"Any form of art is a form of power; it has impact, it can affect change -
it can not only move us, it makes us move."
-- Ossie Davis
At the start of each day of work, the cast and team would assemble, and each person in the room would read a quotation aloud to prepare for the task ahead. These words came from prominent black leaders, artists, scientists, and thinkers and were used to inspire the team throughout the rehearsal process. Cast members were encouraged to bring in quotations found on their own that inspired them, which were then added to the collection.
The following quotations represent a selection of those adorning the rehearsal space chosen by The First Breeze of Summer director, Ruben Santiago-Hudson.
"The man who has no imagination has no wings."
-- Muhammad Ali
"Prayer begins where human capacity ends."
-- Marian Anderson
"If we lose love and self respect for each other, this is how we finally die."
-- Maya Angelou
"From what we get, we can make a living; what we give, however, makes a life."
-- Arthur Ashe
"Sometimes I would almost rather have people take away years of my life than take away a moment."
-- Pearl Bailey
"Not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced."
-- James Baldwin
"Education is the key to unlock the golden door of freedom."
-- George Washington Carver
"I find, in being black, a thing of beauty: a joy; a strength; a secret cup of gladness."
-- Ossie Davis
"It is not light that we need, but fire; it is not the gentle shower, but thunder. We need the storm, the whirlwind, and the earthquake."
-- Frederick Douglass
"As you live, believe in life! Always human beings will live and progress to greater, broader and fuller life. The only possible death is to lose belief in this truth simply because the great end comes slowly, because time is long."
-- W. E. B. DuBois
"I am not tragically colored. There is no great sorrow dammed up in my soul, nor lurking behind my eyes. I do not mind at all. . . . I do not weep at the world -- I am too busy sharpening my oyster knife."
-- Zora Neale Hurston
"In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends."
-- Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
"I'm not concerned with your liking or disliking me... All I ask is that you respect me as a human being."
-- Jackie Robinson
"Success is to be measured not so much by the position that one has reached in life as by the obstacles which he has overcome."
-- Booker T. Washington
"The future belongs to those who prepare for it today."
-- Malcolm X
Stage Manager Chandra LaViolette, Director Ron OJ Parson and Assistant Director Lileana Blain-Cruz discuss what topics to go over before the reading begins
Old friends January LaVoy (Woman 1) and Kevin T. Carroll (Cephus Miles) embrace
The cast and Ron OJ Parson check out the plans for the set
The set, as imagined by designer Shaun Motley
Ron OJ Parson and his assistant Lileana Blain-Cruz share a laugh
Signature Artistic Director James Houghton welcomes back Signature alum January LaVoy
Tracey Bonner (Woman 2) and Kevin T. Carroll already hard at work!
Ron OJ Parson talks to the cast and crew about his vision for Home
Home playwrightSamm-Art Williams and NEC founder Douglas Turner Ward in deep discussion
Douglas Turner Ward listening to the first read-thru
Kevin T. Carroll getting into his role of Cephus Miles
Tracey Bonner during the read-thru
January LaVoy flashes a smile at one of her co-stars
Sandra Daley
Yaya DaCosta
Keith Randolph Smith
Leslie Uggams
Marva Hicks
Quincy Dunn-Baker
Quincy Dunn-Baker and Gilbert Owuor
Brandon Dirden
Brenda Pressley
Crystal Anne Dickinson
Harvy Blanks
10 Cane Rum provided the delicious Passion Fruit Daquiris
The audience enjoys the drinks and the company
Cast members John Jelks and Brandon Dirden mingle with the audience
Yaya DaCosta chats about the show...and the drinks!
Leslie Uggams shares a laugh with cast member Quincy Dunn-Baker 
