Review: Joe's Emporium Moves and Informs with OUT OF THE VINEYARD

Sometimes it pays to remember how much we have forgotten—the past, which has made us what we are, is left by the wayside, and who can blame us.  With all that’s happening now, the idea that we should occasionally look back, to understand more fully how we came to be, seems more like a nuisance than a help.

But the good work of history is there to back us up—it’s always there, if we know where to look.  And once seen, that past can make our present, and the task ahead, that much clearer.  

A recent oral history project conducted in Prince George’s County has yielded some truly compelling accounts of Maryland’s complicated history during the days of slavery; most importantly there is the legacy of Freedom Suits, a series of cases in which freed persons of color demanded the emancipation of their families in a court of law.  Working from a series of oral history recordings, playwright Psalmayene 24 has assembled a truly moving piece of theatre that brings the many voices of Prince Georges’ past and present to bear witness, and bring to light struggles that we (or I, at least) knew nothing about.

Director Tony Thomas has assembled a small and mighty cast, who introduce us to contemporaries from all walks of life, each of them speaking to their irrevocable connections to the America’s past.  One minute we encounter Scott Ward Abernethy as a judge from P.G. County, unravelling the history of the Freedom Suits and his own ancestor’s complicated role in them.  The next minute, Frank Britton speaks as a neuro-divergent acting student, admitted to Georgetown University in acknowledgement of his ancestors’ enslavement at that school. 

Adrienne Nelson, meanwhile, assumes the role of a curator who talks about the challenges faced by museum guides at southern plantations—and the awkwardness that comes from finally, finally, including slaves’ quarters in her tours. Last but not least, the ways in which the past were never truly past are personified in Jacqueline Youm’s account of a woman growing up in a sharecropper’s family in 1960’s Mississippi, fending off the lecherous advances of the white property owner nearby and living for years without running water.

These personalities and others are skillfully woven together; and the experience is heightened by Luis Garcia’s brilliant projection design.  Through a combination of integrated live footage and collages of photographs and documents, often literally splashed onto the screen, the spoken and written word combine to bring the past vividly to our senses, while Justin Schmitz’s sound seamlessly transitions us from one riveting story to the next.

The play’s title refers to one of Jesus’ parables in the Book of Matthew; Chapter 21, and the tenants/stewards of a vineyard who are abusive of the landlord’s request for wine.  The story is a vivid one, and raises the question of what our own status might be, were the owner of our Vineyard were to demand mercy and decency of us, toward our fellow citizens.  The unfurling of green banners across the stage brings home the lesson that the vineyard we now live in is precious, and those in the vineyard with us are equally precious. 

Brooke Kidd and Joe’s Emporium have produced a gem of a piece that offers a nuanced, empathetic understanding of our shared history.  See what you can do to bring this production to your area!

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