RELIGION, B6 THURSDAY, JUNE V198&-.
( Community N e ws B 1
Off To See
The Wizard
The Yellow Brick Road'
leads to Stevens Center
By ROBIN BARKSDALE
Community News Editor
Diana and Michael cat your hearts out! "The Wiz" is coming to Win
ston-Salem, and this time the stars are a group of Carver High School stu
i dents.
The students are taking their much-touted performance to the Stevens
. Center for an encore presentation of the show they performed earlier in the
? spring. The spring show was good enough to catch the eye of several mem
- bers of the community, one of whom suggested that the students do the
show again. He also negotiated the opportunity for them to perform in front
of a larger, Stevens Center audience.
MI saw an off-Broadway production of the play, and I saw the perfor
mance that the Little Theater did here. They were both very good. I saw the
performance by the kids at Carver^ and 1 thought that it was as good as the
other shows that 1 had seen. It was at that same level," said Michael Mason,
who with Bill Trotman is underwriting the June 4 production at the Stevens
Center. "I was very impressed with their show and with the energy and the
| professionalism that they showed."
?
After seeing the spring show, Mr. Mason went to talk with the cast
^Tnem^i and discovered that some oF ihem were considenng further study
I in the performing arts. Encouraged by their enthusiasm, he decided to "give
t them an opportunity to see what a real professional production would be
L-like^ ? ~
That opportunity, he said, has included more than just appearing on
stage. The cast has been involved with promoting the show and making
special appearances, in character, around the community. Some cast mem
bers are scheduled to rrtake an appearance with Mayor Wayne Corpening
Thursday. Mr. Mason said that participating in such tasks makes the pro
duction a true educational experience for the students.
"We decided to attempt to underwrite the production to give them an
educational opportunity," said Mr. Mason, who previously has worked in
production promotions. "We're trying to make this as much like a profes
sional production as possible and allow them to have some fun, too. We
, always hear negative things about teen-agers. It's good to know that there
? are tome positive things that they are doing, too."
The 32-member cast is directed by Ann Moye and Hal Tise, school
drama presentation veterans. The duo have worked together at Carver for
more than 15 years and are presenting the most recent in a long line of per
formances sponsored by the Carver Drama Club. But they said that this
show in particular has a lot of meaning both to them and to the students in
thp rast ? -
"I think most of them see this first as a challenge. Then second, it is a
? challenge for them to really grow as actors," said Mr. Tise, who also orga
nized choreography and set design for the production. "We have a relative
ly inexperienced cast. Not many of them had had much drama training. Not
only did we have to teach them the parts, but we had to teach them the
basics of drama. But they've learned very quickly."
"The Wiz" is the Broadway version of the popular movie, "The Wizard
of Oz." Diana Ross and Michael Jackson had starring roles in the stage pro
duction during its Broadway run. An updated, upbeat version of the classic
work that starred Judy Garland as "Dorothy," "The Wiz" features more
dancing, more movement and more "hip" characterizations. For instance,
. the soft-spoken, ever-smiling good witch from the "The Wizard of Oz" is
? transformed into the friendly, but fame-seeking, self-indulgent "Addaper
f le." And the cast includes the "Funky Monkeys," the "Winkies" and an ani
1 mated yellow brick road that dances along with the lead characters on their
i journey to Oz.
But the original theme, "Believe in yourself," still is emphasized in the
modernized production. Mr. Tise said that the students became so involved
in the play and what it actually meant, that they were able to overcome
their own obstacles.
"This is a play about believing in yourself and I think that a lot of these
kids had doubts about themselves when they first started," said Mr. Tise,
titl'M-""'
photos by Sam Greenwood
Clockwise from top, Hal Tlse
prepares a set design; Margo
Scalesas~"Evllene";-Mla
Thompson (Dorothy), Mau
rice Brown (the Lion), Shawn
Robinson ( the Tin Man) and
Chrlstchon Bradley (the
Scarecrow); and Chad Fulton
as the "Royal Gatekeeper."
who teaches English and journalism. "But after doing this play and getting
into it, they believe that they can go to the Stevens Center and perform.
They believe in themselves and in each other. They really understand what
this play is all about."
Mrs. Moye said that the play initially was a challenge because it was a
departure from the productions the Drama Club previously had sponsored.
The school's band provides music for the production, and Mrs. Moye said
that the fact that the music was something completely new to the band
members posed an additional challenge.
"The music was different. .The band had never played anything from
Broadway before, but they've adjusted and now they love doing it," said
Mrs. Moye, who teaches drama, theater and English at Carver. "They love
these songs and they think that this is all they're supposed to do."
Mrs. Moye said that audition calls attracted a variety of students. The
photo courtesy of Carver High School
success of previous plays and of "The Wiz," she said, make it easier to
attract students for auditions.
"Most of these kids come out just for the opportunity to perform and
because of their love of drama and being out front," she said. "Some are
versatile enough to be athletes as well as artists."
Mr. Tise said that the students will take something additional to stage
credits with them when the curtain closes on Sunday's performance.
"Most of them are learning a big lesson and that's discipline," said Mr.
Tise. "They're learning stage discipline as well as discipline in other parts
of their lives. This has helped them become responsible people."
'The Wiz" will be presented at the Stevens Center at 8 p.m. Sunday,
June 4. Tickets are available from members of the Carver cast, the direc
tors and by reserved seating at the Stevens Center box office.
I
... '???.
Patrice Mitchell examines the bricks made by her great-grand
father, George H. Black, for Old Salem'a fire house. Mra.
Mitchell is a recent graduate of Salem College.
photo by Sam Greenwood
Old Salem bricks hold special memories for Salem grad
By ROBIN BARKSDALE
Community News Editor
Many years ago George Black
laid the bricks at Old Salem's Home
Moravian Church. Two weekends
ago, his great-granddaughter gradu
ated from the school, surrounded by
the history that her great- grand fa
ther helped establish.
Mr. Black was known interna
tionally as a master brickmaker. His
reputation crossed cultures and
races, but he was known best to his
family simply as "Poppa."
His 21 -year-old great-grand
daughter, Patrice Mitchell, became
aware of her great-grandfather's
celebrity when she was in the third
grade. He was the subject of class
videos and films, and his name was
mentioned often on field trips to
Old Salem. But it wasn't until her
recent graduation that she actually
realized the impact of his accom
plishments.
"1 was sitting there Sunday
thinking how much I wished he
could have been there," Mrs.
Mitchell said. "But graduation was
extra special for me because I knew
that my great-grandfather had
helped build Old Salem and that he
is a big part of Salem."
Mr. Black made the bricks that
are Old Salem's library, Home
Moravian Church, the fire house
and in the sidewalks throughout the
community. He also made bricks for
buildings in historic Williamsburg,
Va., in the 1930s. Mr. Black spent
two months in Guyana as a State
Department goodwill ambassador
teaching natives the process of
making bricks.
He is listed in A History of
Forsyth County, where two pages
recount his achievements and his
torical significance. Charles Kuralt
brought his CBS television "On The
Road," to Winston-Salem to film a
segment on Mr. Black.
Mrs. Mitchell said that Mr.
Black rarely talked about the acco
lades that he received. She said that
he was more inclined to discuss his
life and his family, although he did
occasionally recount tales of the
time he and his brother, Will, began
working with bricks.
"I don't know why all this fuss
is being made over an old colored
man," Mr. Black told Emily Wilson,
who wrote a book on his life and
accomplishments in 1979.
Mrs. Mitchell said that her
great-grandfather was humble about
his place in history and was more
concerned about maintaining his
mental sharpness than conversing
about himself.
"The best thing was that he was
103 and he could tell you all of our
names. He knew the names of all
his grandchildren and great-grand
children. The good thing about it
was that 'Poppa' had his mind in
good condition. That was important
to him. He had a sister who lived to
be 106 when she died, but her mind
would come and go and she could
n't remember things very well. But
Poppa remembered things. He
asked about all of us the day before
he died," said Mrs. Mitchell. "All of
us knew how important what he had
done was. But he didn't tell us about
\l He was humble about it. But we
all feel it is a big thing for the fami
V
Mrs. Mitchell said that her
father, Willis Black, always pointed
out the places in the city that were
made with his grandfather's bricks.
She said that when her father and
his brother were very young they
helped Mr. Black haul bricks into
Old Salem. As she grew up, she
said, her father was careful to teach
Ijpr about the place the family patri
arch had in local history. When she
decided to enroll at Old Salem Col
lege, Mrs. Mitchell said that her
father laughed at the irony of her
attending school there and about
how much things have changed
over the years.
"Whenever my father dropped
me off at school here, he would
make it a point to tell me, These are
the bricks I helped put down," said
Mrs. Mitchell. "He told me about
how he helped Poppa haul bricks in
for the fire house and the church. So
I knew where the bricks were that
my gTeat-grandfather had made for
Old Salem. I think my graduation
was extra special for my father. He
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