BWW Stage Mag Life Liberty & The Pursuit - STAMP Boston University Stage Mag

LIFE LIBERTY & THE PURSUIT

WRITTEN and DEVISED BY

Amanda E. Reynolds & Chloe McFarlane

In Collaboration W/ Patrese D. McClain

 
STAMP 26' BOSTON UNIVERSITY

 

 
 
 

"They keep trying to find new ways to kill us because we keep finding ways to escape. When we learned how to live with open wounds and rips in our thick skin. When we learned how to remake life from nothing, from ashes, from familiar rhythms and the way kinfolk sounds on the tongue."

Cast

Chloe McFarlane
Joy
Amanda Esmie Reynolds
Meka
Charlotte Compo
Nina
Lillian Colvin
Scholarship Official

Creative Team

Sydney Alicia Jackson

Stage Manager/Sound Designer

Patrese D McClain

Collaborator & Artistic Mentor

Liv Kelly

Light Board Op

Meet the Company

Chloe McFarlane

Joy
Chloe McFarlane  - Joy Chloe (Joy) is a senior Theatre Arts student at Boston University concentrating in Acting and Playwriting. Acting credits include Marlene in Top Girls and Juliet in Romeo and Juliet.

Amanda Esmie Reynolds

Meka
Amanda Esmie Reynolds - Meka Amanda is performer, writer & director from Queens New York, receiving a BFA in Theatre Arts at Boston University. Her work is concerned with the black female body, cycles of violence, and heritage. Selected Professional Credits: Our Friend Lyssa (Fresh Ink), Macbeth (Actors Shakespeare Project), Raisin In The Sun (New Rep) Educational Theatre: One Penny Down (BU) Skriker (BU)

Charlotte Compo

Nina
Charlotte Compo - Nina Charlotte Compo is a New York based actor currently completing her BFA in Acting with a Musical Theatre concentration at Boston University. Her work at BU includes "Julia" in Fefu and Her Friends, "Angel" in The Rink, and "Old Lady" in Sunday in the Park with George. She has trained at LAMDA and Accademia Dell’Arte. She’s also a singer and dancer with a background at the Alvin Ailey School. Thanks to Mom and Dad always. charlottecompo.com

Lillian Colvin

Scholarship Official
Lillian Colvin - Scholarship Official (she/her) is a current Sophomore Acting Major at Boston University. BU credits include; The Crucible (Thomas Putnam/Movement Ens.), Clown Bar One & Clown Bar Two (Twinkles/Virginia) happening this April! She sends her love to her family, friends and the LLP Team :)

Sydney Alicia Jackson

Stage Manager/Sound Designer
Sydney Alicia Jackson - Stage Manager/Sound Designer Sydney Alicia Jackson is a Boston and New York based actor, singer, and stage manager. Her stage management credits include HALF (BU) and The Crucible (BU). Sydney’s acting credits include Dailyn in Morning, Noon, and Night (Company One), Squeak in The Color Purple (Umbrella Arts), Ensemble in Beauty & the Beast (Summer Theatre of New Canaan), Ensemble in The Spongebob Musical (Wheelock Family Theatre), Lack in Make Way for Ducklings (Hangar Theatre), and Mom in Pete the Cat (Hangar Theatre). She is pursuing a BFA in Acting with a Concentration in Musical Theatre from Boston University College of Fine Arts. www.sydneyaliciajackson.com

Patrese D McClain

Collaborator & Artistic Mentor
Patrese D McClain - Collaborator & Artistic Mentor Patrese D. McClain is a Chicago-born actor, director, educator, and ARTivist whose work lives at the intersection of performance, pedagogy, and social impact. As a stage and screen actor, she has performed nationally, including the Tony Award-winning Broadway tour of *Jitney*, with additional credits at The Public Theater, The Old Globe, Goodman Theatre, Actors Theatre of Louisville, and other leading regional institutions. Her film and television work includes *Widows*, *Captive State*, *Workingman*, BET’s *Friend Request*, and appearances on *Fargo* (FX), *Chicago Med*, *Chicago Fire*, *Sirens*, and *Detroit 1-8-7*. A Barrymore Award-winning actor and Joseph Jefferson Award nominee, Patrese brings the same rigor to her work as an educator and mentor. She is a faculty member at Boston University School of Theatre and teaches at the National Theatre Institute, where she supports emerging artists in developing bold, embodied, and socially conscious work. Committed to equity and access, she is the founder of Pure Art Education and a collaborator on The Collab Project, creating opportunities for youth to tell their own stories through film and performance. Patrese holds a BFA from Howard University and an MFA from Penn State and is a proud member of Actors’ Equity Association and SAG-AFTRA.

Liv Kelly

Light Board Op
Liv Kelly (they/her) is a Theater Arts Performance Major in the class of 2026. Her previous credits at BU School of Theater include Top Girls by Caryl Churchill (Angie) and One Penny Down by Kirstin Greenidge (Jade); and they also recently completed an artistic administration internship at the Australian Theater for Young People while they were abroad in Sydney, Australia. After graduation, Liv hopes to pursue a career in artistic administration and production management in the Boston area.

Photos

Photo

A note from the playwrights: 

This play is the product of the endless love, effort, care, and affection from the families that got us here. Since freshmen year. We've have been intrigued with what it means to pursue a dream as it relates to First-Gen black women. Specifically, what it means to feel extremely indebted to the predecessors that allowed us to be here; the predecessors that dedicated their lives our dreams. 

For that reason, we would like to credit Joy Miller (1946-2026), David Washington, and Yolande Washington 

Thank you for planting the seeds and allowing us to grow. You will always be in our hearts. 

Special Thanks to Patty Mac,  The STAMP collective and to the families of the creatives.   

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