Stealing the Stage

The Southern University Theatre Arts Department opened their Spring 2002 season, with a production of Steal Away-A drama in two acts, by Ramona King.
The play tells the story of six ladies who rob a bank.
The players include Dorrian Middleton, Kyesolyn C. Byrd, AnTonette Roche’, Bethane White, Christine Lewis and Autumn Hymes
The play centers around newly graduated student Tracy Ada Kzyer, portrayed by Middleton, her grandmother Stella Margaret Kyzer (Kyesolyn C. Byrd) and her group of friends; Sudy Atkinson (Roche’), Renita (Redd) Ruth White, Jade Long (Lewis) and Bluiah (Blu) Daniels (Hymes).
The play opens with a homecoming party for Tracey Kzyer, in the home of Stella Kyzer. During the course of the celebration,Tracy, reveals her plan to rob a bank. Her logic being, if the ladies plan to be able to send more young ladies like herself to college, they must have more money and “who would suspect five, church-going women, to rob a bank.”
The ladies, who have to this point, funded their scholarship program, by “selling pies”, veto the plan at first.
Their minds are changed, when they are turned down for a loan, by a white bank office, who feels “colored children don’t need no education.”
“… They laughed in my face … I had never been so humiliated in my life,” said Byrd, in her role as Kyzer. “I thought I knew what Jesus felt like carrying that cross…”
As the play progresses, the audience is entertained by the antics of ‘Redd’ and ‘Blu’, as they act out a mock gunfight, during which ‘Blu” refuses to die.
The audience will also be touched by the loved shared between grandmother and granddaughter Stella and Tracey. A love Stella sometimes feels is the reason for most of their troubles.
“I really enjoyed this play, I am glad I had to come see this for my class,” said junior, therapeutic recreation major Brian Johnson. “You could see the chemistry between the actors.”
Steal Away will continue its run through Saturday, March 2, in the Fine Arts Theatre, in Frank Hayden Hall, at 7:30 p.m. Admission is $5 and $1 with a valid school ID.