Nikkole Salter | LINES IN THE DUST

Graphic by Sean Wiggins

LINES IN THE DUST

BY: Nikkole Salter

THE STORY: 2010, Essex County, NJ. When Denitra loses the charter

school lottery for her daughter, she must find another way to escape

from their underperforming neighborhood school. The answer seems

like a risk well worth taking, but may end up requiring a bigger

sacrifice than she ever could have imagined. Set over a half-

century after Brown Versus The Board of Education, LINES IN THE DUST

questions how far we've come and more importantly, where we go from

here. (Luna Stage Commission)

FULL SCRIPT

Two Acts

2 Women, 1 Man

St. Louis Black Repertory Theatre Company, 2017 photo credit: Phillip Hamer

1/21

LINES IN THE DUST was commissioned by and received its world premiere at Luna Stage, October 9 - November 9 , 2014, directed by Reginald Douglas. For information, photos, videos, audio and links to reviews and press from the Luna Stage production, and other productions this play has had, click here. The St. Louis Black Rep production plays Jan 11- 29, 2017 at the Edison

Theatre at Washington University. The creative team is as follows:

Directed by Ron Himes

Starring: (l to r) Cast: Cherita Armstrong, John Contini, Evann De-Bosse

Lighting Design: sean Savoie Scenic Design: Dunsi Dai
Costume Design: Linda Armstrong Composer & Sound Design: Casey Hunter

Projection Designer: Geordy Van Es

Assistant Director:

LINKS TO PRESS & REVIEWS from the ST. LOUIS BLACK REPERTORY THEATRE Production

Review: St. Louis Dispatch - Black Rep's 'Lines in the Dust' boasts strong characters

By: Judith Newmark 01/18/2017

"And the kids seemed to love it. You would think that the drama about the intricacies of school district boundary lines would be a bit dry.... But playwright Nikkole Salter has invested the play with enough strong feeling and dashes of humor to get the audience laughing, cheering and sometimes applauding in the middle of scenes."

Review: Ladue News - Dinner & A Show: Lines in the Dust

By: Mark Bretz Sat 01/17/2017

"Salter does a fine job depicting three recognizable characters who resonate with traits we’ve all noticed through the decades in which black citizens have struggled to have access to the same tenets of basic education as most whites have benefited from in their individual pursuits of happiness."

Feature: St. Louis Dispatch - 'Lines in the Dust' explores mom's risk to give child the best education

By: Judith Newmark 01/12/2017

"“In my opinion, education is the most important part of the American dream,” says the Obie-winning playwright and actress...

Public education is based on the idea that we invest in everybody. But right now, we only invest in some people. That’s a class system — a caste system that says, ‘This is ours; you go get your own.’

Yet we know that education is the one thing that equalizes opportunity. If we won’t offer that, let’s go back to having kings and queens! A good education isn’t supposed to be a privilege.”

Feature: Is lying, cheating & stealing ‘the right choice?’ Black Rep’s ‘Lines in the Dust’ challenges belief

By: KELLY MOFFITT Sat 01/11/2017

"Perhaps the most remarkable thing about “Lines in the Dust,” is the fact that there are no easy answers. It is hard to judge one character as purely right or wrong. The principal wants to do right by her students. The private investigator wants to do right by the law. The mother wants to do right by her child and will take to lying, cheating and, in some views, stealing to do so."