In a celebration of life, honesty, and womanhood, seven Juilliard drama students -- Jasmine Jobity, Rutina Wesley, Rachel Nicks, Damali Scott, Dawn-Lyen Gardner, Serena Reeder, and I -- performed an abridged version of For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow is Enuf on January 26 in Studio 304. The performance was sponsored by MYAN and the Office of Student Affairs and gave a packed house the chance to experience one of America's best theatrical ensemble pieces.

Written by Ntozake Shange in the summer of 1974, this "choreopoem" (as the playwright called it) is about American women of African descent, who share their personal testimonies. Collected are seemingly unrelated monologues about love, sex, rape, betrayal, friendship, abuse, abortion, and pain. Ingeniously, Shange ribbons their cries into one melodic story-song. Each woman fiercely seeks God in the midst of attempted spiritual and mental suicide.

The seven nameless women -- recognized only by the colors they wear onstage -- struggle for answers, confessing to each other and to the audience. Shange uses the colors to signify the women's eclectic individuality, associating each one with a different energy force. For example, Lady in Brown -- played by Jobity, a fourth-year student -- evokes nature and earth, responding with passionate laments to her sisters' distress.

Shange believes the only way stories of black women can be told is with music and dance. She insists that continual motion of text and body are of primary importance.

The Lady in Blue -- played by Gardner, also a fourth-year student -- evokes a sense of cool jazz. With her light complexion and curly hair, Lady in Blue confesses to being able to pass for Puerto Rican. Obsessed with a culture not her own (and with Hispanic legend Willie Colon), she finds herself in a nightclub mixing in as "... a mute cute colored Puerto Rican..." As the choreopoem progresses, the audience experiences Lady in Blue finally coming to terms with her true identity -- embracing her heritage, and more importantly, her own voice.

A counterpoint to Lady in Blue is Lady in Orange (played by Reeder, a second-year student), evoking contagious laughter and undeniable sensuality. Despite her abortion, unrequited love affairs, and battles with loneliness, she refuses to let circumstance mold her personality and tenaciously proclaims, "My love is too Saturday night to have thrown back on my face."

Third-year student Damali Scott portrayed Lady in Green, who unmercifully spews her wit at the speed of light. Drunk from laughter after realizing her inner core of being was nearly jeopardized because she concerned herself with making her partner happy, she relates how "somebody almost walked off wid alla my stuff -- but, thank God, they didn't.

Completing the rainbow of monologues are the Lady in Yellow (Wesley), the Lady in Red (Nicks) and the Lady in Purple (Lewis) -- each testifying in unique ways about what it means to be black and female in America. Sometimes funny, sometimes sad, each story captured a sense of brutal confession.

All seven women are called upon to use their bodies in extremely expressive ways, as the playwright believes the only way the stories of black women can be told fully is through the use of music and dance. She insists that continual motion of text and body are of primary importance.

During the '60s and '70s, some African-American playwrights were reluctant to incorporate dance or music into their work, for fear that black Americans would be associated with stereotyped images of happy-go-lucky slaves who merrily danced and ate watermelon. They were afraid that minstrel-show images of "Stepin Fetchits" would continue to permeate the minds of America's audience. These playwrights steered clear of any references to music and embraced mainstream theatrical styles in their efforts to be successful and included in the American canon. For example, Lorraine Hansberry's play A Raisin in the Sun, written in the 1950s, was highly acclaimed during its time. Her play, however, with its linear plot and climatic structure, embraced traditional Western dramatic devices.

Ntozake Shange maintains that the black experience is validly different: it is round, earthy, spiritual, guttural. She believes dance is innate and music is intrinsic to people of African descent -- and should be embraced, not disavowed in fear of others' opinions. Shange frankly calls her plays "choreopoems" in celebration of their freedom of movement and text. Colored Girls forsakes traditional Western strictures of linear plot and conventional language, aggressively seeking truth in emotion, poetry, dance, improvisation, and vibrant color. The Juilliard cast members married passion with clarity, transforming Shange's poems into a living song of purpose.

As a first-time director, I was attracted to Colored Girls for these reasons. I wanted to work on an independent project that offered a style of theater rarely performed at Juilliard. Equipped with a modest budget and resources, I admit that the idea of producing, directing, and acting in the work seemed daunting at first -- but thanks to a devoted cast and answered prayers, the process proved fruitful.

Even though the play is about seven black women, their sorrows and rejoicing are universal. In a world of chaos and hopelessness, every human being can relate to the search for clarity. By the end of the evening, the seven women do find clarity -- in God, and in themselves.

We all grew so much as artists by developing and presenting this production on our own. By opening night, we were ready to tell our story unapologetically. We wanted people to look in our eyes and sincerely listen to us. If they saw our rage, our lust, our hurt, our beauty, they would see themselves. After the show, people were crying and hugging, unashamed to talk about big ideas like love. Drama Division faculty member Richard Feldman said of the performance, "The work was so strong, so personal, without sacrificing any of the play's style. The actors were always able to find and go right to the heart of the dramatic situation."

The cast of Colored Girls hopes other students in Juilliard's Drama Division will use their gift in the performing arts to alter lives. Because of the response to January's performance, the cast hopes to perform Colored Girls again in May for the Juilliard community and for local high school students. Watch for details to be announced later -- and don't miss this wonderful production later this spring.

Cecily Rose Lewis is a third-year drama student.