YIKES, THIS PIX IS SO 1800s!
IT'S BEEN A DECADE SINCE THIS 2001 "ABOLITIONISTS' MUSEUM" NORFOLK,VA MIDDLE & HIGH SCHOOLS TOUR
Michael LeMelle, descendant of Nat Turner is currently in New York working in Times Square as "The Charmin Guy" (look him up on Facebook). Greg Raver Lampman, author of several critically-acclaimed books, took on the role of Abe Lincoln as a favor to fellow writer and UUer -- Sheri Bailey. Fortunately, Greg had a great sense of bemusement about all this as he was frequently booed by the student audiences who related viscerally w/ Harriet Tubman, John Brown, Sojourner Truth and David Walker are all openly hostile towards Lincoln. I never laughed so hard as the day when Greg cracked, "Who knew I'd be playing the heavy when I agreed to play Honest Abe!" Karl West took special pleasure in snatching Lincoln's copy of the Emancipation Proclamation, throwing it to the ground and totally disrespecting the 16th U.S.A. president. Karl played David Walker, author and publisher of the Old Testament-laced sermon warning slaveholders to prepare for hell and damnation unless they immediately ended slavery. Published in 1829 under the title "David Walker's Appeal to the Colored People of the World and in Particular and Expressly to those of the United States of America" the 76-page phamplet was an immediate underground hit. Laws were passed making it illegal to be caught with the book in one's possession. Since the tour Karl has worked with Steve Harvey and for the 2007 - 2008 season he toured with Theatre IV as Martin Luther King. James Hainesworth is deceased and like Federick Douglass the historical character whom he so brilliantly portrayed, James had a courtly Old World way about him and a beautiful bass voice. The JuneteenthVA family and his widow Joanne Hainesworth, who often vends her handcrafted designs thru Jokia Jewelry at our productions and special events, miss him very much. H. Ed Jones portrayed John Brown in Abolitionists' Museum as recently as February 2009. Ed also appeared in Army of 1: James Armistead Lafayette as General Charles Cornwallis for the Winter-Spring 2009 Theatre & Tea Series hosted by the 18th century Francis Land House and Museum that also featured performances from James Cooper, Matthew Crowley, Mary Curro and Julia Whiley. In 2003 H. Ed Jones executived produced Sheri Bailey's film "Summer Dreams" (directed by Robert Alford & Nancy Cheryll Davis) from the Tidewater and Summers in Suffolk series. Josephine Murphy was the first to work court-ordered community service hours with our organization. Josephine could not believe that she was getting paid to act in a play. Plus, she really related to Sojourner Truth's story, so she gained an education and self-respect as a result of this production. Denise McNelley is a mystery. She and her husband rode motorcycles Once the tour ended they rode off. Have not been seen since. Regina Scott Sanford is a highly regarded Hampton Roads jazz-folk singer whose last JuneteenthVA performance was in 2007 at I.C. Norcom Auditorium as Ella (along with Rodney Williams, Jennifer Kelley Cooper, Shin Blade, James Cooper and Edwin Woodson) in Sheri Bailey's Walking with a Panther (World Premiere: L.A. production directed by Robert Alford). Not pictured is Joe Jones who played the Narrator. Doing business as First Rate Productions, Joe offers excellent technical stage management services as well as he writes music, sings, produces and records with his super-talented singing-soul-sista wife, Sonya Marie.
JANUARY 2010
DUKE RIGHTIOUS PRESENTS SONGS & SINGERS OF "THE RAINBOW CABARET"
Jay Bellomy, James Cooper, Nijah Friend Destiny Kish, Danielle Monique, Michol-Marie