By Fern E. Gillespie
New York playwright Eljon Wardally will be bringing her poignant drama about a family in Grenada’s love of Calypso music, “Blooming in Dry Season,”to the International Black Theatre Festival in Winston-Salem July 27 to August 1.
In June, during Caribbean Heritage Month, Woodie King’s New Federal Theatre
and The North Carolina Black Repertory Company partnered to produce “Blooming in Dry Season” Off-Broadway in New York City. It’s the first play produced at New Federal Theatre since the January death of its legendary founder Woodie King.
The play is set in a shop in Grenada. It tells a story of Fritz, a failed calypsonian who faces losing everything when he and his wife Rose butt heads over their 16 year-old daughter Garland and her path in life. Garland is a gifted steel player and has been offered the opportunity to tour with the most famous Calypsonian group in the Caribbean. Fritz fears the outcome will impede his own disappointments in life. Tensions, grow and secrets are revealed. “The family struggles to mend broken dreams,” said Wardally. “It’s a serious story, but I love peppering in moments of lightness. So, you are also going to laugh.”
“Blooming in Dry Season” is inspired by Wardally’s love of Grenada and calypso music. An award-winning screenwriter and filmmaker, she was born in New York City to an Italian-American mother and Grenadian father. She spent every summer, from being an infant to a 16 year-old with her father’s family in Grenada. She still frequently returns to the island. “My father would show me where he grew up. He would teach me about parts of the island and family history. It was important to have that connection to our history,” she said. “In the characters that I’ve written about, I can see my father and my cousins, my aunts and uncles. The characters are very special. I feel that I’m also honoring them.”
The storyline also delves into the impact of dementia on family dynamics , which was inspired by her aunt. “My aunt was the person that used to braid my hair,” she said. “She was the person whose house I went to so much when I was a child. She had tremendous impact on my life.”
When Wardally was 29, she had a life changing event. It was a stroke. At the time, she had a career in broadcast news working at CBS and as associate producer of MTV’s Caribbean programming. While recovering, she was inspired to become a playwright and script writer. She obtained an MFA from Fordham University’s first playwrighting program. She has written several plays, including “Big Black Balloon,,” “Bishop,” “By A Thread” and “I Am…a Shepherdess.” In addition, a documentary on Jackie Robinson for Major League Baseball narrated by Leslie Odom, Jr and an award-winning web drama series “Docket 32357,” still available online. Her writing often blends realism with dark comedy and lyrical theatricality.
“Blooming in Dry Season” stars Nikyla Boxley as Garland, Melanie Matthews as Rose and Brian Richardson as Fitz. Director Jackie Alexander is currently Producing Artistic Director of The North Carolina Black Repertory Company. The production features original calypso music by award-winning Trinidadian musician Etienne Charles, who is also a renowned jazz artist. He is a Guggenheim Fellow and Creative Capital Awardee recipient.
In “Blooming in Dry Season,” Wardally creates a love letter to Grenada. “Grenada is the most beautiful place that I’ve ever been to. It is a small island with a big heart. It had a tremendous impact on the person that I’ve become,” said Wardally. “It is a second home. “
The 2026 International Black Theatre Festival in Winston-Salem will feature “Blooming in Dry Season” during July 27 to August 1. For more information, visit www.ncblackrep.org