Page 3 - Florida Sentinel 2-18-22

Feature
Brothers Offer New Perspective On Dr. King With New Play
BY MONIQUE STAMPS Sentinel Staff Writer
Marvin and Melvin Collins are Tampa na- tives hoping to tell their stories to the world.
The twins will be reading from their newest play, Lorraine, at the the Straz Center. The read- ing is a part of the BIPOC (Black, Indigenous and People-of-Color) Play-Reading series.
The series is an important part of the organi- zation’s efforts to be more inclusive and to diver- sify its artistic offerings.
The four-part series that was developed after George Floyd was murdered, offers a unique ex- perience of hearing excerpts from plays written by talented local and national Black writers. A Q&A period will follow the reading, during which writ- ers can provide insight into their creative processes.
The first play, Lorraine, will be performed on Sunday, February 20, 2022. The Collins broth- ers’ play depicts the last year of the life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and centers on the Lorraine Motel where he was assassinated. Lor- raine calls on the voices of celebrities who stayed at the motel or who lived nearby, such as Isaac Hayes, Tina Turner and Richard Pryor, in addition to Dr. King and others in his life.
Melvin says the play was birthed from many places including the play Hamilton. He says that even though the play was entertaining, it did not give any added information or perspective. He started thinking what a play about Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., would be? Most stories about Dr. King end with his death. Melvin started delving into what was going on before and after the assassination. He found that music played an intricate part.
Dr. King had returned to Memphis after vio-
MARVIN AND MELVIN COLLINS
lent opposition at an earlier strike by the sanita- tion workers. The night before, Dr. King gave his famous “I Have Been to The Mountain Top” speech. Many say that Dr. King knew his death was coming and sent a message to the people of America to not give up the fight for Civil Rights.
The Lorraine Motel and Stax Studios down the street were both integrated businesses. The Lor- raine was a green book motel, meaning it was safe for Black people to stay. Stax Studios was fully in- tegrated with Black and white artists performing together. The intersection of these two places in
1968, is the heart of the play.
Marvin states when his brother first proposed
the project, his first thought was that this has been done before. However, the musical element brought new life to the subject.
He stated, “The city of Memphis, Dr. King, and music are all tied together. Music is a great bridge for cultural differences.”
Fred Johnson, the founder of the Commu- nity Arts Ensemble at the Straz, says, “We hope to energize creativity and resources for BIPOC with artists and projects like this.” The Commu- nity Arts Ensemble is where the brothers learned and honed their craft.
The twins grew up in Tampa and went to Hills- borough High School. Both went into the Air Force, although they went into different fields. After they were both out of the Air Force, they started exploring more artistic endeavors, Melvin in standup comedy and Marvin in act- ing.
The brothers are multi-faceted artists The brothers’ production company, Inkwell Pictures, is a multimedia production company launched in January 2015. Inkwell Pictures also encompasses Soulchild Entertainment, the stage production company founded in 2005 by Melvin Coleman. Inkwell Pictures is also active in television and in- ternet production.
Additional play readings will be held on Sun- days, March 27, April 24, and May 15.
All play readings are FREE and held at 2:30 p.m. in the TECO Theater. Reserva- tions are required by calling 813.229.STAR (7827) or visiting the website at www.strazcenter.org/Events/Straz/Shows /Voices-of-the-Community/BIPOC- Playreading-Series and clicking on the show date. .”
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