LAURA THOMAS AND EIGHTH CHILD PRODUCTION PRESENTS  ....

The Brownstone

By Laura A. Thomas

Directed by Laura A. Thomas

October 17-20, 2024

Conflicts and mysteries surrounding a family in Harlem during a weekend birthday celebration.

 Thurs., October 17, 7:30 pm 

Fri., October 18, 7:30 pm 

Sat., October 19, 7:30 pm 

Sun., October 20, 1:00 pm

Advance Sales: 

Adult $15;  

Students/Children - $10  

At the Door  

Adult$ 20;  

Students/Children - $10

The Brownstone is an original drama set in 1970s Harlem. It takes us through a whirlwind birthday weekend with the Broadnax family where aging playboy, Duke Ellington Broadnax (“Baby Duke”) is reeling from the loss of investors for his nightclub venture.    

He is looking for other ways to raise the money to pursue his dream of owning a hot night spot. His headstrong older sister, Delphine Broadnax ("Sister") is obsessed with buying the brownstone building where the family has lived for over 30 years. The elderly woman who owns the building, Adelaide Gitner ("Miss Addy") is moving away from the Harlem Brownstone that her family brought when the area was still mostly Dutch. She is happy to sell to her friends and longtime tenants, the Broadnax family, if Sister can come up with the down payment.   

During Baby Duke's birthday weekend, his sister Lettie Jean, returns home from the psychiatric facility where she has been for the last two years. She lost her husband to a mysterious death only one day after they were married, which resulted in her going into the psychiatric facility. Lettie Jean suspects that her family and Miss Addy may know more about her late husband's death than was previously revealed.   

Rounding out the family and friends, are: the middle aged, Aunt Mae, who is focused on getting her longtime boyfriend to the alter by helping him open up a butcher shop so he'll be ready to settle down; Sister's teen daughter, Nina, who just wants to fit in at school and wear jeans and mini-skirts that her mother won't allow; and "Shimmy," Baby Dukes confidante and best friend, who is fiercely protective of his friend's best interest.    

Gentrification and mental health are components of this story, as an unsolved murder, and a $100,000 life insurance windfall. With family members determined to get a piece of that $100,000 to pursue their individual visions of success, a gathering of the Broadnax family sets off fireworks. It’s hard to tell who the good guys are in THE BROWNSTONE.