Soul Rep Theatre Presents DO NO HARM

Soul Rep Theatre Company, in partnership with SMU's Perkins School of Theology, will present the world premiere of Co-Founder, Anyika McMillan-Herod's newest play, DO NO HARM, January 11 - January 31, 2021 via video on demand. The play was commissioned by Dr. Evelyn Parker (SMU) and the Association of Practical Theology (APT) two years ago and was to be performed this past April at the APT's international conference in Houston, but was cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

DO NO HARM, Co-Directed by Vickie Washington and McMillan-Herod, was filmed in November in a slave cabin at Dallas Heritage Village, and explores the story of three enslaved women - Anarcha, Betsey, and Lucy - who were experimented on without anesthesia by Dr. J. Marion Sims, credited as "The Father of Modern Gynecology." The powerful piece stars four dynamic local actors in the title roles - Brittney Bluitt as "Anarcha", Whitney Coulter as "Lucy", Jaquai Wade Pearson as "Betsey" and Brandy McClendon Kae as "Tabitha." Soul Rep Co-Founder, Tonya Holloway, and local producer, Sonny Jefferson, served as cinematographers for DO NO HARM that marks Soul Rep's first venture into film. "The pandemic has allowed our company to stretch and explore other areas of the craft and genres that we have been talking about for years," says Holloway. "DO NO HARM is a game changer for us."

Not only will the historical drama be available virtually for a wide audience in January, but DO NO HARM has inspired an entire lecture series on "ethics in medicine" for SMU and a special liturgical service to take place next spring. "It has been a privilege to bring Anarcha, Betsey, and Lucy's story to light and life through this project," explains McMillan-Herod. "DO NO HARM is as much a tribute to them as it is to other ancestors who suffered, struggled, and somehow survived the treachery that was enslavement here in America."

The production is sponsored in part by the generous support of Common Ground Economic Development Corporation, Moody Fund for the Arts, SMU, and TACA. Tickets to watch the filmed play are $14.00 and can be purchased at http://www.soulrep.org.

SOUL REP THEATRE COMPANY'S MISSION Soul Rep Theatre Company exists to provide quality transformative Black theater that enlightens the imagination, the spirit, and the soul.

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