An intimate, period drama, the play is set in the 1930s’ Harlem Renaissance, but addresses issues that are relevant today, such as reproductive and gay rights, race and unemployment, said director Nefertiti Burton, associate dean for the College of Arts and Sciences and theater professor.

“Cleage has an amazing ability to get inside your head with her insights to human nature,” Burton said. “She delivers deeper meanings and powerful messages in the ordinary interaction between characters.

The play’s adult subject matter is not advisable for younger children.

“Blues for an Alabama Sky” is a production of the Department of Theatre Arts African American Theatre Program. It runs nightly through Feb. 4. Curtain time is 8 p.m. A 3 p.m. matinee is scheduled for Feb. 4 and Feb. 5.

Show tickets are $12 for the general public, $10 for UofL faculty and staff and $8 for students and senior citizens. For tickets and information, call 502-852-6814 or go to Theatre Arts.