Marion McClinton directs the three-performance New York Stage and Film workshop presentation that will run through July 22 on the Vassar college campus in Poughkeepsie, NY. Gardley is also the playwright of On the Levee and Every Tongue Confess.

Sengbloh (Fela!, Hair) and Thoms (Stick Fly, Rent) are joined by Denise Burse (Peace Love and Understanding, Brother to Brother), Harriett D. Foy (Mamma Mia!, The American Plan), Lynda Gravatt (Cat On a Hot Tin Roof, Doubt), Nikiya Mathis (Milk Like Sugar) and Dennis Parlato (Salome, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels).

Here's how it's characterized: "After the mysterious death of her lover, Beartrice Albans imposes a period of mourning on her household, keeping her three daughters locked in the house to embroider linens. But when the summer heat intensifies, a handsome bachelor comes calling, and a familial secret is revealed, the foundation of Beartrice's house is rocked to its core. Set in New Orleans in 1836, this loose adaptation of Lorca's The House of Bernarda Alba examines the complex system of plaçage — common-law marriages of white men and black Creole women. These free women of color became wealthy and powerful activists who fought against racial oppression pre-Civil War."

For tickets, phone (845) 437-5599 or visit Powerhouse.Vassar.edu.