We had the opportunity to learn a little more about playwright, director, and producer Dana Hall (she/her), and we’ve just gotta make the introduction.
Welcome Dana! To get us started, could you tell us what WTFringe show you are representing? What is your role on the production team?
DANA: I’m the co-writer, director, and producer of No Justice.
Could you give us a brief description of your artistic background? How did you come across the work of WTF?
DANA: I am a licensed clinical professional counselor by training and have been a stage actor in Chicago for over twenty years. During the pandemic I co-founded This Moment Productions, which is a virtual theatre company dedicated to making the arts more equitable, diverse, and accessible. My co-writer Kenisha Morgan and I were compelled to write No Justice to increase the dialogue regarding history race relations in Chicago and other major cities. We took a collection of narratives and created this show to elevate the voices of those that would go unheard otherwise. A colleague shared with me the application for WTF and thought No Justice would be a good fit–we are so humbled that WTF thought so too!
That is so inspiring to hear. What is your connection to your WTFringe show? What compelled you to step into a production role for it?
DANA: Too long have the voices of underrepresented communities been silenced. I felt compelled to produce this show because it is time to have those hard conversations. Having my Assistant Director Keneisha Richards by my side, we have delved into some deep connections with the actors on this piece and all of us have shed tears during this rehearsal process because this story impacts all of us very deeply.
Wow, that is powerful–thank you so much for sharing. To close us out, what has been your favorite aspect of preparing for WTFringe 21?
DANA: The hands on work with my talented actors, Kenisha Morgan and Ruth Hansen. These two actors allowed themselves to be completely vulnerable in preparing these characters. It has also meant a lot of self examination and reflection on the difficult events of the last two years for all of us involved–we hope to demonstrate the power of healing and truly listening to one another.
Catch the FINAL performance of No Justice on Saturday July 24 at 4:00 pm EST.
Click here to view the full schedule for the (virtual) National Women’s Theatre Festival Fringe 21 and here to snag your tickets.
All WTFringe 21 tickets are Pay-What-You-Can with a $10 suggested donation per performance.