By Gabriella Gladney
As bees begin emerging from winter hibernation, a new play uses the matriarchal insects as a vehicle to explore the experiences of Black Queer Southern women.
Honeypot: Black Southern Women Who Love Women premieres May 17 at the Fleetwood-Jourdain Theatre, 927 Noyes St., and is set for a limited run until June 1. Adapted for the stage by Northwestern professor emeritus D. Soyini Madison, and co-directed by Fleetwood-Jourdain Artistic Director Tim Rhoze, the play brings to life the oral histories first documented in the book of the same name, written by E. Patrick Johnson, Dean of Northwestern’s School of Communication.
The story begins when the character of Dr. EPJ (a fictionalized version of Dr. Johnson) is visited by Miss B, a magical trickster. She whisks him away to the land of Hymen, where he bears witness to the stories of women who work and live in the South. The stage floor and backdrop are awash in yellow, and a giant wooden hexagon frames center stage, evoking the feeling of being inside a beehive.
The narratives showcased in the play are real lived experiences of women Johnson interviewed for his oral history text Black. Queer. Southern. Women. (2018), of which Honeypot (2019) became a companion. Johnson always knew he wanted to stage the work at some point, but wasn’t sure what form it would take.
“I knew that I didn’t want to be the performer, and I also felt that this piece needed to be an ensemble piece, because many of the stories that I collected from these women are about community and about really coming together,” said Johnson. “I also wanted to see what someone else could do with the material.”
When Madison agreed to try her hand at adapting the book, it marked a full circle moment. She had taught and mentored Johnson during his undergraduate years at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
“I was really excited about it, because it was she who introduced me to oral histories and adapting oral histories for the stage,” said Johnson. “So to have my mentor want to adapt something that I created was actually a really wonderful honor.”
Choosing which stories to include in the adaptation proved difficult. Madison looked for moments where the women were working towards some kind of change or transition, and for particularly descriptive passages. Even with set criteria, the book’s magical realism elements required creative reimagining for the stage.
“Even if things couldn’t be done realistically in the material world, I thought, what does it signify? What can happen that can be extraordinary and still convey the same message?” Madison said.
Madison also emphasized that co-director Tim Rhoze played an essential role in helping bring the adaptation to life. Their collaboration started with a phone call from Tanya Palmer, the executive artistic director at the Wirtz Center.
“I did my research, and all of it seemed to be a wonderful fit of intersectionality between traditional theater production combined with oral history, “ Rhoze said. “The collaboration has been very pleasant. Dr. Soyini and I seem to have fallen into a really great pattern and rhythm of working with each other, and so the trade-offs and collaboration have been a really good experience.”
Movement artist and choreographer Marsae Mitchell also helped shape the visual language of Honeypot. Currently a PhD student in Northwestern’s Performance Studies department, Mitchell and Rhoze had previously worked together on Fleetwood-Jourdain’s production of For Colored Girls last year. Part of Honeypot touches on the mythology of Oshun, a Youruba priestess, and Mitchell has been studying Yoruba traditions as part of her dissertation work.
“She added so much to these Yoruba mythologies through her own language. She taught the students a lot of the music and sound that honors Oshun and Yoruba religions, and she worked very hard on that,” Madison said.
While Honeypot centers the lives of Black Southern women, audiences of all kinds will find something that resonates. As LGBTQ+ rights and freedoms face continued political attacks, Honeypot aims to offer respite and understanding.
“I’m hoping that these stories brought to life on stage will focus on the humanity of our community, and also show that they too are wives, mothers, and members of our community whose lives are worthy of being lifted up and celebrated,” said Johnson. “I also hope people will experience the joy of these women’s lives. There’s lots of trauma, but there’s also a lot of joy and a lot of laughter.”
Honeypot: Black Southern Women Who Love Women runs May 17 through June 1 at the Fleetwood-Jourdain Theatre. After May 24th’s performance, there will be a discussion between Dr. E. Patrick Johnson and some of the women whose stories are featured in the play. To buy tickets and learn more, visit https://wirtz.northwestern.edu/honeypot/.