College of Lake County dance professor Lamaiya Lancaster and theatre professor Craig Rich have collaborated on productions before. But “I Have a Story to Tell,” opening Feb. 25 at the college, is quite different from anything they’ve done.
The production is not a play or a musical, but rather a series of stories told by Black, Indigenous and other people of color, collectively called BIPOC. The production evolves at every rehearsal as Lancaster and Rich work with the actors to create a thought-provoking and entertaining series of real life tales.
The production will be shown in two different venues: Feb. 25, 26 and 27 at the CLC studio theater, and March 4, 5 and 6 at Three Brothers Theatre in Waukegan.
“The theater department was looking to do a play that focused on some of our BIPOC students,” Rich said. “We really wanted them to have a voice this season. We started by reading a lot of plays, but then Lamaiya and I thought, why don’t we let our students and members of the community tell the stories they want to tell. We can create something together.
“Some of our students asked ‘if we identify as white can we audition?’ My answer was ‘not for this particular show,'” Rich said.
The three actors working with Rich and Lancaster are Octavio Hernandez of Waukegan, Deon Lopez of Lake Villa and Jose Olivares of Gurnee.
Working on the show is much different compared with working from a script, Rich said. “You’re coming into a space and creating something from scratch.
“The people who have auditioned and are performing are tremendously courageous. The creative process is exciting, but it can be scary.”
They began working on the production by focusing on students’ individual stories about family, culture, food, music, dance and other topics.
“The more that the performers started to talk, they started to realize there’s that sense of connection and by celebrating the individual experiences, they were actually forming a collective community,” Rich said.
The actors are exploring themes including representation, identity, access to culture, education, authority and celebration of community.
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Actors began working on movements based on the themes. “You will hear the stories from the artists spoken in their words in a variety of ways,” Rich said. “Some will be acted out in real time, some are memories or reflections. There are a couple of scenes that take place as if people were sitting around a campfire and talking to each other and sharing experiences.”
One movement evolved based on a question one Hispanic actor asked another: Do you speak Spanish?
“In rehearsal, it turned into 45-minute conversation. We took moments of those conversations and the actors crafted the scene out of that,” Rich said.
The scene brings home to Lancaster a sense that no matter who the audience is they will be able to connect with these stories.
“Though the actors are telling their stories of culture and family through their own lenses, it’s something that’s universal. We can all find a connection with their experiences.”
Lancaster and Rich see themselves as facilitators as the storytellers craft a production. “We’re trying to help them clarify things, which will help the audience follow, and also we’re trying to help them stage things,” Rich said.
Lancaster said during rehearsals and discussions, “The power of music was often on display, so there definitely will be music.
“I really connected to that because I think about in my own culture,” Lancaster said. “There was always music playing in the house You’ve got the grandmas, the aunties, the kids, they’re all dancing together.”
Other real life stories that are being developed into movements in the show include being in a classroom at school when you’re the only Hispanic person or only Black person or hearing your name pronounced differently from how your family says it.
“That may not seem like a big deal, but it’s a huge deal when we’re talking about someone’s identity,” Rich said. It’s difficult when surrounded by classmates and teachers who don’t look like you, he said.
The production reveals challenges and hardships as well as successes, Rich said. “It’s about celebrating who they are. I think that’s really important.”
Lancaster said she hopes when the audience sees the show they’ll realize that at the heart of everything within any culture are the stories. “There’s no better way to create the sense of community than by coming and hearing stories told by the people who have experienced them,” she said.
‘I Have a Story to Tell’
When: Feb. 25-March 6
Where: 7:30 p.m. Feb. 25 and 26, 2 p.m. Feb. 27 at CLC Studio Theater, 19351 Washington Grayslake; 7:30 p.m. March 4 and 5, 2 p.m. March 6 at Three Brothers Theatre, 221 N. Genesee St., Waukegan
Tickets: $8-$10; buy one, get one free Feb. 25 and March 4
Information: 847-543-2300, clcillinois.edu/events/the-arts-events; 224-419-4325, threebrotherstheatre.com
Sheryl DeVore is a freelance reporter for the News-Sun.