This column is part of a series devoted to promoting cultural tourism in coastal Georgia. It was published in the Tribune & Georgian newspaper in Kingsland, GA, scheduled for publication on Nov. 9, 2005.
This past Saturday and again on Sunday, sitting quietly in front of groups of interested participants, Crooked Rivers director Jerry Stropnicky made it clear why this day and many more to follow will define the future of Crooked Rivers: Sisters Three. He told of his recent adventure helping a community in Harlan County, KY open their production about life in the hills, valleys, and mines of eastern Kentucky’s coalfields. He has told this story before, many times. His background includes working for four years in Colquitt, GA with Swamp Gravy and helping produce other community-centered, historically based shows in communities across the nation. The meaning of what he is saying is momentarily lost; the tenderness and commitment overwhelms it. The themes are repeated and celebrated: all are welcome on this stage, everyone has something to contribute; we have stories to tell and together, as a team, we are going to tell them.
Jerry shared a couple of historical moments from the Crooked Rivers script with his new cast members. The stories are funny, poignant and promise to be wonderful moments in the Crooked Rivers production. Jerry tells how 11 and 12-year-old youngsters, in time past, would blatantly drive about Camden County, with the blessing of county and city law enforcement. When the state authorities were in the area, however, local police passed the word and these pre-teen drivers disappeared from local streets. When the state police pulled out, the dirt roads would fill once again with kid drivers. Another story that Stropnicky shared was one sends a clear message to audiences about our community’s history. There was a time when a man, a white man, was convicted by a local jury and district attorney, also all white, of killing and robbing two black women. However, the sheriff at the time would not carry out the death sentence in a bigoted protest against the jury’s verdict. This standoff ended when residents voted this biased sheriff out of office and elected a man that would do the jury and the voters’ bidding to carry out the deserved sentence.
Jerry’s conversation with his cast reinforced the point I made last week in our column. I also found out that he hadn’t read it, so it turns out we are on the same page. The point I made was that in an endeavor like this one, you make new acquaintances and unlikely friends. For me that process has already started.
Lori was there with her sweet children, Brenton and Kayla. She is an arts patron, whose interested was piqued again by reading about the “gatherings” for Crooked Rivers. Lori and her kids were joined by Casey and Steve with their children Ben and Madison. This family has a history with Crooked Rivers. They (except for Ben who was too little then) were in the initial one-act scenes and can’t wait to share in the full-length event. Alicia, a high school drama student and a dancer, also can’t wait for Crooked Rivers to begin. She wants to get started on building sets for the show. Alicia was so enthusiastic; she brought her sister Chelsea to join. Marcie, an eight-year resident, likes theatre, read about Crooked Rivers and came to be a part of the whole process. And, finally, I got to talk to Margaret, a distinguished lady, who recently retired from her career with an Ohio school system. Her warmth and curiosity about Crooked Rivers made for a wonderful conversation.
Every one of these cast members brought their own personal story with them to these gatherings and they are all going to help tell the stories found along the Crooked Rivers, where they can be discovered around every bend.
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