91短视频

This article ran in the 1/15/2021 Daily News-Record. Weather conditions did not allow for the 1/16 performance of “Anne and Emmett.”

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Mamie Till did all that she could.

Before sending her son, Emmett Till, to visit relatives in Mississippi, she gave him 鈥渢he talk.鈥�

Not about sex, but about 鈥渢he rules.鈥� She warned her 14-year-old son not to look any white women in the eye. To cross the street when people approached.

She did all she could. But it didn鈥檛 stop the 1955 lynching of Emmett Till, who was kidnapped, tortured and ultimately killed for allegedly whistling at a white woman.

Though Till鈥檚 murder was a watershed moment in the early Civil Rights movement, Celeste Thomas said this sort of talk is still a reality for African Americans.

鈥淯nfortunately, we still continue to have mothers who are going through this with their children being killed and murdered in the streets,鈥� said Thomas, director of 91短视频鈥檚 Multicultural Student Services office.

91短视频鈥檚 production of 鈥淎nne & Emmett,鈥� which opened Friday, plays out the intense scenes of Emmett Till鈥檚 last conversation with his mother, Mamie Till, portrayed by Harrisonburg Mayor Deanna Reed.

鈥淚t鈥檚 been tough for me. We know the story of Emmett Till. When you have aunts and grandparents who lived during that time, it鈥檚 connected to you,鈥� Reed said.

Part of 91短视频鈥檚 Martin Luther King Jr. Day observances, the one-act play written by Janet Langhart Cohen, focuses on the theme of silence in the face of injustice.

An imagined conversation between Anne Frank, a young girl who died in the Holocaust, and Till takes place in a place called 鈥淢emory,鈥� after each of their deaths.

The university鈥檚 theme for this year鈥檚 MLK Day observances is a quote from King鈥檚 1958 book 鈥淪tride Toward Freedom: The Montgomery Story.鈥� King speaks about the danger of silence on behalf of bystanders.

鈥淭his [play] fits very well with that because there was silence on both parts of both of those situations. Our goal is to 鈥� not be compliant in the silence,鈥� Thomas said.

In addition to the play and a variety of programming through the week, Thomas organized a bus trip to Washington D.C., to inform the play.

Members of the cast, crew and student body were invited to visit the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, the National Museum of African American History and Culture, including the Emmett Till exhibit, and the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial.

On the trip in early December, they explored the context behind the show.

It was the context that made Thaddeus Jackson, a sophomore who portrayed Emmett Till, think about what it felt like in the world of the play.

Jackson鈥檚 acting skills shine when he delivers a gut-wrenching monologue reenacting Till鈥檚 torture and death.

鈥淚 imagine I鈥檓 there; I imagine what the floorboards felt like. I feel the energy of what situations are going on and how it makes me feel,鈥� Jackson said. 鈥淸I try] to visualize the atmosphere and the energy. With something that grotesque and horrific, the energy that hangs in the air is very dense and very heavy.鈥�

Jackson had known all about the story of Emmett Till before the show. He remembered when he heard about Mamie Till through a Dave Chappelle bit.

鈥淭he punchline of the joke was centered around Mamie Till and he called her a 鈥榞angster.鈥� She wouldn鈥檛 let them forget and she fought to have the casket open,鈥� Jackson said. 鈥淲e don鈥檛 realize how intense things were back in history. Now, our problems are, someone said something bad on the internet.鈥�

Jackson said the tough conversations in the play ultimately lead to mutual understanding, learning and empathy.

He said he hopes people who see the play will receive a simple but poignant message from it.

鈥淭reat people as a human race instead of as a colored race,鈥� he said.

Greta Schrag, an 91短视频 sophomore, plays Anne Frank. She said portraying Frank taught her how challenging it can be to have tough conversations.

Her character鈥檚 dialogue with Till is filled with misunderstandings and unfamiliar territory.

鈥淲e talk about truth in the show and how we need to keep telling these stories. We can鈥檛 just gloss over them and pretend they didn鈥檛 happen,鈥� Schrag said. 鈥淚n order to actually have empathy for a person you actually have to understand and recognize the background that they came from. I think that鈥檚 really important.鈥�

Exploring tough conversations is something the play鈥檚 director, Ezrionna Prioleau, said she鈥檇 wanted to bring to 91短视频 for years.

鈥淚 really love the conversation that鈥檚 had within this play and the themes that are within it,鈥� said the graduate student who assists in Thomas鈥� office. 鈥淚 thought 91短视频 would be a great place to start this conversation and continue this conversation of how hate is affecting the world and the communities that we live in.鈥�

The shows continues today at 2 p.m., and Sunday at 5 p.m. in 91短视频鈥檚 Lehman Auditorium. Masks are required for the performances that are free and open to the public.

To continue the conversation, 91短视频 will host a virtual talk-back about 鈥淎nne & Emmett,鈥� with Thomas and Bob Bersson, a frequent contributor to 91短视频鈥檚 Center for Interfaith Engagement and retired James Madison University professor, according to the press release. The event will be livestreamed to the public on 91短视频鈥檚 Facebook page on Monday at 4:15 p.m.

Reed said she hopes the young people will take what they鈥檝e learned from 鈥淎nne & Emmett鈥� into the community.

鈥淢ost importantly, we get to use these young people to tell the story and for them to learn as they鈥檙e experiencing this,鈥� Reed said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 important to tell their story. It鈥檚 important for us to tell the truth in order for us to heal as a nation and as a community.鈥�