Alumna debuts new play, The Quincy Armstrong Show

Randolph College continues to celebrate Black History Month March 28 with the debut of a play written and directed by Teresa Harris ’80 and Linda Keith from Lynchburg’s Black Theatre Ensemble. The Quincy Armstrong Show, will be performed at 7:30 p.m. Saturday in Smith Hall Theatre. General admission is $10, and free to Randolph students with ID.

Deviating from the traditional speeches, monologues, and gospels commonly featured during Black History Month, The Quincy Armstrong Show is created in a talk show format that also incorporates music, dance, and comedy. The play follows Quincy Armstrong, a history professor who wants to find a way to encourage his students to have an interest in black history. The main character is the host of a fictional talk show. In his new role, Quincy Armstrong interviews a stellar array of guests who are influential black Americans within their time, including Rosa Parks, Langston Hughes, Angela Davis, and many more. “I wanted to have people that our audience would be familiar with throughout black history, but also people they may not be as familiar with,” Harris said.

The cast includes three Randolph students cast as Armstrong’s students: Cale Holmes ’16 as Langston Hughes and Tea Jones ’17, and Morgan Wardlaw ’17.

Harris describes the play as “entertaining, educational, and enlightening.” The production uses real historical figures to showcase aspects of their lives in a fictional scenario. Using the talk show format because of its flexibility to incorporate a variety of entertainment elements, Harris wanted to teach black history in a novel and enjoyable way. “Nowadays, people, especially the younger ones, want to be educated and entertained at the same time,” she said. “The way to get their attention and get the message across is to present it in an entertaining way. That’s why we are blending the entertainment with actual facts.”