YIKES, THIS PIX IS SO 1800s!
IT'S BEEN A DECADE SINCE THIS 2001 "ABOLITIONISTS' MUSEUM" NORFOLK,VA MIDDLE & HIGH SCHOOLS TOUR
Left Back Row: Michael LeMelle, the man with the deep bass voice is a descendant of Nat Turner, so how fitting that he played Nat Turner on this tour. Look him up on Facebook to see his starring turn in the Sheri Bailey penned short film "Summer Dreams." 2nd from Left Back Row: Greg Raver Lampman, author of several critically-acclaimed books, took on the role of Abraham 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 when Harriet Tubman, John Brown, Sojourner Truth and David Walker are all openly hostile towards America's 16th president. 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!" 2nd from Right Back Row: Karl West as David Walker, took special pleasure in snatching Lincoln's copy of the Emancipation Proclamation, throwing it to the ground and totally disrespecting the Great Emancipator. In 1829 David Walker self-published his Old Testament inspired "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 pamphlet was generally shorten to David Walker's Appeal and it was an immediate underground hit. Laws were passed making it illegal to be caught with the book in one's possession. Since our 2001 tour Karl has worked with Steve Harvey and he is currently touring with Richmond's Theatre IV. Right Back Row: James Hainesworth is deceased and like Frederick Douglass the historical character whom he brilliantly portrayed in this piece, 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. Left Front Row: H. Ed Jones was the original John Brown in Abolitionists' Museum. Ed also appeared in Army of 1: James Armistead Lafayette as General Charles Cornwallis for the 2009 Theatre & Tea Series hosted by the 18th century Francis Land House and Museum that included 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). 2nd from Right Front Row: 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 both education and self-respect as a result of this production. 2nd from Right Front Row: Denise McNelley played Harriet Beecher Stowe. She and her husband rode motorcycles. Once the tour ended they rode off and have not been seen since. Right Front Row: Regina Scott Sanford played Harriet Tubman and today she 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 the late, great Pedro Abad, Rodney Williams, Jennifer Kelley Cooper, Shin Blade, James Cooper andEdwin 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 stage management services plus he writes music, sings, produces and records with his super-talented singing-soul-sista wife, Sonya Marie.
Coming Fall 2010
C.OLLECTIVE A.RTS T.HEATRE
CLASSES, WORKSHOPS & SHOWS
CHECK OUT
"Living by Giving" sung by James Cooper
"THE RAINBOW CABARET"
music, lyrics & story by Duke Rightious
JuneteenthVA HISTORY Plays