‘Berta, ‘Berta by Angelica Cheri
July 16 • 8:00 pm - August 25 • 8:00 pm
Echo Theater Company presents the World-Premiere of
‘Berta, ‘Berta
By Angelica Chéri
Directed by Andi Chapman
Click here for tickets!
In 1920s Mississippi, Leroy has committed an unforgivable crime and is ready to accept his punishment: incarceration at notorious Parchman Farm. He has just one final wish before he’s caught – a chance to make amends with his long lost love, Berta. Their reunion swells from a quarrelsome conjuring of the past to an impassioned plot to escape their impending fate.
DeJuan Christopher and Kacie Rogers star in Chéri’s unique, magical and heart-wrenching “fictional origin story” of the song “Berta, Berta.”
The creative team for Berta, Berta includes scenic designer Amanda Knehans, lighting designer Andrew Schmedake, sound designer Jeff Gardner and costume designer Wendell C. Carmichael. The production stage manager is Bianca Rickheim. Chris Fields, Kelly Beech, Marie Bland and Joy DeMichelle produce for the Echo Theater Company.
“Berta, Berta is a beautifully written, simple love story set against the backdrop of Jim Crow. It’s poetry – a book coming to life. Love can pierce through anything.”
— Andi Chapman, Director
Angelica Chéri is a playwright, bookwriter & lyricist, screenwriter and poet. Her plays include The Seeds of Abraham (Billie Holiday Theatre), The Sting of White Roses (National Black Theatre Festival), Crowndation (National Black Theatre), Berta, Berta (Contemporary American Theatre Festival; Everyman Theatre), and The Wiring & the Switches (Geffen Writers Group). Angelica and collaborator Ross Baum received the Richard Rodgers Award for their musical Gun & Powder (Signature Theatre). Angelica is co-writer of the Highway to Heaven series reboot on the Lifetime Network and story producer for Season 2 of Dear… on Apple TV+. Angelica received her BA in Theatre from UCLA, MFA in Playwriting from Columbia University, and MFA in Musical Theatre Writing from NYU.