2 AMERICAN BLUES THEATER Tiffany Oglesby BACKSTAGECALLBOARD FLYIN’ WEST Written by Pearl Cleage Directed by Chuck Smith* Following the end of the Civil War, many former slaves took advantage of The Homestead Act and went West to build new lives for themselves and their families. Many of these homesteaders were black women who overcame tremendous odds to work their own land and make a place for themselves in an often harsh and forbidding environment. Set in 1898, this is the story of some of these African-American female pioneers who settled, together, in the all-black town of Nicodemus, Kansas. “A gripping play…a paean to women…Ms. Cleage writes with amazing grace and killer instinct.” – The New York Times. * Artistic Affiliate of American Blues Theater STARRING Joslyn Jones Sydney Charles Henri Watkins Tiffany Renee Johnson Wardell Julius Clark