BY J.A. JONES | Staff Writer
ST. PETERSBURG – “The Light,” by Loy A. Webb, is the first play in Studio@620’s opening season under the reign of new artistic producing director Erica Sutherlin.
A two-character play that runs 70 minutes without intermission, the piece is a quick but deep dive into Black love, pain, commitment — and the cost of what we carry within a global culture of silence.
Co-directed by Sutherlin and producer, educator, and director Patrick Arthur Jackson, “The Light” is a brilliant example of the power of theatre.
It takes the audience on an emotional rollercoaster where we are in the same room, breathing the same air as the two flesh and blood performers, who we quickly grow to like.
From the opening moments, as we enter into the space, the culturally delightful living room/kitchenette set (featuring art by local artists Zulu Painter and Frederick ‘Rootman” Woods) invites us to sit down for what will be some served “straight-no chaser” tea.
Lead actors Jemier Jenkins as Genesis and Lance Felton as Rashad are both immediately familiar and bring lots of laughs and sweetness when things are “good.”
Our attachment to the lovable couple also offers a gut punch when things get tense. Sweet emotions quickly evolve into much more complex and difficult feelings as both are forced to reveal their deepest traumas before our eyes.
In a culture dominated by media experiences, theatre like “The Light” carries an emotional intensity from which we are shielded while viewing live-action storytelling on our ubiquitous mobiles and screens.
Playwright and lawyer Loy A. Webb’s inspiration behind the drama was news coverage surrounding accusations and revelations that resurfaced in 2016 related to Birth of a Nation’s Nate Parker.
Loy said she watched the information relentlessly rolled out to the public — via media headlines — about an artist whom she admired and respected.
Dealing with the difficult emotions she felt during that time inspired her to write “The Light,” which ultimately deeply interrogates how Black men and women learn to navigate the most vulnerable moments in life — and how and when we dare to face our most painful truths — with or without each other.
“The Light” runs Sept. 20-22 and Sept. 26-29 at The Studio@620, 620 1st Avenue S, St. Petersburg, FL, 33701, 727-895-6620.
- Starring Jemier Jenkins and Lance Felton, co-directed by Erica Sutherlin and Patrick Arthur Jackson.
- Visual artists, including Zulu Painter and Frederick ‘Rootman’ Woods
- Creative administrative producer and stage manager Charlotte Quandt; associate artistic producer Alexa Perez; featured musical artist Ariel Blue.
- Find info and tickets here.
