If the Capital Fringe Festival had a jury prize for Best Production, Indigo, A Blues Opera would likely be a top contender. Karma Mayet Johnson, a central player in the choreo-drama, wrote, directed, and produced the piece in collaboration with members of the cast and design team. Well-executed music, dance, and impressionistic movement augment a powerful script with deep emotional themes. The result is a lyrical and poetic portrayal of two women’s struggle to attain physical and emotional freedoms that many of us take for granted.

This staging of Indigo is a condensed version of a full length opera. Set in the antebellum South, the story revolves around two slaves, LizaSue, played by Johnson, and Bell, played by Ashley Brockington. They run into each other and their mutual attraction is palpable. The two women find themselves falling in love and willing to go to any length to escape their circumstance. Bell, having tasted freedom up north, is the more worldly of the two and the driving force behind the enlightenment LizaSue experiences over the course of the play. We see the world through LizaSue’s eyes and it is her character that develops the emotional resonance of the piece.

Photo by Torkwase Dyson

The world in which the story exists is the result of suggestion and hints rather than literal design. The setting is depicted through the use of artists from The Painted Lady Performance Project. The unsung heroines of the piece, they portray the trees and streams that are the backdrop of the story. The way the actors sway in the breeze or react to a branch being disturbed is a study in elegance. Their performance, as well as that of the central characters, is enhanced by muted lighting and sparse stage design. The ambience draws focus onto the nuance of the speech and movement and allows for performances that are intense, yet subtle.

Blues musician Tomas Doncker completes the environment with his soulful guitar and dobro accompaniment. The blues is an art form that encourages the expression of suffering in the hopes that this expression eventually leads to a catharsis. The music, therefore, parallels the story which is one of empowerment during a time of anguish and hardship.

Indigo not only stirs one’s emotions, but it also educates us and forces us to reflect on its message. While the evils of slavery are often described in quantifiable terms, this piece shows us that we will never really know the unquantifiable emotional toll that slavery took on the individuals who found themselves in bondage. Indigo succeeds largely because one need not be African American or lesbian to understand that the freedom to express one’s own thoughts and emotions is more important than any physical freedom.

Performances of Indigo, A Blues Opera will take place at the Warehouse Arts Mainstage Theater on 7/26, at 7 p.m., 7/27, at 8 p.m., 7/28, at 10 p.m., and 7/29, at 4 p.m. Tickets are $15 and available here.