JUBA

[Stephen Burge Johnson]

TORONTO PERFORMANCES OF A PLAY
ON THE LIFE OF NINETEENTH CENTURY DANCER
JUBA
JUNE 5, 7, 8

REVISED AND EXPANDED FROM THE FESTIVAL OF ORIGINAL THEATRE PRODUCTION
IN MARCH

The Edge Festival presents

JUBA
(and the souls of white folks)

featuring...
JENNIFER JOHNSON
 STEPHEN JOHNSON
KRISTIANA PAINTING
 JULIE PAYNE

at the ANNEX THEATRE, 730 Bathurst Street, Toronto

Thursday June 5 10:00-11:00pm
Saturday June 7  7:45- 8:45pm
Sunday   June 8  2:45- 3:45pm

Tickets may be purchased at the door one hour prior to showtime for $10.00
[email sjohnsn at mcmaster.ca fr further information]

NOVELTY AND ATTRACTION--JUBA
written and co-directed by Stephen Johnson
movement and co-directed by Jennifer Johnson
music by Simon Wood
design by Lauren McKinley Renzetti
stage management by Timothy Pace

JUBA was a nineteenth century dancer of great renown.  In the play, a
historian attempts to trace his career and describe his dance.  But he
can only find Juba through the written documents--and these are
prejudiced, contradictory, and confusing.  The documents betray the
historian.  Juba is, nevertheless, almost resurrected.  Jennifer Johnson
plays Juba, Kristiana Painting and Julie Payne play all the documents
(including Charles Dickens and PT Barnum), Stephen Johnson plays the
Historian.

JUBA was performed at the Festival of Original Theatre, The Robert Gill
Theatre, in March 1997.  This is a revised version, presented in
conjunction with The Ripple Effect.

"Sterling, Scotland, September 1849.  On Tuesday morning, many of the
inhabitants of this town were not a little surprised to find huge
placards on the wall, with the mysterious announcement "JUBA, THE WORLD'S
WONDER, WILL SHORTLY ARRIVE."  Who or what the cabalistic letters
J.U.B.A. signified, all were alike ignorant.  Was Juba a man or a woman,
a beast or a bird, a fish or a reptile.  Or had some mischievous printer's
devil invented the word merely to terrorize the town with the
anticipation of some coming evil....  It isn't every day a JUBA comes to
town."





-------------------------
Stephen Johnson   School of Art, Drama and Music
McMaster University   Hamilton   Ontario   CANADA   L8S 4M2
voice 905-525-9140x27664  fax 905-527-6793