Uprise Productions in Austin, Texas Steps Out of Its Box to Produce for Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide when the Rainbow is Enuf

Zell Miller III, he of My Child, My Child, My Alien Child," and "B-Boy Bluez" fidgets in a chair, then, with a burst, gets up to make a staging adjustment in his production of "for colored girls who have considered suicide when the rainbow is enuf" by Ntozake Shange.

Miller III's Uprise Productions is normally dedicated to doing new work but is stepping outside of their box to produce "Colored Girls". Miller says he chose this play because, sadly "some of the issues that are covered in this piece are still new and are still relevant and are still present in our daily lives".

Miller also recognizes that issues such as domestic violence, drug addiction, poverty, and single motherhood are not exclusive to the African-American community. With that in mind, his cast, Ebony Stewart, Chandra Washington, Chelsea Manasseri, Minerva Villa, Whitney Weathersby, Patricia Robinson, and Sade Jones, is multi-ethnic.

He calls them "an amazing cast of seven incredible multi-talented beautiful amazing women" and he wants to pay them for their work.

To that end he's started a page on Kickerstarter.com. It's a crowd funding website where people can donate to projects and causes they believe in. He says he keeps "hearing how I'm this brick in the community and I've done many things for people for free and all I'm asking right now is for 360 people to give us $5.00 each. We can pay these ladies a base of what they're worth.

UpRise Productions is approaching the end of grants they received from City of Austin through the Cultural Arts Division and the Texas Commission on the Arts.

If you'd like to donate, click here. It will take you to their Kickstarter page. Anyone donating $50 or more will receive a free ticket to the performance of your choice, pending availability.

Colored Girls continues through September 10th at the Vortex Theatre. It runs Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays.

In the audio interview , hear how "Colored Girls" became a passion project for Zell Miller III and how it'll be different from any other production you've ever seen of this play.