Hear from the team behind 'By The Way, Meet Vera Stark' as they prepare to bring golden age Hollywood to the ADC stage.
The play’s director, Ivan Alexei Ampiah, has been involved in other shows that tackle the historical treatment of race: directing August Wilson’s “Fences” in October 2024 and BME Shakespeare “Antony and Cleopatra” last February. When asked to describe what is so special about “By the Way, Meet Vera Stark”, Ivan described his admiration for Nottage's dramaturgy. Specifically, he praised the play for “its ability to bound together wickedly delicious humour and social commentary that thrusts its audience into regular refrains of laughter and aptly questions the history of race in America and the importance of collective memory”. The production team have focused upon the light-hearted comedy of the original script, but haven’t shied away from the deeper questions that it probes.
It is important to everyone involved that all the jokes don’t distract from the topics of racism, stereotyping and historical erasure that “By the Way, Meet Vera Stark” covers. Idara James is playing the main character herself and is palpably aware of the need for black representation on-stage and in film. She notes that “Vera, although a fictional character, is real” – a reference to both the character’s inspiration from the acclaimed Theresa Harris, and also to the countless other African-American actresses whose names we’ll never know. When I asked Idara what she wants the audience to get from her portrayal of Vera, she told me that:
"There are so many black women in Hollywood who were systematically erased and faded into the shadows of history, never to be seen or named. So, Vera Stark is for those women, and we have the honour of paying homage to them in a most captivating and beautiful way."
The hope is that this production will make students, faculty members and local residents alike more aware of this systematic erasure of people of colour from so many different fields – something especially important to consider in a city like Cambridge! Even though the cast and crew want to highlight how timeless and universal these issues are, there is also something particularly fascinating about 1930s America in this play. There is a real contemporary obsession with The Golden Age of Hollywood and it’s interesting to compare the racial tensions of that era with our current age. When discussing the historical importance of the play with Iola Budden, the play’s Deputy Stage Manager, she admitted that she was drawn to the idea of depicting this particular time period:
“I'm so excited about staging this insight into the history of film that pushes against the glamorous image of 30s Hollywood with such wit and realism. Also....there's a chandelier!”
Working tirelessly in the background have been the entire production crew who have made the likes of the chandelier immerse the audience in the Hollywood setting. As we draw nearer to the opening night, those controlling everything technical can be seen at their most stressed – trying to ensure that everything looks and sounds as amazing as possible! The play’s two technical directors Zoe Edwards and Katie Stapleton are very experienced in the theatre world so they know just how busy they will be over the next week. They told me that:
“The most hectic part of show week for the TDs is actually the week before! This is when we are coordinating delivery to the ADC of all the furniture, paint, wood and other supplies that we need to make the set, and of course actually building the set. Hopefully this means that by get-in day, everything is organised and ready!”
Get-in day will be an opportunity for the cast and crew to get the ADC stage looking like it’s been taken straight from the 1930s – a long day, but certainly a rewarding one! As we edge closer to opening night on Tuesday, the team are definitely nervous but excited for the audience to see all the hard work that has gone into this show. It’s not one to be missed so grab your tickets and we’ll see you there!
By The Way, Meet Vera Stark
by Lynn Nottage
Tuesday 4th March - Saturday 8th March, 7.45PM
ADC Theatre
Click here to book your tickets!