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By Leslie Mizell, Freelance Contributor

Special to the News & Record

January 15, 2005

PLAY ENTERTAINS, PROVOKES THOUGHT

GREENSBORO--It's not always easy to watch productions by the Touring Theatre Ensemble of North Carolina. The troupe often tells stories that simply need to be told, and it can be difficult to bear witness to these tales of injustice, hardship and perseverance.

Few companies, however, can be relied on to provide such thought-provoking dramas, shows that will have audience members pondering and arguing weeks after the curtain has come down.

So, after an election year in which less than 60 percent of registered voters in the United States cast ballots, it's a vital reminder that for the majority in this country, voting is a hard-won symbol of freedom that should never be ignored or taken lightly.

"The Life and Times of Fannie Lou Hamer" (sponsored by the Greensboro Public Library) is the story of a Mississippi sharecropper who rose to national prominence as a civil rights activist dedicated, among other causes, to register black voters. In her mid-forties when the first Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee members spoke at her church - which was the first time she realized she even had the right to vote - she eventually ran for Congress and spoke at the 1964 Democratic National Convention.

The drama is informative and entertaining, thanks in no small part to its talented cast. Cassandra Williams is terrific as Hamer, charismatic in a straight-shooting way, fierce in her battles and vulnerable discussing the wounds - both physical and mental - that resulted.

Three other actors portray multiple roles. Juan Fernandez and Taneka Bennett play a variety of friends, family and Freedom Riders with warmth, keenness and occasional heart-breaking pathos. Stephen Gee spends the first half of the play being despicable as a series of eely white authority figures before taking on more sympathetic characters.

As is standard with the ensemble's productions, "Fannie Lou Hamer" is presented on a bare stage with minimal props, which in no way impedes its storytelling power.

Nicely interspersed through the story is a series of spirituals and freedom songs well sung by the cast. and any audience member who cares to join. Brenda Schleunes culled the story from texts, transcripts and other records of Hamer's life. Her script is sometimes poetic ("with sore hands and numb souls"), but is basically as down-to-earth as Hamer herself. "She did good work" is the eulogy one character gives Hamer. And isn't that the best any of us could hope would be said of us?

Each performance is followed by a short Q&A session about the continuing battle for equality both in Greensboro and in the nation. Since the theater ensemble regularly draws the Triad's most diverse audience in practically every demographic, it's definitely worth sticking around to listen - or participate. If you haven't already made reservations, however, you might be out of luck. Most of this weekend's shows are already sold out, and an added performance Sunday night is filling up fast. The good news is that eight additional Guilford County presentations are planned for early spring, the dates and venues yet to be confirmed.