THREADS OF SILVER AND GOLD Premieres in Panama

A Classic Theatre congratulates St. Augustine resident Deborah B. Dickey on the Panamanian debut of her play, Threads of Silver and Gold: Women of the Panama Canal, which was presented at the Theatre Guild of Ancon in Panama City on August 6, 2016. The playwright was invited to present her play as a fundraiser for the Marcia L. Henry Foundation which supports the education of young women of West Indian descent. ACT first presented the play in celebration of the 100th anniversary of the opening of the Panama Canal in the fall of 2015.

Created through a grant from the UF Center for the Humanities in the Public Sphere and the Panama Canal Museum, the play celebrates the lives of women who first arrived during the construction period of the Canal from the United States, Great Britain and the West Indies. The all-Panamá cast, assembled by producer Marcia L. Henry, included both native Panamanians and former residents of the United States, Aisha Thompson Davis, Charlotte Pierce, Francis Wilson, Ines V. Sealy, Itzel Devaney, Jorge Estermac, Marilyn Johnson, and Tania Reid. Anita Littsey, Coordinator of the American Corner Panamá, served as the narrator, and St. Augustine actor Kelly McTaggart lent his talents as the "voice" of Theodore Roosevelt.

The play received an enthusiastic reception from the audience. The playwright added, "I was overwhelmed by the actors' incredible commitment to honoring the stories of each character and thrilled to hear each brought to life with the beautiful blend of voices and dialects that make up the story of Panamá. The warm reception by the Panamanian people was extremely gratifying, making this a most memorable experience." The assembled cast included many prominent citizens of Panamá including: Charlotte Pierce, past president of the American Society of Panama; Inez V. Sealy, founder of the New Panama Tribune; and Aisha Thompson Davis, one of the recipients of a Foundation sponsorship, who hopes to pursue a career in medicine.

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