Live Rich Die Poor, A Zora Neale Hurston One Woman Play

In 1973 famed writer Alice Walker discovers Zora Neale Hurston's unmarked grave in a quest to honor Hurston, and proclaim the late writer's genius. But, what if during Alice's search for the unmarked grave and her desire to breath life into Zora's work, she accidentally awakens Zora only to learn that Zora, in the haziness of death and all of the places her spirit has been, no longer remembers the prolific, rich life she lead and thus cannot understand her impact? This is the premise of Live Rich Die Poor. Based on the life of Zora Neale Hurston, the brilliant writer from the Harlem Renaissance who gave us her seminal work Their Eyes Were Watching God, we take a new look at her colorful life-through the lens of living rich and dying poor (empty having used all of your gifts). Actress and writer Ann Perry re-imagines scenes from Hurston’s early life; from her happy days in Eatonville, Florida, enduring the devastating loss of her mother to arriving in New York and becoming a fixture within art world of the Harlem Renaissance, her falling out with her best friend Langston Hughes and more. This is a study of a woman who was driven to empty herself of stories and show country black folks as dimensional, dynamic and undiminished. Her life has the power to instruct, inspire and illuminate. This show captures the vulnerable Zora we don't often read about: even Zora wasn't always strong. This show asks us if we are using all of our gifts, emptying ourselves . Strap in and put yourself in Zora's shoes as she confronts her life choices and discovers the reach of her impact.

Event Venue & Nearby Stays

Theatre South at First Congo, 1000 S. Cooper, Memphis, United States