Wine in the Wilderness

SETTING:
The summer of 1964 on the night of a riot. Harlem, NYC.

SYNOPSIS:
As a riot is brewing in a Harlem neighborhood, artist Bill Jameson is determined to complete his triptych comprising three paintings representing his views of Black womanhood. However, Bill's vision for the work of art is disrupted by one of the models he intends to paint as she challenges his perceptions of Black womanhood.

CHARACTERS:
Cynthia is a twenty-five-year-old social worker. She is married to Sonny-man and is described as a middleclass, educated, African American woman.

Bill Jameson is a thirty-three-year-old artist. He lives in an apartment in Harlem. Bill is working on a "triptych," or series of three paintings, to represent his "statement" on "black womanhood."

Oldtimer, in his sixties, is described as "an old roustabout character." He seems to be an alcoholic without much money, who often mooches off of his neighbors.

Sonny-man is a twenty-seven-year-old writer. He is married to Cynthia. Sonny-man wears a dashiki, an African-style shirt, in style during the 1960s and 1970s, which represents a celebration of African heritage.

Tommy is a thirty-year-old woman who works in a dress factory. She lives in an apartment over a store that has been burned in the riot.

Alice Childress (1916-1994) was a pioneering African American playwright, actress, and novelist, recognized as the "only African-American woman to have written, produced, and published plays for four decades". Her work was a part of the "new realism" movement, focusing on the authentic portrayal of Black women and working-class life, challenging stereotypes, and addressing complex social issues such as racism and gender roles. A notable achievement was her play Trouble in Mind, for which she became the first African American woman to win an Obie Award in 1956, cementing her legacy as a trailblazer committed to artistic integrity and social justice.