COOKEVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Cookeville Theatre Company is set to perform an original show during Black History Month titled "I Am My Ancestors' Wildest Dream" that is focused on celebrating Black history.
The show features an all-Black cast of 30 actors and crew members all local to Cookeville. The theatre company said this is the first time since the 1970s there has been an all-Black cast in Cookeville.
"I'm not sure why it hasn't happened in a long time, but we... are very concerned because it feels like Black stories, Black voices are being erased. Like, it just feels like there's an attack and that those types of social attacks are always met with art. Art always has an answer for that," said "I Am My Ancestors' Wildest Dream" co-creator, producer & director Lori Strode.
The creators said they felt while the month is meant to be about remembering and reflecting, it is also about celebrating.
"For a lot of Black people, Black History Month starts to feel a little heavy. Because the topics are heavy. They're so weighty and it's just kind of sad sometimes to think about the oppression and the things that we as people have had to overcome," explained Strode. "So I said it has to, obviously honor that and be reverent of that. But it's got to be celebratory."
"[In the show,] we have a part about Dr. King. We make some references to Frederick Douglass. We pay homage to Harriet Tubman," said Strode. "There's a piece where we pay homage to Amanda Gorman. So it just takes you on a journey from where we were and the shoulders that we stand on to where we are currently today."
The original performance includes songs, skits, dance and poems
"Art moves people. I've seen art change people's minds. I've seen art touch people and emotionally connect with them in various ways at various levels," said cast member Gellcya Alegre. "For it to be also representational and have a message that shows the varying shades and the varying voices of people in our past in our history U.S.’s history. The progression and the change that their voices have created in our history gives me so much hope and everything to come afterwards."
"For it to be possible for us to prevail and for this to be happening and it's really heavy. The importance of having an all-Black cast of having that representation. And seeing the fact that we can do this, you know, seeing the fact that this is possible and this is going to happen is such an honor. It's so beautiful," stated Alegre.
During the performance, Alegre is set to read a famous poem.
"I'm going to be reading the words, be reciting the Amanda Gorman poem, 'The Hill we Climb.' [An] amazing, beautiful piece, especially at such an important irrelevant time that we're in," she said. "Yeah, hope I do it justice."
Shane Langford will also perform in the show through dance and a poem by Langston Hughes.
"I was drawn to it [the show] because of the family aspect of it all. And I mean, of course, Black culture is American culture, and Black history is American history. But my family history is American history that I want to be a part of that that we're making here," he explained.
Strode said, "We want to remember and we want to celebrate that we are our ancestors' wildest dream... My ancestors couldn't imagine the life that I live in the things that I do."
The cast said taking part in the show not only feels monumental, but it is also very personal.
"They couldn't come to a show. So just being able to come to a show would be something that they can't imagine and to be able to come to a show that celebrates who they are, would be you know, the icing on the cake," Strode said tearfully.
For more details about the show, visit the Cookeville Theatre Company's website.
