DIGNITY |
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Alexus Grace (Rhone) |
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Meet the Company
Trina Francis
Trina Francis is a Houston-based educator and creative changemaker with over 15 years of experience shaping how students and teachers thrive. A proud native of the U.S. Virgin Islands, when not developming teachers, Trina’s creativity spills into her home studio where she transforms discarded materials into art, reminding us that beauty and purpose can always be repurposed.
She holds a bachelor’s degree in Political Science from Lamar University and a master’s degree in Public Administration from Texas Southern University.
Barbette Hunter
Barbette Hunter is a professional actress who has performed with numerous theatre companies in North Carolina. Since 2004, she has been a teaching artist for Raleigh Little Theater and Cary Applause! Youth Theatre.
She has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Speech/Communications from North Carolina State and did graduate work in Acting at UNC Greensboro. She is employed as a program coordinator for Raleigh Arts (City of Raleigh).
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DIGNITY quote from “CARRIE ANN”
Playwright
DIGNITY quote from “AUNT CLARA”
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Articles
DIGNITY to be Presented at 2025 Uprise Experience: Houston Black Theatre Week
"DIGNITY" is a 60-minute, three-part re-imagining of the impact Black women had on specific historical experiences. "DIGNITY" has been selected as a featured production in the 2025 Uprise Experience: Houston Black Theatre Week. Two performances are scheduled at the historic DeLUXE Theater: 7 PM, Saturday, October 25, and 3 PM, Sunday, October 26.
Playwright/director Alexus Grace (Rhone) understands the anxiety of the current milieu. She also believes that history has given us a blueprint for hope. "A world desperate for solutions can find them in two places - in women and art," Rhone insists. For that reason, she is excited that "DIGNITY" was selected in the competitive submissions process.
"DIGNITY" is divided into three vignettes set in three different centuries. Each vignette explores the dignity embodied in African/African American women alongside the degradation of specific historic experiences. The 19th-century vignette "When Mortal Puts On Immortality" is an amalgam of tradition, religion, and sexuality, with colonialism dancing around the periphery of 1886 Uganda.
The 20th-century vignette "Purse Fulla Peppermints" is set in 1930s Harlem, New York. One year into the Great Depression, Aunt Clara invites a white German theologian to dinner-a choice that ignites tensions with her niece, Carrie Ann. In the clash between hospitality and history, a deeper question emerges - What do we owe the strangers at our table, and what do we owe ourselves?
The 21st-century vignette "Aborting Betrayal's Baby" is set in 2015, in Los Angeles, California. Almost 15 years after the 9/11 terrorist attack and the Dotcom fallout, Carrie Ann still feels the financial consequences of a "love project" gone wrong. In her struggle to resist bitterness, she confronts the violence of memory and the cost of hope.
Rhone has cast Trina Francis (Carrie Ann) and Barbette Hunter (AUNT CLARA) to translate her "raucous history lessons." The runtime is 60 minutes, including a talkback after each show facilitated by Houston native Tracie Jae (IG: @TheQuietRebel).
"DIGNITY" was originally mounted in the 2023 National Women's Theatre Festival, where it won "Best Storytelling Award." It was also a runner-up in the "Best Direction" and "Best of Fringe Overall Outstanding Production" categories.
"DIGNITY" is not just a play-it's a mirror held up to history and a balm offered to the present. At its core, it is a meditation on the ways Black women's sacred strength continues to carve pathways toward possibility. For more information and for tickets to "DIGNITY," please visit https://www.1989dreams.com/dignity.
DIGNITY Wins Best Storytelling Award at National Women's Theatre Festival
DIGNITY, starring Alexis Rhone, won the Best Storytelling Award at the 2023 National Women's Theatre Festival. “DIGNITY” was also a runner-up in the Best Direction and Best of Fringe Overall Outstanding Production categories.
“DIGNITY” reimagines three historical experiences in three different centuries. It centers on the voice and perspective of African/African-American women. “An earlier reviewer described it as a 'raucous history lesson',” Rhone said. Her goal is to rescue history from those who fear hard truths, while also helping these hard truths be more easily digested. “Hard truths are best dressed in a story, for no one likes a naked truth.“
“DIGNITY” not only centers on difficult historical narratives, they are also lesser known. The 19th-century scene is set in 1886 Uganda and deals with religious missionaries, religious converts, and a same-sex attracted teen king. The 20th-century narrative is set in 1930 Harlem, New York, where an inter-generational conversation happens between an Auntie and her niece over a supper invitation extended to a German theologian at the beginning of the Great Depression. The 21st-century story opens in 2015 in Los Angeles but began on September 11, 2001.
One of the jurors describes being captivated from the very beginning, noting Rhone's clever use of video transitions to help fill in the historical context. “She takes us on a journey through smart conversation that is accessible to everyone. Engaging and not easily forgotten.”
The runtime is 57 minutes. Here is a link to the live stream - https://www.youtube.com/live/zPDyIkMn3Zk?feature=share&t=350.
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