“Eudora Welty,” “Faith Hill,” “Jim Henson,” “Oprah.” These and other illustrious Mississippians will be at the Rosenzweig Arts Center Friday when Columbus Community Theatre youth present “Mississippi Characters.” These actual celebrities, of course, won’t be on hand, but young actors ages 10 to 18 will be “in character” for visitors taking free tours through the arts center. Tours, each limited to 15 people, are offered at 6:30, 7, 7:30 and 8 p.m. Reserve complimentary tickets for preferred times at columbus-arts.org or by calling the arts center at 662-328-2787.
“This is a great way to get CCT youth involved in Mississippi’s bicentennial,” said Beverly Norris who helped coordinate the project. “Everyone’s invited to take a walk through Mississippi history and meet some of our state’s colorful characters.”
Norris and Columbus Middle School drama teacher Chelsea Petty assisted students in selecting Magnolia State personalities to research and prepare monologues about. They range from boxer Floyd Mayweather Sr. (Amory) and Metropolitan Opera singer Leontyne Price (Laurel), to civil rights activist Medgar Evers (Decatur) and blues icon Robert Johnson (Hazlehurst).
“All of them are great actors, some of the best I’ve worked with,” said Petty of the young people who attend Columbus Middle School, Caledonia, Columbus Christian Academy and also homeschool. One is a recent high school graduate.
“We’ve looked up YouTube videos of these people, how they walk, talk and use their hands. … This isn’t a history report; this is a story — a story of their struggle to be who they were, the story of their achievement.”
Most of the actors weren’t initially familiar with many Mississippians on a list of potentials compiled by Norris and Petty.
“It’s been really educational for them, and they’ve been excited about learning,” said Norris. “For example, they didn’t know James Earl Jones — Darth Vader — was from Mississippi. They were floored.” (Jones was born in Arkabutla.)
Norris was impressed, too, by actors’ choices, like one teen who, when deciding between operatic soprano Leontyne Price or a contemporary singer she was already familiar with, chose Price, who is now 90.
“She didn’t know anything about Leontyne, but we let her listen to recordings and told her a little about her and she wanted to research her. That’s been a cool thing, that they didn’t know who a lot of these people were and now know much more about innovators, entertainers and luminaries from their own state.”
Tour guides Spence Andrews and Midge Maloney will also portray famous Mississippians, but those identities are under wraps until Friday.
This official bicentennial project is made possible by a grant from the Mississippi Humanities Council, through support from the Mississippi Development Authority. Bicentennial project sponsors also include Visit Columbus, Mississippi Arts Commission, The Dispatch, Mississippi University for Women Department of Languages, Literature and Philosophy and an anonymous donor’s gift in memory of Lilla Pratt Rosamond and John Brown.
Jan Swoope is the Lifestyles Editor for The Commercial Dispatch.
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