Phylicia Rashad, Marcus Gardley Pay Homage With 'every tongue confess'

Mysticism, spirituality, racism and redemption are major themes of _every tongue confess_, a new work by playwright Marcus Gardley that saw its world premiere at the Arlene and Robert Kogod Cradle at "Arena Stage":http://www.arenastage.org/ in Washington, D.C., in October. Set in the backwater town of Boligee, Ala., during the summer of 1996, the play uses biblical allegory to examine familial relationships during a wave of black church burnings. The production is directed by Kenny Leon, who also directed the recent Broadway revival of August Wilson's _Fences_, and features an all-star acting ensemble, including Phylicia Rashad, who won a 2004 Tony Award for her Broadway appearance in _A Raisin in the Sun_. "My characters make a home in my mind and speak to me until I put them onstage," says Gardley, a professor of playwriting and African American studies at UMass-Amherst, and the winner of a Helen Merrill Award and a Kesselring honor. "And now, these characters get to speak to D.C. in a new home. This is the story I want to share with the world." "NewsHour Extra recently talked":http://www.pbs.org/newshour/extra/speakout/arts/july-dec10/everytongue_12-15.html to Gardley and Rashad, as well as some students who attended a performance of _every tongue confess_. In these excerpts for Art Beat, Gardley and Rashad pay homage to prominent African-American playwrights August Wilson, Lorraine Hansberry and Ntozoke Shange, and explore how _every tongue confess_ expounds on their legacies, while stamping Gardley's unique mark in American theater.