World Premiere Encore Presentation in Honor of World Press Freedom Day on May 3

Edges of Time

By Jacqueline E. Lawton Directed by Jules Odendahl-James

The life and times of the marvelous Marvel Cooke

This one-woman show takes us into the life of investigative journalist, editor, and activist, the marvelous Marvel Cooke, the first Black woman writer to have her own byline in a major US newspaper.

We meet Marvel in 1963 in the wake of the Birmingham church bombing and she threads the story of mid-century Civil Rights with her own trailblazing journey from the suburbs of Minnesota to the newsrooms, labor unions, and arts societies of New York with a fateful detour into the witness chair under interrogation by Senator Joseph McCarthy.

Always unconventional and willing to pay the price for speaking her mind, Marvel calls to us from the past with warnings about our present.

RUN TIME

80 minutes

aGE RECOMMENDATION

This show is recommended for audiences of all ages.

Watch this lively and engaging discussion with playwright Jacqueline E. Lawton, director Jules Odendahl-James, and actor Kathryn Hunter-Williams as they talk with PlayMakers’ Producing Artistic Director Vivienne Benesch about how they brought Edges of Time to the stage.

Edges of Time shows us how Marvel Cooke made waves as a black woman journalist. Where Are We Now? Join Renee Alexander Craft as she hosts a panel of extraordinary women, Rhema Bland, Leoneda Inge, and Trevy McDonald, to learn where we are today in the wake of Marvel’s legacy.

Photos

Kathryn Hunter-Williams on the set of Edges of Time. Photo by Alex Maness
Kathryn Hunter-Williams. Photo by Alex Maness
Kathryn Hunter Williams in Edges of Time. Photo by Alex Maness
Kathryn Hunter-Williams. Photo by Alex Maness
Kathryn Hunter Williams in Edges of Time. Photo by Alex Maness
Kathryn Hunter-Williams. Photo by Alex Maness
Kathryn Hunter Williams in Edges of Time. Photo by Alex Maness
Kathryn Hunter-Williams. Photo by Alex Maness
Kathryn Hunter Williams in Edges of Time. Photo by Alex Maness
Kathryn Hunter-Williams. Photo by Alex Maness
Kathryn Hunter Williams in Edges of Time. Photo by Alex Maness
Kathryn Hunter-Williams. Photo by Alex Maness
Kathryn Hunter Williams in Edges of Time. Photo by Alex Maness
Kathryn Hunter-Williams. Photo by Alex Maness
The set of Edges of Time
The set of Edges of Time. Design by McKay Coble. Photo by Alex Maness

Reviews

Black Journalism is the Answer in “Edges of Time”
By Germôna Sharp
Chatham Life & Style
April 1, 2021

World Premiere of ‘Edges of Time’ Feels Like a Throwback to the Before Times
By Andrea Black
Beltline to Broadway
April 1, 2021

“EDGES OF TIME” At PlayMakers, Interview with Playwright Jacqueline E. Lawton
By Skylar Smith
Spectacular Magazine
May 2, 2021

Marvel Cooke’s legacy lives on in new show from PlayMakers: ‘Edges of Time’
By Macon Porterfield
The Daily Tar Heel
March 8, 2021

Jacqueline Lawton’s New Drama, ‘Edges of Time,’ Honors the Life of the Pioneering Journalist and Activist Marvel Cooke
By Byron Woods
INDYWeek
May 5, 2021

Artists

Jules Odendahl-James
Director
Jacqueline E. Lawton
Playwright
Kathryn Hunter-Williams
Actor
Jeffrey Blair Cornell
Actor
McKay Coble
Creative Team
Bobbi Owen
Creative Team
Kathy A. Perkins
Creative Team
Brandon Reed
Creative Team
Alex Maness
Creative Team
Lormarev Jones
Creative Team
Charles K. Bayang
Creative Team
Elizabeth Ray
Creative Team

Related Posts

Playwright Notes from Jacqueline E. Lawton
I first learned about Marvel Cooke when I applied for UNC’s Institute for the Arts and Humanities’ Faculty Fellowship Program. Cooke was an investigative journalist and activist, who participated in the labor organizing in the 1930s and worked for civil rights and justice...
The Time is Now
by Jules Odendahl-James, Director Marvel Cooke exists on the edges of time. You won’t find her name at the center of chapters about famous Minnesotans, labor organizers, Black journalists, citizens who stood up to McCarthy, devout Communists, even nonagenarians...
Quick Fives with the Team behind Edges of Time
As a playwright, I write to answer big questions about the world and explore the human condition. I love working in collaboration with other theatre artists and practitioners. I rely on actors, directors, designers, and stage managers to help bring the play to life...