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Monday, February 6, 2012

January 2012 Play of the Month - BOUND BY BLOOD by Clinnesha D. Sibley



The January 2012 Play of the Month is BOUND BY BLOOD by Clinnesha D. Sibley, performed by Keona Welch and Lorenzo Scott. Thanks for your wonderful work and for sharing your talent.

Clinnesha writes:
The most riveting part of my experience when visiting the National Civil Rights Museum (formerly known as the Lorraine Motel) in Memphis, TN, was my encounter with Jacqueline Smith, a Black woman who occupies an outdoor table and talks to visitors about why she boycotts the museum and why we should, too. It turns out this woman was the last holdout tenant and employee at the Lorraine and was evicted in 1988 so that the sacred ground could become the National Civil Rights Museum.

In 2009, Life magazine released these photos taken by Henry Groskinsky. These images captured the gruesome aftermath of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s murder. Among the photos were two images of a man named Theatrice Bailey sweeping up King’s blood from the motel balcony and even more eerie, scraping his blood into a jar.

Although the piece would not exist without the MLK “event”, I was drawn to how everyday people were possibly affected that intense night of April 4, 1968. I wanted to create an imaginary and foreshadowing discourse between these two real-life individuals: Jackie and Theatrice. To me, they are great representations of ordinary people in extraordinary circumstances.

More about Clinnesha and the cast can be found here.

The next Play of the Month will be in February 2012. The deadline has passed - a winner will be announced soon.

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