You are in the early stage of your career. Are there any actors who inspire you and why?
Being a young actor I look up to many actors so I can learn as much as I possibly can. The one actor I look up to the most is Will Smith. He is such a great actor. His drive and love for the art inspires me to push myself to new levels. I am also a BIG fan of Don Cheadle, Terrance Howard, and Brian Stokes Mitchell because they all believe in an “I can do it” attitude.

Tell us a little about the character you will play in Ragtime?
Coalhouse is a man fighting for change, and because of certain circumstances in Ragtime, his more “violent” side is shown. He is very well educated which in this period is rare. He also loves music!

Do you identify with this character in any way?
YES! Coalhouse and Dominic could have been really close friends. I am always pushing for change, and I feel like we have so far to go. He also loves music, as do I!

What are you doing to prepare for this role?
To prepare for this specific role, I am sleeping, drinking a lot of water, reading, and praying. I love, love, LOVE what I do, and I look at every day as a blessing.

Why should people come see Ragtime?
People should come see Ragtime because of the caliber of talent in the show. This cast is so phenomenal. I feel that Ragtime will show you that “Yes, Knoxville can make big things happen” and hopefully more people will get involved with theatre, People should also see the show for the story. Ragtime will move your heart. This is a really great show, and I advise people to see it, it will change Knoxville theatre.

You have an amazing voice. Where did you receive your training?
Thank you. I actually have had no professional training. Though I have been singing as long as I can remember, starting with church choirs, then with the Children’s Show Choir of Oak Ridge, and on to chorus at Pellissippi, joining a few Southern Gospel groups, and praise teams at church. I want to use the talents God gave me for His glory, that’s why I’m so excited that The WordPlayers exists and I have this opportunity to share my love for singing and acting with so many different people.

Who is your favorite singer and why?
I grew up on Christian music. Sandi Patty was always my favorite. Partially because I could sing her range, but mostly because her tone is always so clear, crisp and powerful, not to mention you can feel the emotion in her words as she sings.

I understand you sing a lot of Southern Gospel and Praise/Worship music at your church (Faith Promise). What are the differences in singing a score like Ragtime‘s?
I do love the diversity of Southern Gospel and Praise & Worship music. I sing with the local Southern Gospel group, Eternal Heart, where I get to enjoy 4-part harmonies as well as visiting multiple area churches. I also sing on the praise team at my church, Faith Promise, which is a totally different style than my group, but one I love just as much. What I love about the music in Ragtime is that the music tells the story. Each song takes it’s spot in the overall storyline and fills your heart with the emotions and decisions the character who is singing it is feeling.

What do you like about the story of the musical, Ragtime?
In Ragtime you follow characters living in different ethnic groups, who make several life changing decisions. I love the fact that the character, Mother, decides to go against the flow and do what is right, even though the culture surrounding her didn’t agree with her decision. She stands up for what she knows is the Godly thing to do. I pray that in my life, I do the same. As a Christian, I don’t want to do as the world, but I want to follow Christ’s example and always do what He says is the right thing, even if the culture around me says it isn’t.

Why should people come to see Ragtime?
Oh where to begin? As I understand it, Ragtime won several awards for its musical score, and it definitely deserved them. I’m sure you will fall in love with the music of Ragtime just as I have. As each character shares their life, you feel their joy, pain, compassion, despair, and hope all wrapped in a story you’ll want to visit again and again.

1. We want to talk about your upcoming role in Ragtime, but first, we’ll give you a chance to plug your current project. What is it?
I am currently working on “Greater Tuna” with the Foothills Community Players. We’re at the Clayton Center for the Arts in Maryville on May 4, 6, 11-13. It’s a fantastic comedy featuring two actors who portray 20 characters. We’re very excited about it, and thanks for asking.

2. You are a very versatile actor with a lot of experience. How and when did you first become interested in acting and what do you enjoy about it?
Thank you. When I was 13 I was driving my parents crazy one summer. They asked Tom Jones with Maryville College and Blount County Community Theatre if he had something for me to do. He said, “let’s put him in a show and see what happens.” I did three shows that summer. Soon after the first week of rehearsal, he told my parents “I think we have created a monster.” I did more than 40 shows in high school and college and ended up getting a degree in Theatre from the University of Tennessee. What I enjoy the most…creating the character and sharing that with the audience. The highest compliment I sometimes hear: “I did not see you up there, I saw the character.”

3. Tell us about one of the most outstanding memories of your acting career.
Snoopy in “You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown.” I got to play that role in high school and college. I love how Snoopy creates his own world in which he lives and shares that with the audience. He is in total control until he hears Charlie Brown say “it’s suppertime!”

4. You have one of the leads in Ragtime. Tell us about your character. How does Tateh’s faith impact his journey in the play?
Tateh is a Jewish immigrant from Latvia. He is set in his ways, and his inherent distrust of others causes him to be very protective of his daughter. With no mother, his daughter relies on Tateh for everything, and he feels unworthy yet compelled to do what it takes to provide for her. After finding his first success, he is quick to realize that his daughter shall never want for anything again. I look forward to learning more about Tateh from our director during rehearsals for Ragtime. I feel a bit of a connection to Tateh…my mother immigrated from Europe after World War II.

 5. Formal rehearsals are just about to begin, but I know you have been working independently on the music. What do you think so far?
LOVE IT! So memorable, so touching. My role has a wonderful mixture of songs with lyrical harmony and quick, jazzy rhythms. I am very excited to work with the incredible singers cast in the other roles I get to sing with.

 6. Why should people plan to see Ragtime?
Our country’s history is full of drama, pathos and comedy. Ragtime is full of emotion and history. Come to see the show and learn about the conflict in the early 20th century of our nation as immigrants flocked to our shores seeking a better life. I think the audience will learn, laugh, and cry, and they will find out what incredible talent we have in our neck of the woods.

“When Terry first asked if I’d be interested in directing SHADOWLANDS, I was immediately filled with the warm rush of yes. Oddly enough, I saw it right away from the perspective of the wardrobe itself: maybe God’s perspective? Just watching the characters live out this experience of risk, of letting each other in, exposing themselves as vulnerable to the light and pain that go with committed love. From the perspective of the beautiful observation deck of the creator. To explore/embrace the transition between this world and the next. The agonizing beauty of it. I now feel like we all held hands and stepped through that portal together. As it turns out, that experience helped prepare me for my mother’s passing in August as well as some dear friends’ confronting cancer this year. You just never know. Embrace the story you have now, and it will enrich you later.

To work with Terry and Nancy: it was just right – a privilege – all that brainpower and respect and fun. It was good in the room. The work of Westminster Chancel Choir, recording the vocal music with such pristine dedication – Leigh Ann Jernigan’s crystalline vision of the Tree – heaven. There you go. So many appeared to provide just what we needed at the right time. A transformative experience – we all respected it.”

Jill loves to work with choirs of all ages and has directed children’s, youth, and adult choirs in church, college, and community settings. She holds a B.A. in music from Wake Forest University and an M.M. and D.M.A. in voice performance from The University of Michigan. She and husband Gregg are the proud parents of Carin, with whom she is delighted to be able to work in this production of Ragtime.

1. What do you like about the music in Ragtime?

The thing I find most intriguing about the Ragtime music is how wonderfully well it portrays not only the physical events of the show but also the personalities and emotions of the various characters.  Composer Stephen Flaherty has taken the ragtime musical genre and reincarnated it in amazing ways to evoke everything from the sedateness of New Rochelle to the joy of Coalhouse as he contemplates winning back Sarah, to the violence of the explosions in the city.  There are many musical motifs associated with the individual characters that recur when those characters reappear and that change as they change.  These kinds of techniques are very common in opera, and as a classically trained singer, they really resonate with me.  Plus, the show is operatic in the sheer amount of music it contains and in how it is literally carried by the music.  And of course, there are some truly beautiful lyric melodies that are wonderful to sing and an enormous amount of truly powerful chorus music.  All of these things make the show feel to me like opera with musical theatre-style music, and I connect to it strongly.

2. Ragtime is not an “easy” musical, is it? Can your cast handle it?

We are blessed to have an extraordinarily talented and enthusiastic cast – and a very intense rehearsal schedule!  It has been my experience that motivated people can accomplish what they put their minds to, and I am expecting great things from our folks.  I am looking forward to working with them and discovering what we can achieve together.

3. I understand you have some excellent musicians lined up to play this show. What would you like to tell us about the orchestra?

Ragtime is a big show instrumentally, and thanks to donor generosity, we have twelve orchestral players to bring this gorgeous music to life.  The orchestra is a wonderful mix of professional and accomplished amateur musicians and a wonderful mix of ages – from 18 to “seasoned” citizen!  This kind of mix brings great energy and enthusiasm to the playing and makes the group really fun to work with.  They are at least as excited about the show as the actors are.

4. This show has some rough language and “adult content.” People might be confused as to why Christian artists would do this show. What would you like to say about that?

As a Christian, these are issues I believe should be approached always with humility and prayer.  For me, if art is to be worthwhile, it must say something about truth.  So for me, the question is:  what is the purpose of this language or content?  Is it needlessly included just to shock or titillate, or is it necessary to portray what is true?  In Ragtime the racial epithets, oppression, and violence make us uncomfortable, but they are a true portrayal of the characters, culture, and events in the show; and on a deeper level, of our sinfulness and fallibility and utter hopelessness apart from Christ.  They are meant to expose truth and to make us think about truth.

5. Why should people come see this show?

Ragtime “works” on so many levels.  It is a visual and aural feast, with lavish costumes and set and beautiful, powerful music.  On the surface, it is a delightful peak into1906, conveying the optimism of an America entering a new century, and including historical figures Harry Houdini, Henry Ford, Booker T. Washington, and others.  As we delve underneath, we find a compelling story as three diverse cultures interact, clash, and try to learn to understand each other.

At its deepest level, Ragtime forces us to confront ongoing questions about prejudice, oppression, and injustice, not only historically, but in contemporary culture as well; about what constitutes true success and happiness; and about good and evil.  It realistically portrays our humanity – our strengths and also our weaknesses – and unflinchingly illuminates how we change, for better or worse, through the ways we choose to respond to our circumstances.   I urge parents to talk about these issues with their children both before and after seeing the show.  I urge friends to use the show as an insightful conversation starter about truth and worldview.

So come and see Ragtime for its beauty and spectacle, for its thought-provoking story, and most importantly, for what it has to say about the nature of mankind and God.

The WordPlayers is thrilled to support this venture. Continue reading to learn a little about Leann and the show she is directing this summer.

Leann Dickson – Director of Ragtime
Leann Dickson has been a high school drama teacher for twenty-six years. She has been at Bearden High School for sixteen of those years, and before that taught in Hawaii, California, Georgia, and Birmingham. She has directed and choreographed to date seventy productions, and has wanted to direct Ragtime since first seeing it on National Tour. Leann was a BHS “Teacher of the Year” for 2011 and 2007. When she is not in the BHS auditorium, her favorite place to be is on a boat enjoying the water or getting captured by a great book. She is grateful to her students who inspire her daily and for the love and support of her husband, Jim, for the last twenty seven years. Thank you, Terry and Jeni, for giving her this opportunity.

1. Why did you choose Ragtime?
I am drawn to the epic story of three families intersecting one another’s lives in the melting pot of New York in 1906. The music is some of the most beautiful music I have ever heard, and the show is so tightly constructed, there is nothing extraneous in the whole show.

2. As a Christian artist, how does this project interface with your faith?
Because there is a call in this story to leave the social norm and take a step toward Christ by demonstrating compassion, respect, and love toward our fellow man – even those different from ourselves.

3. You produce a very, high quality musical production each fall at Bearden High School. How is this project different, so far?
It’s great having a producer to take on some of the weight and provide a strong umbrella under which to work. I’m the one usually training the entire crew, though I have only served technically on one show in my life! It will be a real treat for me to have Joe Millett, a seasoned professional, to provide leadership in running the show!

4. What are you most excited about and why should people come to see this show?
I am excited to work with the caliber of talent that we have and to tell this story. Everyone who has listened to the music has come back to me with such enthusiasm. I also hear there is a lot of buzz in the community about this show, since it’s never been done here (nor toured here either, I think).

Question 1: Your website indicates that Ragtime is rated PG13 for “some violence, mild profanity and adult themes.” This show seems like a very odd choice for a company of Christian theatre artists. How do you explain this choice?

Jeni: We would all love to live in a world where everyone treated each other nicely and justly. We would love an environment where no ugly, offensive language was ever used. However, we are not going to have that this side of heaven. Theatre represents life – the good and the bad aspects of human nature. In Ragtime, we see both good and bad. The language used by some of the characters is rather rough and the situations presented rather ugly – like life, then and now.

Terry: The themes of Ragtime include struggle against racism, struggle for economic justice, and struggle to forge community and understanding.  As Christians, these issues may recall for us Jesus’ call to love others as we love ourselves, his parable of the Good Samaritan, or many other Scriptural references to sacrifice, mercy, and justice.

Question 2: I take it this is not a happy, feel good musical like Music Man or The Sound of Music. Some people might think it’s about people like Scott Joplin and Ragtime music. Just what is it about?

Terry: This epic musical powerfully illustrates the struggle and hope of three culturally different families.  One is African-American, one is Jewish immigrant, and the other is suburban WASP.  It’s a work of historical fiction, set in the first decade of 20^th century America, when the term “melting pot” was coined. The worlds of the three families intersect with dramatic results. Stephen Flaherty’s score is stunning.  The book and lyrics by Terence McNally and Lynn Ahrens, respectively, create characters and situations that won’t soon be forgotten.  Ragtime raises questions of morality and social justice. It reminds us of how far we’ve come as a society and how far we have yet to go.

Question 3: The WordPlayers’ mission is to “impact theatre audiences and artists by telling stories from a Christian worldview.” How does Ragtime fit your mission?

Terry: Looking at it from a Christian worldview, there are characters in Ragtime who make choices which are clearly sinful.  These sins are not glorified in our production.  Some of these characters repent of their sinful actions; some do not.  Those who don’t repent meet undesirable ends. Those who do repent have hope for redemption, while still perhaps suffering greatly due to the consequences of their actions. There are characters who try to make choices, with varying degrees of success, in line with the Christian philosophy of “Love God; love others.”  There is a song that includes a direct appeal to God in prayer.  The heroes of the play (just like most of the heroes of the Bible!) are greatly flawed.  In experiencing the story from a Christian worldview, I see, in the end, that Ragtime’s dream for a day of hope and justice can only be realized if I “lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help. My help cometh from the Lord.” (Ps. 121:1-2)

Question 4: The WordPlayers’ vision is “a community uplifted by excellent, Christ-centered art, where artists are freed to develop and use their God-given talents in a positive environment founded on Christian principles and values.” How is Ragtime Christ-centered art?

Terry: The WordPlayers has never attempted a production of this size and scope; yet we felt compelled to undertake it. To us, it’s a God-sized thing.  In many ways, we feel completely inadequate to realize it.  If it comes to fruition with any modicum of success, it will be because of the presence of Christ’s Holy Spirit. This production of Ragtime has been a year and a half in the making.  That time has included much prayer by many people.  The Christian leaders of this project have longed for the Holy Spirit’s guidance in every area.  The making of the play is as much a story of community-building as the story of the play.  The theatre artists whom God is assembling for this project come from a wide range of experience, training, socio-economic realities, and faith traditions.  Not all are Christians. There are many different, even disparate, personal reasons why they are involved.  However, because every effort will be made to keep Christ-like love and compassion in the center of the process, we trust that God will be working through the process. In my experience, He nearly always works in surprising and unexpected ways.  I can’t wait to find out what they are this time!

In the NIV translation, Amos 5:24 reads, “But let justice roll on like a river, righteousness like a never-failing stream.”

It’s a powerful, uplifting verse in the middle of very disturbing passage.  In the verses immediately before and after, God, is telling His people that He hates their religious feasts, will have no regard for their offerings, and will not listen to their songs.

Then comes verse 24, where God says that instead of feasts, offerings, and songs, He wants JUSTICE from his people, justice that rolls on and on like a river, like a never-failing stream.  What an image!

The WordPlayers produced WALK, DON’T RIDE earlier this year, which featured part of Dr. King’s “I have a dream” speech.  In that speech, dreaming of justice for all, he paraphrased Amos 5:24.

As I write this, the media has been inundating us with the Trayvon Martin story, in which so many are crying out for justice after the killing (was it murder?) of that 17 year-old young man. I have a 17 year-old son.  Dwelling on the possibility of his being killed is too much for me. What would I consider justice after that?

We are in an election year.  Many people are looking to politicians to lead us to whatever is their definition of social justice in the areas of health care, housing, taxes, and foreign policy.  It’s confusing.

Soon, The WordPlayers begin rehearsals for RAGTIME.  It’s the regional premier of the epic musical that depicts a time a century ago when immigrants looked to the United States of America for justice.

Most of them found horrific working conditions and squalid tenements, even while the likes of J.P. Morgan and Henry Ford accumulated unimaginable wealth. It was a time that was still more than 50 years away from the civil rights victories forged by Dr. King and others. In RAGTIME, the Harlem chorus sings:

“There’s a day of hope
May I live to see….
It’s a day of peace,
A day of pride,
A day of justice
We have been denied…
Let the new day dawn,
Oh, Lord, I pray.”

The tragic hero of RAGTIME, Coalhouse Walker, Jr., encourages his friends with a song which echoes Amos 5:24:

“Your sword can be a sermon
Or the power of a pen.
Teach every child to raise his voice
And then, my brothers, then
Will justice be demanded
By ten million righteous men.”

So, yes, I’ve been thinking a lot about justice. It’s elusive and confusing in our world.  Can justice be attained by the use of force?  By the power of the pen?  By a sermon? By elections?  Politicians? Theatre?!?!?

During this Holy Week, I’m dreadfully confused even by God’s justice.  How could he possibly love us so much that, in wanting to reconcile sinners to Himself, he was willing to sacrifice Jesus, His sinless Son, to an excruciating death on the cross?  Where’s the justice in that?  I don’t know, but I’m humbled and awed by His amazing love.

I suspect that in that passage, God was speaking to people in general and not only to actors. But as an actor, I’m struck by the phrase “To act justly.” God has given me the talent and the training to be an actor.

As an actor, I have the privileged opportunity to act; that is, to be a part of telling communal stories by embodying a character. But “act justly”?  What does that mean for me?  Is there a special meaning for those of us who are actors and who spend a significant part of our lives pretending to be someone else?

I think the key is in that word “pretending.”  Merriam-Webster defines “pretend” as “to give a false appearance of being; to feign; to claim, represent, or assert falsely.” False is the opposite of true.  If, as an actor, I am merely pretending, there is no element of truth.

But if by embodying a character in a communal story, I am bringing something true about myself to the story, then perhaps I am acting justly.

“Just” is defined as “having a basis in fact or reason; conforming to a standard of correctness.” I really like a definition that is claimed to be more archaic: “faithful to the original.” Perhaps to “act justly” in a play is to be faithful to the author’s conception of my character.

If I bring a truthful part of myself to inhabit that character, perhaps I justly identify with him.  And even though the character may be a fictional creation of the playwright, because he is coming alive through a truthful part of me, he still represents something true about being a human being.  Through the fiction, truth emerges.  I feel more deeply connected to an aspect of humanity and, ideally, the same connection resonates for the audience.

Of course, the ultimate Author and Finisher of all is God. If acting justly in a play is to be faithful to the original author’s concept of the character, then acting justly in life is to be faithful to the ultimate Author’s original concept.

Drama literally means action. In a drama, someone’s memory takes form through the action of the body. The actors and audience experience this memory together. A past story enters the present moment.

This form of remembering is ancient. Though ancient Greece is often credited with giving the world theatre, this active remembering stretches further back to the creation of the world. Humans were created with the power to embody ideas and memories in speech and body.

Ancient Israel was commanded to remember by rehearsing their story. Consider the Passover meal. Every year, the children of the children of the children of the children who were slaves in Egypt ate a meal as an active form of remembering God’s hand of deliverance from Egypt. All those who remembered brought the past into the present and confessed the Lord as their Deliverer.

This embodied form of remembering extended through all of Israel’s festivals and meditations upon the law. Jesus participated in this active remembering. He fulfilled and transformed the Passover meal in a living memory of His own body and blood offered for the world.

Theatre is not the same as the Lord’s Supper.

But theatre does have the opportunity to rehearse, recite, remember stories that highlight the grace and mercy of God. For a few moments, the once dark stage becomes a place of living memories. We experience these stories in our thoughts, our emotions, our bodies.

Think about this as you join us for future play. May we learn to remember well.

May we all join together as actors and audience, rehearsing tales that reflect the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.