Flagstaff Shakespeare Festival - October 17-19

In Real Life by Charlayne Woodard

In Real Life follows a young African-American woman in the late 70s named Charlayne Woodard, who, after “graduating from drama school in Chicago, eagerly packs her bags and heads for New York City to live with her boyfriend and pursue an acting career. Her family is concerned about this move—to say the least. Although Charlayne imagines she will be living in a fabulous East Side apartment, she finds herself in a tiny fifth-floor walk-up with a bathtub in the kitchen. Unfazed, she sets out to have a career as a ‘serious actor.’ Instead, she’s cast in the original company of the hit Broadway musical Ain’t Misbehavin'. In Real Life cannily chronicles Charlayne’s initial seduction into the thrills of [show business] as well as the physical and emotional price of sustaining the energy to do so night after night. In Real Life explores what happens, in the words of Langston Hughes, to ‘a dream deferred.’”

Although the show has just one actor, McKenzie will portray an array of characters, from Charlayne herself, to her mother, to the colorful members of the Ain’t Misbehavin’ cast, and many more.

When: October 17-19, 2025
Where: The Beaver Street Theatre
Time: 7:00 pm-8:45 pm

For more info or to purchase tickets visit FlagShakes.org.