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Dr. Don Blakey is using his experience as both an educator and entertainer to delve into the lives of notable black leaders. His latest production, “A Delaware Chautauqua,” bows with its first presentation at 7 p.m. Monday, Feb. 6, at the Sankofa Studios, 54 S. Kirkwood St., Dover.
Blakey modeled the event after the idea behind the Chautauqua Institution in New York, a venue for concerts, plays, lectures of other diversions produced for educational purposes. For his tailor-made Chautauqua, Blakey focused on notable black citizens, some of whose influences can still be seen in Delaware.
Luminaries highlighted in the three-week series include former NAACP Delaware Chapter President Littleton Mitchell, dancer Katherine Dunham, Ella Fitzgerald, former Delaware State College President Jerome “Brud” Holland and others.
It’s going to be a learning experience for both the audience and actors portraying the historical figures.
“I want our performers ... to thoroughly research the part that they have to let them know that acting is not just something that you go home and memorize lines. You learn about the time period, the social setting, the political setting, the give and take so you can bring that character to life.”
Ray Randall, who local audiences will recognize from the Kent County Theatre Guild, will portray Littleton Mitchell.
“I’ve learned so much about the man. I’ve learned that he was absolutely a giant, he was brave,” Randall said. “I’m from that era where we as blacks kind of had to take the back seat. In an era where there was absolutely no Martin Luther King Jr., before Rosa Parks, this man was a giant, he put his life on the line.”
Mitchell, a Milford native, was born in the 1920s and as a teenager, attended the state’s only black high school. He went to West Chester University on a track scholarship before leaving to join the Tuskegee Airmen during World War II. He later returned to college and went on to become an educator and civil rights advocate, leading the Delaware NAACP and promoting equal treatment for minorities in housing, education and employment.
Randall has spent much of his time recently in libraries and online, letting the life and accomplishments of Mitchell fill his mind. Randall said Mitchell made tremendous headway in the civil rights movement.
Blakey said he wants audiences, especially the younger guests, to recognize that there were more civil rights pioneers than the ones they read about in school.
Dr. Don Blakey is using his experience as both an educator and entertainer to delve into the lives of notable black leaders. His latest production, “A Delaware Chautauqua,” bows with its first presentation at 7 p.m. Monday, Feb. 6, at the Sankofa Studios, 54 S. Kirkwood St., Dover.
Blakey modeled the event after the idea behind the Chautauqua Institution in New York, a venue for concerts, plays, lectures of other diversions produced for educational purposes. For his tailor-made Chautauqua, Blakey focused on notable black citizens, some of whose influences can still be seen in Delaware.
Luminaries highlighted in the three-week series include former NAACP Delaware Chapter President Littleton Mitchell, dancer Katherine Dunham, Ella Fitzgerald, former Delaware State College President Jerome “Brud” Holland and others.
It’s going to be a learning experience for both the audience and actors portraying the historical figures.
“I want our performers ... to thoroughly research the part that they have to let them know that acting is not just something that you go home and memorize lines. You learn about the time period, the social setting, the political setting, the give and take so you can bring that character to life.”
Ray Randall, who local audiences will recognize from the Kent County Theatre Guild, will portray Littleton Mitchell.
“I’ve learned so much about the man. I’ve learned that he was absolutely a giant, he was brave,” Randall said. “I’m from that era where we as blacks kind of had to take the back seat. In an era where there was absolutely no Martin Luther King Jr., before Rosa Parks, this man was a giant, he put his life on the line.”
Mitchell, a Milford native, was born in the 1920s and as a teenager, attended the state’s only black high school. He went to West Chester University on a track scholarship before leaving to join the Tuskegee Airmen during World War II. He later returned to college and went on to become an educator and civil rights advocate, leading the Delaware NAACP and promoting equal treatment for minorities in housing, education and employment.
Randall has spent much of his time recently in libraries and online, letting the life and accomplishments of Mitchell fill his mind. Randall said Mitchell made tremendous headway in the civil rights movement.
Blakey said he wants audiences, especially the younger guests, to recognize that there were more civil rights pioneers than the ones they read about in school.
“I’m hoping that they’ll understand that there have been some people in our history, in our lives, in our own community who have made great contributions to the livelihood and the lifestyles of everybody,” he said.
The only community leader speaking for themselves at the event will be Maxine Lewis, owner of Maxine’s New York Fashions. The graduate of DSU will speak about her life as a wife and mother, sports publicist for ABC Sports in New York, and as an entrepreneur.
“You can get out of Dover if you really prepare yourself and work hard,” Blakey said of Lewis.
Blakey would love to see this program become an ongoing one through the year, and said he’s working toward that goal.
