Students in the Department of Theatre will perform Tapestry on Saturday and Sunday.
Tapestry is about highlighting students of color within the department and showing scenes that will show different experiences that people can relate to. This is done by different vignettes that connect together. The name ‘Tapestry’ was chosen because it was a tool that people used throughout time to tell stories in communities.
“I really wanted to make sure that it felt like there was one art throughout all of the pieces” said Alisha Taylor, director and ACU alum. “It took a lot of time on my end and a lot of prayer and discerning on finding several pieces that I thought would highlight all of the students while also having kind of the same or similar conversations just from different angles.”
Taylor is a documentary filmmaker and actress along with being a stage manager. She recently did a documentary about the Black experience in Abilene. This documentary has been selected for a festival in New York City.
The planning process for this show started last February, with rehearsals starting at the end of October. Some scenes are written by people within the production, including Trinity Madison, the assistant director. This production is different than conventional theater as there are scenes that were changed or completely written by ACU members working on this production, so it flows together. This helps portray the message that Janette and Dawne Swearingen Meeks, producer, wanted people to take away.
“A lot of times it feels like our stories are isolated and other stories are highlighted more,” Taylor said. “I wanted this show to serve as a reminder and a space where students could feel like they are sharing pieces of their stories in a safe place.”
The play will be on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m. in the Culp Theatre. Tickets for Saturday are $35, with student rush being $15 and includes a reception. Tickets for Sunday are $20, with student rush being $10 and no reception. The vignettes and more information can be found in the playbill of the show. For tickets, call 325-674-2787 or go online. This show is appropriate for ages 16+.
“It has been so exciting to see this all come together,” Swearingen Meeks said. “My prayer is that the audience will have the opportunity to step into stories that challenge inspire and shape them.”
The cast and crew includes:
- Dawn Swearingen Meeks, producer
- Alisha Taylor, director
- Trinity Madison, assistant director, writer and performer
- Skyler Kinney, stage manager
- Jeremiah Taylor, performer
- Mitchell Bradford, performer
- Melissa Henderson, performer
- Ryan Chu, performer
- Layla Rowan, performer and writer
- Taylor Herndon, performer
- Courtney String, performer
- Denim Adkins, performer
- James Bradshaw, performer
- Ty Naicker, performer
- Truth Pierce, performer
- Chaya Powell, performer
