Posts Tagged ‘Restoration Plaza’

Play in Bed-Stuy Explores Topic of Gentrification

December 13th, 2010 by Jacqueline Vergara Amézquita

“Brothers From the Bottom,” written and directed by Jackie Alexander, tackles the tensions brought forth in neighborhoods faced with imminent change. Set in New Orleans, five years after Hurricane Katrina, the play offers differing views on the topic of gentrification/revitalization through the eyes of two brothers.

A popular topic of discussion among the long-time residents of Bed-Stuy, the play’s theme appears to resonate with the audience who comes to enjoy the show at the Billie Holiday Theater located in the Bedford Stuyvesant Restoration Plaza.

The play premiered on Oct. 15 and runs through Dec.19.

As the audience trickled in on Saturday night, we went behind the scenes and got a peek of the actors before they set foot on the stage.

We also sat down with Jackie Alexander before the show and asked about his motivation for writing the play, the relevance of the play’s theme in Bed-Stuy, and what he hopes the audience will walk away with.