I feel like a cross between The Velveteen Rabbit and
Pinocchio—I am, or rather we, as in Purlie Productions, are real. We are producing The Diary of Anne Frank for
the second time with an amazing group of people and watching it become is like
the miracle of birth.
The play itself is an emotional roller coaster, with humor,
anger and tragedy. It is definitely
appropriate to the fear of the future many of us are feeling now. It is also a story of human love, endurance
and acceptance. I can’t say enough about
the group we have now assembled to accomplish this, both old friends and new—wonderful
new friends with Samantha and David Bruchie and Emily Drake. The talented people I feel like I’ve known
forever: Tom and Benjamin Strait, Kim
and Emily Beck, Julianna Lacefield, Warren Wilson and Neil Morris. And, of
course, my own Lamar Deal who suffers many labor pains creating the set out of
sweat, imagination and a lot of wood.
Big big thanks to artist Xavius Toombs for the sketch recreation
of our dear departed friend, Jimmie Burke.
As Elizabeth Welch said (and I can’t forget her for bringing us back
into the fold of the Okefenokee Heritage Center), now Jimmie can attend every
play we do.
I do want to share this joy with as many as possible; I hope
some of you can experience even a fraction of the inspiration and excitement I
have in helping bring this to the stage.
What the audience will see is the sum of all the parts involved. Maybe
the rabbit and the puppet are not really the best analogy; Purlie Productions is
a new, living, breathing, moving organism; watched over always by our loving
guardian angel. Here’s to you Jimmie!
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