacqueline Woodson has created a story for everyone, a story that I am very excited to realize on stage.”
“We are thrilled to bring Jacqueline Woodson’s Locomotion to our community,” says Artistic Director Peter C. Brosius. “This brilliant book which was a National Book Award Finalist and a Coretta Scott King Honor book was adapted by Jacqueline herself and she has created a play filled with friendship, poetry, and the struggle to hold unto your family. These are characters who you cannot forget and who will absolutely fill you with joy. We are also hugely excited to welcome Talvin Wilks to CTC as the director. Talvin’s work has been seen across the nation and here in town at Penumbra and it is a delight to have Jacqueline’s words and images being brought to the stage with Talvin’s vision and heart.”
Ticket Information
Tickets to Locomotion may be purchased online at childrenstheatre.org/locomotion or by calling the ticket office at 612.874.0400. Ticket prices start at $15.
School groups interested in attending Locomotion can contact schools@childrenstheatre.org for more information.
This production is best enjoyed by everyone age 9 and up. Due to the age recommendation, lap passes will not be available for this production.
About Jacqueline Woodson
Jacqueline Woodson is a renowned and best-selling author of works for children, middle-grade readers, young adults, and adults. In 2020, she received a MacArthur Fellowship “Genius” grant. Woodson, best known for her National Book Award-Winning memoir Brown Girl Dreaming and her Newbery Honor-winning titles After Tupac and D Foster; Feathers; and Show Way, served as the Young People’s Poet Laureate from 2015 to 2017. In 2018- 2019, she was named the National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature by the Library of Congress. She was awarded the Hans Christian Andersen Medal in 2020.
Locomotion
Written and Adapted for the Stage by Jacqueline Woodson
Directed by Talvin Wilks
January 24 - March 5, 2023
Cargill Stage
This production is best enjoyed by everyone age 9 and up.
Lap passes will not be available for this production.
Runtime: 1 hour (no intermission).
Creative Team & Production Staff
Playwright | Jaqueline Woodson
Director | Talvin Wilks
Costume Designer | Danielle Preston
Lighting Designer | Marcus Dilliard
Scenic Designer | Maruti Evans
Assistant Lighting Designer | Ellie Simonette
Projection Designer | Kathy Maxwell
Sound Designer & Composer | Queen Drea
Sound Designer & Composer | Peter Morrow
Stage Manager | Chris Schweiger
Assistant Stage Manager | Cortney Gilliam
Stage Management Fellow | Jiccarra N. Hollman
Adult Cast
Charla Marie Bailey | “Mama/Ms. Edna/Ms. Marcus”
Darrick Mosley* | “Daddy/Agency Man”
Student Cast
Mollie Allen | “Lili”
Ellis Dossavi | “Enrique”
Junie Edwards | “Lonnie”
Understudies
Amir Byrd | “U/S Lonnie”
De’Anthony Jackson | “U/S Enrique”
Rue Norman | “U/S Mama/Ms. Edna/Ms. Marcus”
Mari Peterson-Hilleque| “U/S Lili”
Glenn E. Williams II | “U/S Daddy/Agency Man”
*Member of Actors' Equity Association, the union of professional actors and stage managers.
Children’s Theatre Company (CTC) is the nation’s largest and most acclaimed theatre for young people and serves a multigenerational audience. It creates theatre experiences that educate, challenge, and inspire for more than 250,000 people annually. CTC is the only theatre focused on young audiences to win the coveted Tony Award® for regional theatre and is the only theatre in Minnesota to receive three Tony® nominations (for its production of A Year with Frog and Toad). CTC is committed to creating world-class productions at the highest level and to developing new works, more than 200 to date, dramatically changing the canon of work for young audiences.
CTC’s engagement and learning programs annually serve more than 93,000 young people and their communities through Theatre Arts Training, student matinees, Neighborhood Bridges, and early childhood arts education programs. ACT One is CTC’s comprehensive platform for access, diversity, and inclusion in our audiences, programs, staff, and board that strives to ensure the theatre is a home for all people, all families, reflective of our community. childrenstheatre.org
