Sunday marks the 50th anniversary of the infamous 16th Street Baptist Church bombing in Birmingham, that claimed the lives of four little girls. To commemorate this turning point in the civil rights movement, Theatre Tuscaloosa is working with Project1Voice to host a staged reading of the play “Four Little Girls: Birmingham 1963.”
Tuscaloosa, along with 49 other locations across America, will honor the lives of Addie Mae Collins, 14, Carole Robertson, 14, Cynthia Wesley, 14, and Denise McNair, 11, through public staged readings that will also be streamed to Canada, Mexico and other locations worldwide.
Staged readings differ from play performances in that actors hold their scripts on stage and do not memorize their lines before performing. Additionally, staged readings do not involve the use of props, costumes or sets. The show’s producer, Tina Turley, said even without these technical elements, the production will elicit a strong response from audience members.
“The audience listens and creates in their own minds the location, the environment and the mood of the turbulent 1960s,” Turley said. “It allows them to bring their own personal experience to join with the experience of the girls.”
Turley said Theatre Tuscaloosa is honored to be participating in the event. She said Tuscaloosa is an ideal location for a performance because of its proximity to Birmingham as well as its history as a hot bed for civil rights movements. Erich McMillan-McCall, founder and executive director of Project1Voice, a nonprofit service organization promoting the legacy of African-American theater, said the play has a more transcendent quality.
“This is not just a story about America or the South, but about hopes and dreams and living those out,” McMillan-McCall said. “It’s something that we all share across the globe.”
The cast of “Four Little Girls” were chosen through an open call and represent a mix of ages and races. McMillan-McCall said the vast diversity of the numerous “Four Little Girls” casts across the nation is part of what makes this event so special.
“What’s important about doing this is that we are able to merge generations,” McMillan-McCall said. “We have people who are in their 30s and 40s merging with young kids, telling this amazing story and taking us on this incredible journey.”
“Four Little Girls” explores each of the girls’ differing hopes and dreams that were unfortunately never realized. The play also exposes the tremendous difficulties the girls faced in pursuit of their goals due to the racial turmoil of the 1960s. McMillan-McCall said he hopes the play will inspire others to take advantage of their ability to pursue their own hopes and dreams.
Turley said the purpose of the play is not to mourn the loss of the four girls, but rather to make sure that their stories are heard.
“This is our chance to give the four girls a voice,” Turley said. “They deserve that.”
“Four Little Girls: Birmingham 1963” will be performed at Bean-Brown Theatre on Shelton State’s Martin Campus Sunday at 2 p.m. and 6 p.m. A post-performance discussion will follow each of the two readings. The show is currently sold out.
