By: Shannon Emerick
Main Street Theater (MST) is producing the world premiere of Stagolee and the Funeral of a Dangerous Word by nationally-acclaimed Houston playwright, Thomas Meloncon. Main Street previously produced the world premiere of Meloncon’s play The Laws of Storms, about the impact the Galveston hurricane of 1900 had on the island’s African-American community. Main Street has also produced Meloncon’s play The Drums of Sweetwater. Main Street Theater will be hosting two, free post-show discussions, one with playwright Th omas Meloncon on Sunday, April 7, and one with Tracie Jae of The Quiet Rebel on Sunday, April 14, exploring the question, “To whom does language belong?”. All are welcome, even if you are not seeing the play on those days. Just plan to arrive at the theater at 5:30pm.
Additionally, MST will host a Pride Night event in connection with the April 18 performance, and the April 7 performance also offers open captioning. Main Street’s Community Partners are the NAACP Houston Branch, Kindred Stories, and The Quiet Rebel. Stagolee runs Mar. 30 – Apr. 21, 2024. Performances are Thursday – Saturdays at 7:30 pm and Sundays at 3:00 pm. Tickets are $35 – $59. About the Play The play takes place in an office in a small town in East Texas where the local NAACP chapter is planning a funeral for the “N word.” At the same time, a bigoted white man is on his way to that same office to have a frank discussion with the legendary Stagolee, a black man known for his swagger. The two men have had a fight at their workplace, and this “conversation” is actually a court-ordered intervention, facilitated by a visiting Jewish psychologist. This new, action-packed play examines different points of view along the racial divide and does so without judgement, ultimately bringing its characters into a better understanding of each other.
About the Playwright Th omas Meloncon is an Associate Professor of Theatre in the Visual and Performing Art Dept. in the College of Liberal Arts and Behavioral Sciences at Texas Southern University. He is the author of plays that have been produced nationally and internationally. His poetry publications include Recollections and Poetry in E Minor. His list of plays includes, Johnnie B. Goode published in Acting Up and Getting Down: An Anthology of African American Playwrights of Texas, published by University of Texas Press, The Man Who Saved New Orleans published in Callaloo: A Journal of African Diaspora Arts and Letters by John Hopkins University Press. His popular stage plays include The Diary of Black Men, Whatever Happened to Black Love, If Beds Could talk, Jump the Broom, and Where Were You in ’65, to name a few. Mr. Meloncon is the Narrator on the recent Fade to Black “Thank You, Ten” documentary film, celebrating their 10 years of mentoring and producing new African American playwrights from across the U.S.
He is the featured poet on several Jazz musical albums, and his folksong, “Ain’t Gonna Wait Too Long” can be heard in season 3 episode 6 of the TV series SNOWFALL. His many awards include Th e TSU IMPACT Award, TSU COLABS Best Faculty Mentor Award-Theatre, Induction into the Kashmere High School Alumni Hall of Fame, two certificates of Congressional Recognition, A Resolution from The State of Texas, A Bronze Medallion from the City of Houston, the Creative Writing Award from the Houston Chapter of the National Association of Black Journalist, Community Service Award from the Houston Area Women’s Center, and the Excellence in Community Health Education Award from Th e Duncan Cancer Center at Baylor College of Medicine.
