Just in time for the holiday season and fresh off its New York run, the comedic new play “Dot” is scheduled to run at the Everyman Theatre in Downtown Baltimore from Dec. 7 through Jan. 9.
Dawn Ursula as Shelly and Sharon Hope as Dotty in “Dot” at the Everyman Theatre. (Photo by Kiirstn Pagen)
Written by actor/playwright Colman Domingo—currently starring in AMC’s “Fear the Walking Dead”—and directed by Vincent M. Lancisi, “Dot” tells the story of a Black family in West Philadelphia whose matriarch, named Dotty, has begun to show signs of memory loss. Dotty’s three adult children, Shelly, Donnie and Averie, are home for the holidays and need to find a way to overcome their differences for their mother while dealing with their own different crises.
During its run, special events, including an in-depth panel discussion on the play’s themes — Dec. 17 — and a moderated discussion with the cast — Dec. 30 — are scheduled to be held at the theatre.
Sharon Hope, who stars as Dotty, said that it is a stretch as an actor to play a woman losing her memory, and that this play offers an inside look at what it takes to unite a family facing the issue.
“One of the things we see is the pain of being a caregiver and watching the person decline,” Hope said. “It really shows the audience a lot of times what caregivers have to go through, and how members of the family have to come together and issues that they have to deal with inside the family.”
Dawn Ursula, Everyman Theatre’s resident company actress, stars as Dotty’s eldest daughter Shelly, who takes on the responsibility of caring for her ailing mother. She says that the story is very relatable, and that Coleman found a way to discuss a heavy topic with hilarious dialogue and repartee.
“He writes this kind of new coming of age story, set in the holidays, with these incredibly smart, funny, witty people who are in a challenging situation, but they find all of this amazing humor and love in which to navigate it,” Ursula said. “Although the issues are tough, Coleman has found a way for us to live through it the way that we actually do live through it sometimes.”
Tickets for “Dot” are between $10 and $64 with group and student discounts available, and can be purchased at the box office or online at everymantheatre.org.