By Lori Bredemeyer, Managing Editor
This year’s Black History production, Alae: The Roots are Deeper Still, will be Friday and Saturday at 7:30 p.m. in Cullen Auditorium.
The play was written last summer by Takisha Knight, sophomore English major from Lake Charles, La. The story follows a girl who realizes around the time of her high school graduation that she doesn’t really know her father and would like to get to know him better, said La Shae Sloan, director of Student Multicultural Enrichment and Student Services. The girl, Alae, decides to travel from New Jersey to Louisiana to live with her father for a while and learn more about him and his family.
Sloan said the play will include dances and music native to Louisiana, and it will be “fun, entertaining and educational-that’s what we always strive for with the Black History production.”
The cast and crew have been working since November, and three former directors, all alumni of ACU, have come back to lead the show: Courtney Jackson and Casaundra Johnson, both class of 2002, and Kim Roach, class of 2003. Roach said she had directed the production for three years before this year, and it’s different now because she gets to share Knight’s story through the play instead of writing it herself.
Sloan said more than 30 people are involved, and the directors have been instrumental in making sure everything runs smoothly.
“They just know how to make this happen,” she said, “and they have the kind of spirit and energy where they motivate people in a loving way. It’s very much a gift.”
Camile Jackson, senior family studies major from Abilene, has been involved in the Black History productions for four years, this year as an actress and part of the production staff. She said she’s ready for Alae’s debut this weekend.
“We’ve been rehearsing every night in Cullen,” she said, “and we’ve had some kind of late practices, but everyone’s had a good time, a good attitude and energy, and it’s going to be a wonderful show.”
The Office of Multicultural Enrichment is also working on other Black History events this month, Sloan said, including a soul food and movie night on Feb. 26 when the group will probably show Crooklyn. She said she and members of Essence work hard to help students understand black culture during this month.
“We want to share different cultures and expose the campus to things that they may not know about particular cultures of people,” she said. “… I think every person should have the opportunity and the ability to celebrate those and share it with other people so that we learn more about one another.
“That’s the importance of doing activities during Black History Month, so that we can do a better job of sharing who we are, and then maybe through that sharing, there’s better understanding and a willingness to get to know one another.”
Tickets for Alae are $5 for adults, $3 for students and $1 for those 12 and under and can be purchased in the Campus Center ticket windows or at the door.
