‘Crowns’ comes to the Bay Area Sept. 9 through Oct. 6

Hats are removed when the community (Darryl V. Jones, Janelle LaSalle, Yaadi Erica Richardson, Juanita Harris and Constance Jewell Lopez) protests segregation in Center Repertory Company’s “Crowns,” performing Sept. 9 – Oct. 6, 2023, at Lesher Center for the Arts in Walnut Creek. – Photo:  Kevin Berne by Zaire Saunders& “Your crown has been bought and paid for. All you must do it is wear it.” – James Baldwin Adapted from the book by Craig Marberry and Michael Cunningham, “Crowns: Portraits of Black Women in Church Hats,” the play “Crowns” comes to the Bay Area Sept. 9, running through Oct. 6, 2023 at the Lesher Center for the Arts in Walnut Creek, California.& Directed by Delicia Turner Sonnenberg, who has numerous production credits under her belt, “Crowns” illustrates the practice of wearing extravagant hats to church “My role as director is to understand the playwright’s intent, the actors’ intent and the designer’s intent and the audience’s,” said Sonnenberg, “so the most challenging part is making the story simple and enjoyable.” The plot of the play revolves around Yolanda, a youth fleeing – by choice or by force – from her troubled past that has left her feeling alone, lost and...