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Contact: Taneka Bennett, Greensboro Historical Museum
Phone: (336) 373-2971
Lasting Impressions -- Original Play About Greensboro Focuses on City’s Unknown Past
GREENSBORO, NC -- (March 10, 2008) -- The City of Greensboro has a fascinating story, one that is worthy of taking center stage at the finest of theatres. Therefore, in celebration of the City’s bicentennial, the Greensboro Historical Museum has commissioned Brenda Schleunes of the Touring Theatre of North Carolina to write an original play compiled from archival materials.
The thought-provoking production, Lasting Impressions, will give insight into some of the City’s history that is not widely known. “This is a never before seen production, and we’re inviting everyone to come see the play to discover Greensboro’s history,” says museum director Fred Goss. The play is debuting at the museum on April 18 and running through April 27.
Based on actual quotes from newspapers, personal journals, recordings, and interviews, the play resonates with the voices and opinions of those from before Greensboro’s founding to the present day. Theater-goers will hear the colorful comments of Anne Royall, called America’s first woman journalist, who visited Greensboro in 1830; feel the emotional struggles Josephine Boyd endured as the first black student to attend Grimsley High School in the 1950s; laugh at the humorous perspective of Louise Wigfall, who worried about beaus and pretty shoes during wartime, and enter the life of James Evans, who came to a crossroads at age 18 and took the road to a textile mill. Additional voices from more than 30 individuals will further accentuate Greensboro’s distinctive story.
“I didn’t realize Greensboro’s history was so interesting until I read the script,” said actor Donna Bradby. “I commend Brenda for accepting the challenge to adapt more than two hundred years of history into an 80-minute play.”
If you ask Schleunes what it was like writing the script, she’ll tell you it wasn’t an easy task, but it was truly a journey she enjoyed.
“It was a daunting task trying to determine what was going into the storyline. Everyone owns a piece of Greensboro history and everyone has a different impression regarding the City,” she said.
Although Schleunes couldn't write about every single event that took place in Greensboro’s history, she is hoping that the stories she chose to highlight -- those impressions created by generations -- will leave a lasting impression on all who attend the show.
Research and funding for the play is made possible through the John Floy Wicker Endowment and a grant from the Greensboro Bicentennial Commission.
Performance Dates/Times: April 18, 19, 24, 25, and 26 at 8 pm; and April 19, 20, 26, and 27 at 3 pm
Tickets: $5 per person and are currently on sale; call 373-2043.
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About the Touring Theatre of North Carolina:
Schleunes, who founded the touring theatre in 1981, has a master's degree in speech communication, with an emphasis in performance studies from the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill. She has adapted and directed more than 50 plays including Letters from Leokidia, the story about a Polish woman who rescued a Jewish baby during the Holocaust; Let My People Go, based on court documents about slaves and slavery; Star-Spangled Girls, which celebrates the contributions of women who served in WWII; and The Life and Times of Fannie Lou Hamer, which brought to light the struggles of a powerful civil rights activist.
Her company has performed in 14 states, the District of Columbia, and more than 60 counties throughout North Carolina. Schleunes’ remarkable talents as a writer and producer have earned her the prestigious Literary Laurel award from the Greensboro Public Library in 2005 and the Women of Achievement for the Arts award from the Greensboro Commission on the Status of Women in 2005.
Production Information:
Compiled by Brenda Schleunes
Musical compositions by Wayne Seymour and lyrics by Brenda Schleunes
Performed by Touring Theatre of North Carolina
Commissioned by the Greensboro Historical Museum Inc.
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