Drama Ministry of Calvary Baptist Church Celebrates Black History

Inspired by Black History Month, Calvary Baptist Church staged a work of community theater, Brother to Brother, which sought to honor both African-American luminaries of the past and ordinary Brooklynites of the present. The performance took place on Sunday, February 24, at 773 Hicks Street, with a cast of 25 locals.

Drama Ministry Director Betty Moorning, a deaconess at the church, wrote the play, which tells the story of a discouraged Southern transplant, Al (Stanley Morrison, a natural comedian), who comes to New York in search of opportunity but ends up jobless and abandoned by his wife. His cousin Gladys (Williemae Martin in a spirited, colorful performance) offers some support, but Al doesn’t recover his gumption until a friend, Ralph (Rudy Hall, brother of actress Angela Hall from movies like Mo Better Blues and The Player), takes him on a time-traveling journey through the tragedies and triumphs of black history.

They begin at a slave plantation’s whipping post, but figures like Harriet Tubman (Belinda Hall), Sojourner Truth (Stefani Deji), and George Washington Carver (Lynn Pridgon) provide stories of perseverance through the troubling 19^th-century scenes. Literary heroes such as Alice Walker (Nicole Harris) and Maya Angelou (Melissa Harden) make appearances to offer words of hope and wisdom. After witnessing the famous act of resistance by Rosa Parks (Angela Ocasio) on a city bus in Montgomery, Alabama, Al returns to the present – where the slave-master turns into a landlord.

Al ultimately finds employment. The next step for him is to get involved in public life by attending meetings at a nearby community center and services at the local church. In these spaces, neighbors gather to share their struggles and grievances. Citing issues like inequality and violence, they begin to organize to improve their community.

“We got to work on getting our black men out of jail,” says Amanda (Pamela Casey). “My son got locked up for nothing. They’re killing our men and boys and getting away with it.”

“I say we need to rebuild our family structure,” opines Mildred (Althea Gouff). “Get off that Facebook, turn off that TV, put those phones down, and let’s get together like we used to at the dinner table and talk and pray.”

Brother to Brother, which included music, dancing, and comedy alongside its educational and spiritual content, marked the 51^st play directed by Moorning, who often organizes shows around the holidays. An earlier version of the play debuted in 2017. A crew of ten put the performance together with the large cast. Jeremy Bodon and Ricky Tubbs served as sound technicians, and Sylvia Kennedy cooked food to tide over churchgoers between Sunday morning service and the afternoon showtime.

Brett Yates