The Naptown African American Theatre Collective (NAATC) is cementing its legacy this season.
The Black equity theater company introduced its 2024-25 season, which features “Judy’s Life’s Work” by Loy A. Webb and “Stew” by Zora Howard, keeping in line with their mission of introducing Hoosiers to new works highlighting Black stories.
“Judy’s Life’s Work,” which had its Indiana premiere on Oct. 18, follows two siblings, Xavier and Charli, who are trying to get their footing back after losing their mother, LaKesha Lorene, founder of NAATC, said. The show features themes of reentry, with Xavier being formerly incarcerated, as well as romantic love, familial love, education and legacy.
“They’re trying to figure out, ‘Without this person, who will we be? What will our legacy be?’” Lorene said. “With NAATC and a lot of the really bold moves and decisions to step out on faith we’ve done, we’re also doing that in many ways. We are deciding this season who we will be, what we will stand for, what we will fight for, what we will advocate for as a Black-owned, run and led organization.”
However, cementing one’s legacy involves people, Lorene said.
Theater is communal; it brings people together. That is why Lorene loves it so much and is still doing it, and it is also why this show is important. People might see themselves in one of the characters and learn about how to “protect and preserve” while also giving.
Xavier Jones, who plays the role Xavier, or X, said when he thinks about the underlying message of “Judy’s Life’s Work,” he thinks about self-reflection and facing your fears.
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“I think about coming to terms with those things we wish to never shine a light on, but knowing some day they have to be addressed,” Jones said in an email. “This whole play isn’t about boxing, medical journals, science, etc. It’s about growing from the pain one had held on to for most of their life and procuring that one relationship that was fractured in the process.”
Familial love emerges as a major theme in the show as Xavier and Charli navigate two very different forms of grief following the loss of their mother, and their sibling relationship is ultimately tested by both inside and outside forces. Jada Radford, who understudies Charli, told the Recorder she is able to resonate with her character’s love for her brother by drawing on her own real life sibling relationships.
“I have two siblings, one of which is my older brother who is my best friend and likely my closest confidant,” Radford said in an email. “With that being said, I believe in this play’s message that sibling love can persist through anything!”
Jones shared a similar sentiment, stating his younger sister is a “huge inspiration for me to keep pushing and thriving.” However, in regard to influence, every parent-child and sibling relationship is different, and Jones said that is where he and Xavier differ from one another.
“Both my sister and I have our mother in our lives, and it’s always been that way,” Jones said. “Our mother is an amazing hardworking woman, and we’ve both benefited from having her in our lives. However, everything is spot on from the playful nature, small mini arguments, and then displaying care and love to each other.”
The theme of legacy does not just show up in the shows NAATC produces, but also in its free theater and business education program, Education for All.
The program, which launched in August, lines up with the organization’s 2024-25 season, helping aspiring Black theater professionals cement their own legacies by equipping them with tools and resources needed to get hired locally, regionally and nationally.
Education for All, which is open to anyone regardless of skill level or experience, has a few remaining classes throughout October, November and December; however, program coordinator Irorobeje Crystal Owhoso-Maddox said engagement and feedback from the workshops has been overwhelming and they are considering some of the participants for positions in the NAATC or recommending them to other theaters in the city.
“We’ve had students who have attended every month’s class, and they’re really dedicated,” Owhoso-Maddox said. “It’s just really great to see them put their heart into their work and then showcase their love for NAATC and what we’re doing. That feedback has been really fruitful.”
“Judy’s Life’s Work” is showing at the Phoenix Theatre Cultural Center now through Nov. 3. Tickets are $30 with discounts available to students and Near Northwest side residents. For more information, visit naatcinc.org.
Contact Arts & Culture Reporter Chloe McGowan at 317-762-7848 or chloegm@indyrecorder.com. Follow her on X @chloe_mcgowanxx.
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