Tickets $10
"Those that don't got it, can't show it. Those that got it, can't hide it." - Zora Neale Hurston
The Jungle is pleased to present a special matinee performance of our acclaimed one-woman show celebrating the life and work of the influential African-American anthropologist, writer and folklorist ZORA NEALE HURSTON. Featuring Twin Cities actress and singer Regina Williams as Zora.
This entertaining and inspiring performance ties themes from the author’s most celebrated works, including the novel “ Their Eyes Were Watching God”, to events in her own life. Stories of Zora’s idyllic hometown of Edenville, tall tales she collected during her travels in the rural south, and her struggle to maintain her unique voice as a writer despite criticism from the male literati of the Harlem Renaissance, all emerge over the course of this 55-minute production. The show includes original music by local composer Roberta Carlson. Especially appropriate for high school literature classes and college-level Women’s Studies programs, Jump at the Sun is a perfect complement to any Black History Month (February) or Women’s History Month (March) curriculum. This production has also met with great success as a workplace cultural enrichment event.
Regina Marie Williams (Zora Neale Hurston) is a highly regarded actor and vocalist who has appeared at The Guthrie Theater, Penumbra Theatre Company, Mixed Blood Theatre and jazz hot-spot The Dakota. Angela Bassett, in Entertainment Weekly, named Regina Marie Williams "the best singer you've never heard." Williams first stepped on the boards in Los Angeles, California, inspired by Tina Turner and her Proud Mary. She hit Minneapolis in 1987, methodically went about making a name for herself and steadily picked up steam. The powerhouse performer gained traction, starring in Daughters of Africa (Mixed Blood), a solo vehicle in which Regina got to air out both her acting and singing chops, depicting a gallery of historic figures, including Aretha Franklin, Billie Holiday and Lena Horne. Williams then made waves across the theatre scene with a sterling turn in Gus Edward’s Louis & Ophelia (Penumbra). Her galvanizing stint as Dinah Washington in Dinah Was (Penumbra) cemented William’s standing as a front-line talent. Not only was the run extended, the production was remounted the following season. Williams has notched success after success ever since, including Constant Star and Crowns. Recently, she starred in Mixed Blood’s production of Obie Award winner Dael Orlandersmith’s Yellowman at Guthrie Theater Dowling Studio. Seizing a golden opportunity presented by her acclaimed tour de force in Dinah Was, Williams recorded the companion CD, Regina Is…The Songs of Dinah Washington. She follows it with the newly released Feel the Spirit, soulful renderings of traditional spirituals that bring her own, captivating bent to gospel music. Regina originated the role of Zora in the Jungle’s production of JUMP AT THE SUN, and has performed the piece throughout the Twin Cities and the wider Minnesota area.
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