Former Alabama football coach Paul “Bear” Bryant will come to life on stage this weekend in the form of “Bear Country,” a play that takes audiences through pivotal events of Bryant’s life, up to the end of his coaching career. Produced by Theatre Tuscaloosa and penned by playwright Michael Vigilant, “Bear Country” will be held at Shelton State’s Bean-Brown Theatre several nights each week until Oct.2.
Vigilant wrote the play as part of the Alabama Shakespeare Festival’s Southern Writers Project. After a three-year process of research, reading about Bryant’s life and interviewing family, friends and former players, rehearsal began in 2008 for its first run.
According to Vigilant, the play’s overarching message is found in the coach’s quote, “Five to seven plays from each game make the differences, whether you win or lose.”
“I wanted to pick five to seven [moments] of Coach Bryant’s life and make them the play,” Vigilant said. “We see these pivotal moments in his life and how he developed into the person he was.”
Bryant is played by returning actor Rodney Clark, who brings us through moments such as Bryant’s first discovery of football while listening to the 1926 Rose Bowl with his uncle, as well as his playing against Tennessee on a broken leg and his decision not to leave Alabama for a job with the Miami Dolphins. Younger versions of Bryant and those around him are played by the cast’s other three members.
Vigilant recalled his nerves on opening night of their first production in 2009 but said warm reviews and exceptional turnout both thrilled and relieved him.
“I have to admit, I’ve written a lot of plays and been at a lot of opening nights,” Vigilant said. “But I don’t think I quite understood the magnitude of what Coach Bryant means to Alabama.”
According to the playwright, every player he interviewed shared the sentiment that Coach Bryant was not just a coach, but a figure who gave them the drive and guidance to help them succeed on and off the field.
“[Coach Bryant’s] probably a lot more than you think he was,” Vigilant said. “I’m always pleased to see people rising to their feet at the end of a production [of Bear Country], and I know it isn’t just for the performance, but it’s celebrating the tremendous legacy of Coach Bryant.”
Clark, a member of the company since 1995, was apprehensive at first about taking the role of Coach Bryant.
“I grew up in Alabama. I was an Alabama fan, went to school here. I watched him on TV,” Clark said. “The thought of screwing it up and having everyone in Alabama after [me] was frightening.”
However, as the script became more and more appealing and his schedule aligned, Clark accepted. Clark said he immediately began digging into YouTube videos of the coach and figuring out just how he sounded, looked and responded to certain issues at the end of his career.
“I haven’t been to an [Alabama football] game in a long time,” Clark said. “I went to the opening game this year, and I was in tears. Seeing that video introduction [featuring Coach Bryant], it brought to my mind how important it is to represent this man properly and how much he meant to the state of Alabama.
Eventually, he captured the “mellow” and “warm” aspect of Bryant with his signature deep accent, bringing it into a theatrical form.
Not only is Clark revisiting his role as Coach Bryant, but he is also taking on the character alongside three new cast members. Clark said that, while balancing being an actor and a director can be tricky, and new actors make the production very new, the play’s central direction remains the same.
“[Bear Country’s] really in great praise of an iconic figure who has been loved in this area for so long,” Clark said. “It’s a good way to learn a lot of things about [Coach Bryant], about his personality, and something about his person.”
The next performance of Bear Country will take place tonight at 7:30 p.m. at the Bean-Brown Theatre. The run will continue until its final performance on Oct. 2 at 2:00 p.m. For more show times and ticket information, visit theatretusc.com.
