Lundeana Thomas remembered when she first learned about Juneteenth and how those last slaves, when they learned that the Civil War was over and slavery was abolished, stopped working, cooked food and shared stories together.
“That whole thing of telling our stories just meant so much to me,” Thomas said. “It’s always surprising what will excite the people into writing stories.”
Thomas wanted to create that spark of inspiration by working with the Youngstown Playhouse to create the Juneteenth Festival of New Works, which will be presented at the McGuffey Centre in Youngstown on Wednesday and at the Playhouse on June 19.
Six short scripts by participants in the Playhouse’s playwriting workshop last fall will be presented in a readers theater format (actors performing the work with scripts in hand without sets, costumes or blocking).
The idea came from a summer program Thomas started when she was a theater professor at the University of Louisville.
Initially planned for students taking summer classes on campus, the program grew to attract submissions from playwrights from several states who were looking for an opportunity to get their work presented, even in a stripped-down format.
The six playwrights selected for the Juneteenth festival are Sherry A. Franklin-Berry, Michele A. Day, Ariel Alli, Ramona Austin, Torah Adams-Lewis and McDuffie.
Carla Gipson, Jai Jackson, David Brown and Thomas will direct the short plays.
“I’m hoping we can get good audiences and encourage more to write plays,” Thomas said. “There’s some good stories here in Youngstown, and we have a lot of people who are interested in theater, but they don’t know how to get into it.”
That is another goal of the program — to get more members of the African-American community and other minority voices involved with local theater.
“One of the things I remembered about Youngstown was that there was a lot of talent here, and there was a lot of talent that wasn’t being used, and a lot of talent that wasn’t being recognized,” said Thomas, a Youngstown native who moved back to the area about two-and-a-half years ago after retiring from teaching.
When she directed “Pass Over” at the Playhouse in 2023, she had difficulty casting the show. When Thomas held auditions for August Wilson’s “The Gem of the Ocean” as part of the Playhouse’s centennial season, she believes it was easier because of the playwriting workshop and the acting workshop the Playhouse offered last fall.
There are more than 20 performers involved in next week’s Juneteenth productions, and those names and contacts will be available to Thomas and other directors looking to fill African-American roles.
Thomas hasn’t committed to a second festival, but she said she hopes the attendance at next week’s performances demonstrates there is an interest in continuing.
“If it’s something that catches on and people are very interested in it, then I’m interested in it,” Thomas said.
“It’s been a whirlwind year, and I’ve been doing a lot of running. I’m not as young as I used to be, but my heart is in it, and I’m pushing. I’ve got a lot more people now to help me. They see the importance of it, and they’re just so excited about this opportunity.”
If you go …
WHAT: Juneteenth Festival of New Works
WHEN/WHERE: 7 p.m. Wednesday at McGuffey Centre, 1649 Jacobs Road, Youngstown, and 7 p.m. June 19 at Youngstown Playhouse, 600 Playhouse Lane, Youngstown
HOW MUCH: Admission is $5 at the door at each venue
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