Alabama Love Stories Character Introduction and Visual Timeline

RED LIGHT: MEANS LOUD SOUNDS YELLOW LIGHT: MEANS LIGHT CHANGES BLUE LIGHT: MEANS SUDDEN MOVEMENTS ON STAGE The descriptive paragraph is as follows: Alabama Love Stories is a devised piece of theatre based in archival research that also incorporates poetry, song, and physical theatre work to tell the stories of ordinary Alabamians across the 200 years of the state’s history. Collaged scenes roughly follow a chronological thread beginning with the Native American roots of Alabama history and moving through a variety of critical moments in the state’s story including the Civil War, the fight for Women’s suffrage, The Great Migration, WWII, and Alabama’s Civil Rights legacy. Alabama Love Stories ends up in the contemporary moment exploring celebrations of love through an examination of the evolution of marriage laws in Alabama to include interracial and same sex marriage. While there is nothing explicit in terms of language and content, there are stories that contain violence and death. This show may contain themes that challenge conventional understandings of Alabama and that some may consider offensive. This piece strives to open up conversation about the many communities that inhabit this state and focuses on love as a language to encourage dialogue and discourse. 1. A Deep Connection to the Land.

Native American Roots

A Native American woman shares a poem about the creation and cultivation of the earth according to the Creek people. An actor describes the violent displacement of the Native Americans while the actress sings. Note: Significant light shifting

Sound Effect: Thunders

Content Warning: Description of violence and death among Native Americans

TRANSITION:

Note: Significant light shifting

Sound Effect: Cast Singing

2. A Longing for Family. The Civil War

An African American woman in slavery describes the horrors of her life. Betsy receives letters from her husband Mac and Fanny receives letters from her husband G. W. Cherry and her brother Josiah. In the letters, they describe the nature of war and their hopes to return home. Betsy receives a letter telling her that her husband has died. Note: Significant light shifts between small scenes

TRANSITION:

Note: Significant light shifting

3rd: Letters from people searching for

their loved ones

An African American in slavery writes letters to his wife who lives at a different plantation far away and promises to always love her. African American Cast members read advertisements posted in newspapers of people searching for their loved ones that were separated from them when they were sold or taken. Note: Significant light shifting

TRANSITION:

Note: Significant light shifting

Sound Effect: Cast Singing

4th: A Women Seeking. 1890s-1915

Three Suffragists march with signs and sing about voting rights. Three men discuss the reasons why women should not vote. The women have tea and discuss their lives and the fight for equality. Note: Significant light Shifting

TRANSITION:

Note: Significant light shifting

5. A Teenager’s Diary. The Great

Migration

A young African American female student writes in her journal of her problems, concerns and desires during the years of the Great Migration. She describes falling in love with a fellow student named Roberta McGuire, being excluded from the white swimming pool, the difficulties of her school work, wanting to kiss boys at a party, and the death of her uncle.

INTERMISSION 6. A Love Story. World War II

Betty and Byron have never met in person and communicate only through letters while Byron is at war. They fall in love. In the letters they exchange their feelings, their passion for music and sports and their desire to meet each other. Eventually, letters from Byron stop coming and Betty realizes Byron has died at war. Note: Significant light Shifting

Sound Effect: Music and radio interruption

Poem: 3 African American women recite a poem about African American Rights.

TRANSITION: Note: Significant light shifting

7. Agape Love. Civil Rights Era

During the Civil Rights Movement, two stories coincide. The story of Rosa Parks who becomes the inspiration for the bus boycott led by Dr. King and E.D Nixon. The second story is of Juliette Morgan, a white female librarian who publishes her thoughts about the injustice of segregation and calls for action in newspapers. During the scene cast members will tell and enact the bus boycott in Montgomery, the confrontations between races and the violence that grows following the integration of the buses. Rosa Parks leaves Montgomery and Juliette Morgan commits suicide. Note: Significant light Shifting

Sound Effect: Cast members singing, cast members stomping on

the floor and clapping, platform dropped in the floor creating a loud boom. Cast members passing fliers to audience members, confrontation between characters. Content Warning: Violence and suicide.

TRANSITION:

Note: Significant light shifting

8. A Celebration of Alabama and Love

A series of poems are recited by cast members. The subject matter ranges from vivid imagery about Alabama to interracial couples, women’s and LGBT issues. Poem 1: Alabama’s Landscape Poem 2: The Heat Poem 3: Diversity among relationships Poem 4: Women’s body Poem 5: Interracial Relationships Poem 6. Same sex relationships Poem 7. Alabama Note: Significant light Shifting

Sound Effect: Cast members singing and creating background

noises.