N.C. Black Repertory to
present anti-apartheid work, The Island'
By ROBIN BARKSDALE
Community News Editor
Larry Hamlin is taking time out
from preparing for this summer's'
National Black Theatre Festival to
send a wake-up call to the local
community.
Mr. Hamlin, executive director
of the North Carolina Black Reper
tory Co., said that the time has
come for the African-American
community to become more vocal
in opposing South African
apartheid. Toward that end, Mr.
Hamlin is producing a performance
of "The Island," an anti -apartheid
work written by Athol Fugard, John
Kani and Winston Ntshona. The
show, which deals with the injustice
and cruelty of apartheid, will open ?
in the Arts Council Theatre, Friday,
June 2, at 8 p.m. I
Mr. Hamlin said that African
Americans seem to be in need of
something to constantly spark their
interest in helping blacks in South
Africa. He said he hopes that the .
NCBRC is in some way helping to
end the injustice by presenting
works such as "The Island."
"We have always felt a very
real need to always focus on the
cruelty of South African apartheid,"
he said. "We have always wanted to
be a part of the struggle to end
apartheid in South Africa. We're
trying to keep our audiences
focused on the issue. Our African
brothers and sisters need our help.
They need American blacks to help
them in their struggle. We know we
have to keep these issues out there."
"The Island" is fcetonRobben _
Island, South Africa's maximum
security prison for political offend
ers. Thestorycenters aroundthe
attempts of the warden to break the
spirits of two black prisoners. The
story climaxes with the effect on the
prisoners' relationship when they
learn that one of them will be set
free in a few months.
The production's director, Ernie
McClintock, said lhat the play will
shed new light on what audiences
have learned from media reports. |
"I think the play, as performed 1
in the United States, is a play that
gives us a particular kind of irtfor
mation that we don't really get in
our day-to-day lives in terms of the
information on television and in the *
n^u/spajvr " caiH \Af
the director of New York's Harlem
Jazz Theatre. "The play gives a
more^in- depth view of what living
under racist, South African
apartheid is like. The acts of hero
Williams selected
as pageant finalist
Christine Williams has been
selected as a state finalist in the
Miss North Carolina Pre-Teen
Pageant which will be held June 30
and July 1 in Charlotte Hotel.
Ms. Williams, the daughter of
Mark and Tonda Williams, partici
pates in the Big Brothers/Big Sisters
program. She attends Hall- Wood
ward Elementary School, where she
has a B average.
Her hobbies include cooking
and dancing. Her sponsors for the
pageant are Merit Trucking, David
Hager, Billie and Barbara Corner,
Connie Prevatte and her parents.
Salem
grad
From Page B1
told me that when he hauled in
bricks, he had to come through the
back way because at that time they
weren't allowed to come through
front entrances. He said 'We had to
come through the back, but now
we're coming through the front and
my daughter is going to school
here.' He got a big thrill out of
that."
1 Even the recent tornado, she
? 9
said, brought home to her how
important her great-grandfather's
contributions to the city were.
"People were looking around at
the things that survived the tornado,
and I told them that the reason the
doors were still standing was
because my great-grandfather had
made the bricks for them," she said.
"The trees fell but the buildings are
still standing."
ism mat the people display on a
daily basis in defiance of that gov
ernment give us an insight into the
loneliness that many of those men
and women have to suffer."
Mr. Hamlin said that the timing
of "The Island's" opening is particu
larly significant bccause the newly
formed South Africa Crisis Coord i
nating Committee also will be hold
ing anti-apartheid activities in the
city this weekend. He said that the
group will hold their reception at
the Arts Council Theatre just before
the show on Friday evening. "It is
natural for us to work together," Mr.
Hamlin said.
A post-production discussion
on apartheid will follow each per
formance.
"We just want to start some
dialogue so that people can spark
their feelings," Mr. Hamlin said.
"We really want to move people.
What I like about Fugard's work is
that he always deals with the issue
of apartheid. Although he may deal
with some other event, the underly
ing theme is to end apartheid and
the negative effect it has on the
lives of South African people. It
stimulates me to do whatever I can
to end apartheid. Until it ends, the
Black Repertory Co. will continue
to stimulate people in Winston
Salem to fight apartheid."
Mr. McClintock said that in
addition to being informative, the
play also is entertaining.
"This is a very theatrical pro
duction," he said. "It is extremely
entertaining. It's not like it's a
weighty political lesson. It's quite
an event."
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