From South Carolina, Confessions of a Good Man at DC Black Theatre Festival

South Carolina isn’t the first place that comes to mind when considering good theatre, but there are several gems ‘down south’ just waiting to be sought out. One South Carolina theatre company is making its way to the Nation’s capitol to participate in the DC Black Theatre Festival with their newest hit stage play Confessions of a Good Man.

Walking on Water Productions, an inspirational theatre company based in SC, has been producing stage plays for 9 years and has just recently released their first play on DVD titled Yesterday is Still Gone. The company is run by two playwrights, Tangie Beaty (CEO) and Donna Johnson (COO) who write and produce all of the company’s shows. Confessions of a Good Man is the duo’s first male-driven production.

Beaty originally got the idea from an author who contacted her regarding a promotional idea for a book he was writing. Kevin Rasberry, author of “Evolution of The Good Man,” wanted to do a play coming from a man’s standpoint in relationships. After talking to Rasberry, Beaty and Johnson were inspired to write Confessions of a Good Man.

Although the play does not relate to the book, it was a great source of inspiration for them. They began writing down ideas, characters and plots, but weren’t sure about producing the show until they came up with the title. They went through many different options, but when the name Confessions of a Good Man came, they knew they had to do the show. They felt it was also perfect timing for a play such as this one since today’s media and entertainment are not overrun with stories about good men or productions with positive male driven themes, especially in the African American culture.

The production gave them the opportunity to expose and re-introduce the positive and impactful role men play in society and in the home, as well as a way for the man to voice his perspective when dealing with relationships involving love and marriage, family and friends. In addition, this was also an opportunity to encourage women and remind them that good men still exist.

Since Beaty and Johnson are women, during the early rehearsals for the first run of the show they asked the male cast members to express their opinion on the script to see if it truly reflected a male’s perspective. They had several rap sessions to discuss men’s issues when dealing with the responsibilities of love, family, work and friendship. Many of the truths shared in those rap sessions are exposed in the play. This show allows the men to speak….all the ladies need to do is listen.

Walking on Water (WOW) Productions is a theatre company that embodies their name and truly strives to WOW their audience, not only through entertainment but through enlightenment. WOW’s mission is to “impact the community by producing inspirational stage plays that empower individuals to rebuild family values, effect change, encourage the lost and restore self-esteem.” They believe that theatre and art have the power to heal. In their own words –

“We can’t take back our nation until we take back our states. We can’t take back our states until we take back our cities.  We can’t take back our cities until we take back our communities and neighborhoods.  We can’t take back our communities and neighborhoods until we take back our homes, our men and the family hierarchy.”

Confessions of a Good Man speaks to that philosophy and begins working on the foundation of what creates a thriving nation, men and the family unit. WOW Productions has the ability to express these important themes and address serious issues all while evoking the full spectrum of emotions from their audiences. They are extremely animated and enjoy including twists and unexpected elements not normally seen in theatre. I can’t really say too much, but some things you just have to see to believe. This show has been staged twice over the past year in Columbia, SC before several sold out audiences. June 28th will be the show’s first time on the road and will be performed at the Ira Aldridge Theater on the historic campus of Howard University during The DC Black Theatre Festival.

So come out, grab a cup of cool sweet tea and treat yourself to a phenomenal production from one of South Carolina’s “Famously Hot” theatre companies, Walking On Water Productions.

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Written by guest author Josetra Robinson, Marketing Manager, Walking on Water Productions.