Get Ready, by Jaye Stewart and Joe Plummer is a play about the relationship between musicians and the struggle for control over music they make. Playwrights Stewart and Plummer offer us an intergenerational take on this issue by creating characters that span three generations. The Doves, middle-aged crooners whose heyday was circa 1960, embody the essence of performers like Al Green, Otis Redding, and The Platters. Their dance instructor, Knobby Coles, comes from an earlier generation of great vaudevillian performers such as The Nicholas brothers and Bill “Bo Jangles” Robinson. Knobby’s employee, Jr., is a young man who dreams of getting his break from a music contest much like “American Idol.” Each character in this play is involved in their own personal struggle to find their own voice and to be adequately and fairly compensated for their artistic work.

Get Ready celebrates the musical achievements of three generations of music makers with great 1960’s song and dance numbers, yet still touches on some of the challenges they faced such as exploitation from management, segregation, drug and alcohol abuse, and the often harsh conditions of touring. The Doves’ return to the stage is powerful testimony to their love of music, performance, and ultimately for one another.

Penumbra’s 30th Anniversary Season honors African Americans’ relationship to music, addressing the rich history of African American musical entertainment and the struggle to find dignity and strength through musical expression. Get Ready completes this season with a celebration of music as both highly personal and as a method of forging connections and community with others.

May Mahala
August Wilson Dramaturgical Fellow

© 2012 Penumbra Theatre