St. James AME to produce symphonic play about civil rights

History meets symphony in an upcoming concert.

Children in the Stop Needless Acts of Violence Please (SNAP) program from kindergarten to eighth grade will perform in a symphonic play at 3 p.m. Sunday at St. James African Methodist Episcopal (AME) church, at 516 North St. in Cape Girardeau.

The play, titled "Did it Work?", was written by St. James AME's minister of music, Ramona Bailey, who is in charge of music during church services and events held there. She has been in her role of minister of music since she was 12, and by 13 she was leading the church choir.

Her play features the four parts of a symphony, and each one addresses significant civil rights events that have occurred, including local events, such as Clara Daniels, who was the first African American to attend Cape Girardeau Central High School in 1953, before integration.

"The play is otherworldly, so Martin Luther King, Rosa Parks and even the local people who have passed on now are alive in this play," Bailey said. "The play is interactive, so the things that have happened in history, the audience will be able to answer, 'Did it work?' I made stoplights with red, yellow and green the audience members will receive as they come in. As the play progresses, the audience can answer with red meaning, 'No, it didn't work'; yellow, 'I'm not sure'; and green, 'It did work.'"

While rehearsing the play with the young performers, Bailey realized a lot of the children were not aware of some of the notable Black individuals who have been active with civil rights, including college athletes who started sit-ins and former President Barack Obama. Bailey said the play also became a history lesson for the young performers and felt they needed to understand who these important people are before they portrayed them in the show. Bailey said she wants "Did it Work?" to entertain the audience, while also informing them of events or issues they are not aware of.

"I want them to be able to see how unaware young people are and how important it is to be teaching them these things. I tried to get them to start a Black history curriculum in schools, because it is so rich that you can't just boil it down to one month. It's not Black history; it's American history," Bailey said. "There's so many beautiful things that have been brought forth that people don't even know about. I hope to teach some of that in four short acts."

Admission to "Did it Work?" is free, and the show lasts around one hour. There will be a temperature check upon entrance, and masks will be provided. The church is accepting donations for its Young People and Children's Division.