Fleetwood-Jourdain Theatre, Evanston’s celebrated company devoted to presenting dynamic Black American and African Diaspora-centered storytelling, has announced the cast for its season opener - the World Premiere of HONEYPOT: BLACK SOUTHERN WOMEN WHO LOVE WOMEN, an adaptation of the groundbreaking creative nonfiction work by E. Patrick Johnson, Dean of the School of Communication at Northwestern University. The press opening is May 18 at 3 pm, following a preview on May 17 at 7 pm. HONEYPOT will play through June 1.
Adapted for the stage by D. Soyini Madison, Professor Emerita at Northwestern, HONEYPOT presents deeply moving oral histories of over 25 women-loving women through the genre of "performance ethnography." These real-world interviews unfold in a fantasy world where the women are imagined as part of a vibrant hive of bees—symbolizing community, resilience, and the richness of Black Southern womanhood. Blending original music, choreography, prose, and poetry, the production reveals stories of joy, pain, activism, love, and personal growth spanning generations—from late teens to elders.
Co-directed by Fleetwood-Jourdain Theatre Artistic Director Tim Rhoze and Madison, the production features a talented cast of eight actors from Evanston and Chicago. The cast will be led by Tuesdai B. Perry as “Miss Bee” the Queen Bee of the Hive, and Jelani Julyus as “Dr. EPJ” who with the guidance of Miss Bee observes and chronicles the women’s stories. Perry has been seen at FJT in FOR COLORED GIRLS, OBAMA-OLOGY, HOME, CROWNS; and THE NUTCRACKER(ISH). Julyus is making his FJT debut. His recent credits include INHERITANCE -OR- BROTHERS FROM THE DEEP with The Factory Theater and BLUES FOR AN ALABAMA SKY with Remy Bumppo. The cast also includes Angelena Browne, Kaitlyn Fields, Nehanda Julot, Santina Juma, Jasmine "Jaz" Robertson, and Sadie Stickler, who perform multiple roles, bringing EPJ’s tapestry of voices to vivid life. "We are honored to bring this vital and joyful work to the stage," said FJT Artistic Director Tim Rhoze. "At its heart, Honeypot is a celebration of authenticity, community, and the power of oral history to heal and inspire."
Performance Details:
- Preview: Saturday, May 17, 2025, at 7 PM
- Press Opening: Sunday, May 18, 2025, at 3 PM
- Run Dates: Saturdays at 7 PM and Sundays at 3 PM, through June 1, 2025
- Location: Fleetwood-Jourdain Theatre at the Noyes Cultural Arts Center, 927 Noyes Street, Evanston
- Tickets: $32; Students $10 — On sale now at www.fjtheatre.com or call 847-866-5914
Creative Team:
- Adaptation: D. Soyini Madison
- Co-Directors: Tim Rhoze and D. Soyini Madison
- Original Music & Sound Design: Ethan Korvne
- Lighting Design: Josiah Croegaert
- Set Design: Tim Rhoze and Kotryna L. Hilko
- Costume Design: Kotryna L. Hilko
- Choreography: Marsae Lynn Mitchell
- This is a co-production with Northwestern University's Wirtz Center for the Performing Arts
Cast Biographies:
- Angelena Browne — Hailing from New Jersey and Saint Kitts & Nevis, Angelena studied at Northwestern and has performed at NJPAC and in numerous productions at the Wirtz Center, including SWEAT and VIOLET. She was last seen as an ensemble member in FJT’s 2024 production of FOR COLORED GIRLS…
- Kaitlyn Fields — A Northwestern senior in Theatre and Music Theatre, Kaitlyn has appeared in ONCE ON THIS ISLAND and SANDBLASTED, and is committed to creating equitable spaces in theater.
- Nehanda Julot — Nehanda was an ensemble member in FJT’s 2024 production “of FOR COLORED GIRLS… and her playwriting work has been featured at International Black Theatre Festival and FJT’s Gloria Bond Clunie Playwright’s Festival in 2024. She combines storytelling and financial empowerment through her venture, Wealth I Am.
- Jelani Julyus —Jelani is making his FJT debut. HIs recent credits include INHERITANCE -OR- BROTHERS FROM THE DEEP with The Factory Theater and BLUES FOR AN ALABAMA SKY with Remy Bumppo.
- Santina Juma — A rising Northwestern artist studying Theatre and Music Cognition, Santina is active in new-work development and music direction, bringing a multifaceted creativity to her FJT debut.
- Tuesdai B. Perry — A frequent FJT collaborator, Tuesdai’s credits include FOR COLORED GIRLS…and CROWNS, among others. A Gary, Indiana native, she is a performer, director, and educator passionate about representation in the arts.
- Jasmine "Jaz" Robertson — A multi-hyphenated artist from Memphis, Jaz was last seen at FJT in the 2024 production UNTIL THE FLOOD by Dael Orlandersmith and has appeared on stages across Chicago, including Invictus Theatre and Redtwist Theatre, and is an alumna of The American Theatre Wing’s SpringboardNYC program.
- Sadie Stickler — A Northwestern University student majoring in Data Science, Sadie balances her STEM studies with a vibrant passion for theater, appearing in DRACULA: A RADIO PLAY and MANIC PIXIE DREAM GIRLS AREN’T BLACK.
TIM RHOZE (Director, Artistic Director) Tim Rhoze has been the Producing Artistic Director of Fleetwood-Jourdain Theatre since 2010. His directing credits include: UNTIL THE FLOOD, FOR COLORED GIRLS WHO HAVE CONSIDERED SUICIDE/ WHEN THE RAINBOW IS ENUF, 1619: THE JOURNEY OF A PEOPLE, THIS BITTER EARTH, THE BALDWIN | GIOVANNI EXPERIENCE, THE LIGHT, AMERICAN SON, HOME, TWILIGHT: LOS ANGELES 1992, THE MEETING, FIRES IN THE MIRROR, BLACK BALLERINA (co-writer), NUTCRACKER(ISH), CROWNS, HAVING OUR SAY, FROM THE MISSISSIPPI DELTA, WOZA ALBERT!, GOING TO ST. IVES, SINGLE BLACK FEMALE, A SONG FOR CORETTA, YELLOWMAN, SWEET, LADY DAY AT EMERSON BAR & GRILL, BEAR COUNTRY, NOBODY, FENCES, PIANO LESSON, AIN'T MISBEHAVIN, K2, THE GLASS MENAGERIE, and others. Tim is also the writer/director of WHY NOT ME? A SAMMY DAVIS JR. STORY, and MAYA’S LAST POEM, both produced at FJT; and BLACK BALLERINA, produced at FJT and Pittsburgh Public Theatre. He was also co-writer and director of THE BALDWIN | GIOVANNI EXPERIENCE and A HOME ON THE LAKE. His performances in August Wilson’s PIANO LESSON (1997) and JOE TURNER'S COME AND GONE (2024) at the Goodman Theatre were nominated for Jeff Awards.
D. SOYINI MADISON, PhD (Adapter/Co-Director HONEYPOT: BLACK SOUTHERN WOMEN WHO LOVE WOMEN) is Professor Emerita at Northwestern University. Her work focuses on the intersections of local activism, the political economy of human rights, and indigenous performance tactics. Her latest book, ACTS OF ACTIVISM: HUMAN RIGHTS AND RADICAL PERFORMANCE, is based on how local activists in Ghana, West Africa employ modes of performance, as tactical interventions, in their day-to-day struggles for women’s rights, water democracy, and economic justice.
In Madison’s research and applied work on indigenous activism in South-Saharan Africa, she also teaches and writes extensively on “critical performance ethnography.” By combining conventional ethnography with performance theory as well as an explicitly critical and rhetorical purpose, Madison translates and directs her ethnographic data for the public stage. It is through the public staging of ethnographic data where principles of advocacy, publicity, and ethics are further examined in her published work. Madison’s staged work includes: I HAVE MY STORY TO TELL, a performance reflecting the oral histories of University of Carolina laborers and service workers; MANDELA, THE LAND, AND THE PEOPLE, a performance based on the life and work of Nelson Mandela; IS IT A HUMAN BEING OR A GIRL? a performance ethnography on traditional religion, modernity, and women’s poverty; and, WATER RITES a multi-media performance on the privatization of public water and the struggle for clean and accessible water as a human right.
E. PATRICK JOHNSON (Author, HONEYPOT: BLACK SOUTHERN WOMEN WHO LOVE WOMEN book) is the Dean of the School of Communication and the Annenberg University Professor at Northwestern University. A scholar/artist, Johnson performs nationally and internationally and has published widely in the areas of race, gender, sexuality and performance. He has written the books, APPROPRIATING BLACKNESS: PERFORMANCE AND THE POLITICS OF AUTHENTICITY, SWEET TEA: BLACK GAY MEN OF THE SOUTH—AN ORAL HISTORY. HONEYPOT: BLACK SOUTHERN WOMEN WHO LOVE WOMEN, and BLACK. QUEER. SOUTHERN. WOMEN. — AN ORAL HISTORY.
Johnson's performance work dovetails with his written work. His staged reading, POURING TEA: BLACK GAY MEN OF THE SOUTH TELL THEIR TALES is based on his book, SWEET TEA, and has toured to over 100 college campuses from 2006 to the present. In 2009, he translated the staged reading into a full-length stage play, SWEET TEA—THE PLAY, which premiered in Chicago in April 2010.
About Fleetwood-Jourdain Theatre: Since 1979, Fleetwood-Jourdain Theatre has been dedicated to producing powerful works that amplify the voices of the Black American experience. Under the leadership of Producing Artistic Director Tim Rhoze, FJT continues to be a hub for transformative, socially relevant theatre in Evanston and beyond and recognized as a vital contributor to the Chicago theatre scene.