A Raisin in the Sun

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Produced by Sisters Freehold Theatre

Directed by Makeima Freeland

Eighteen-year-old Dontrell Jones the Third decides that it is his duty and destiny to venture into the Atlantic Ocean in search of an ancestor lost during the Middle Passage. But his family is not at all ready to abandon its prized son to the waters of a mysterious and haunting past. Blending poetry, humor, wordplay, and ritual, Dontrell, Who Kissed the Sea is a present-day hero’s quest exploring the lengths and depths we must go to redeem history’s wrongs.

Set in Baltimore (and partially developed here back in 2014!), this is a true Charm City story with stops at Johns Hopkins, The National Aquarium, and the Eastern Shore. Staged in the round for maximum audience immersion, director Makeima Freeland’s vision puts the emphasis on the rhythm, poetry, and flow of Nathan Alan Davis’ incredible script.

Performed at The Peale Museum (Baltimore’s Community Museum & the first building in the Western Hemisphere to be designed and built specifically as a museum!) during Black History Month, Dontrell is is a story that asks how we can move forward, venture, and ascend to new heights within our lineage without forgetting where we’ve come from but appreciating it fully.

Jae Jones was cast as the Father, Dontrell Jones Sr. He also had a cameo as the ancestor who appears at the end to Dontrell Jones Jr. Jae played a father who was an almost retired security guard. While his son is a dreamer, Dontrell Jones Sr. has his feet firmly rooted to the ground. He has to remind his son of his responsibilities and how to stay grounded to reality. The family has anxiety surrounding the upcoming fall of their son, Dontrell Jones Jr heading off to college. The son seems unfocused and chasing a dream of connecting with his ancestor. The character that Jae is playing has rough memories of his older male relative seeking connection with their ancestor as well which led to them being committed and later committing suicide. His character is tasked as the last ditch effort to wake up the son before he uproots his life in pursuit of something which drove other members of the family mad.