When first-year MSU student and Detroit-based poet Charisma Holly’s words echoed through the full Kellogg Hotel and Conference Center banquet room, she knew she was giving back to a celebration transcending injustice.
Holly, a College of Communication Arts and Sciences major, is part of a tradition for the Transforming Theatre Ensemble, or TTE, a 30-member student group led by Artistic Director Lynn Lammers, that includes professional actors, community members, students and sometimes faculty and staff. The group typically performs short issue-driven pieces ranging from three to 20 minutes and presents them across campus in classrooms, staff meetings, conferences and large community events like Michigan State University’s 46th annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Commemorative Celebration. The performances are designed not only as artistic expressions, but as a tool to spark dialogue, reflection and learning.
While the ensemble is a staple at the annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Community Unity Dinner, Lammers established a new tradition two years ago in which students audition to write a piece they will perform during the dinner. This year, that honor went to Holly, who not only submitted her written piece but also sent a voice recording, which stood out to Lammers.
“I had someone submit a piece who is a very skilled writer, but she’s also a performer,” Lammers said. “She’s used to performing her work and so, I thought, I want to put her up there with some other actors.”
Along with Holly, there were two other performers for the Jan. 15 Unity Dinner’s performance: local professional actor Kamara Drane and Tasiyah Hampton, an undergraduate working on her Bachelor of Fine Arts and acting in the Department of Theatre at MSU. The group went through a process of getting to know the piece and what it meant to them, as well as figuring out how to best deliver the performance. For Holly, it was a positive and impactful experience.
“I love the rehearsal process; being the playwright in the space fueled my creative liberty because I was able to just kind of say, here’s what I was thinking when I wrote it and that allowed me to help kind of guide what was going on in the piece,” Holly said. “But I was also able to learn so much from listening to other people’s reactions to what I had written. And so, it made me a better writer.”
Holly’s main motivation for writing is inspiration and reflection, which is evident in the piece she wrote for the performance. She expressed that this piece has been part of her attempt to capture the African American experience through her own feelings and perspectives, as well as the experiences of others and the world around her, which this opportunity helped her pursue further.
“I wanted to make sure that I was honoring the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. because a lot of times when we talk about civil rights, we talk about our history because Black history is American history,” Holly said. “There’s a delicate balance between acknowledging the hardships that were experienced during that time, while also celebrating the accomplishments that were achieved.”
During the performance, the three actors stood in a triangle and took turns speaking in different tones, portraying the African American experiences of grief, resilience, uncertainty and hope. The piece ultimately concluded with the performers speaking in unison, reinforcing Holly’s idea of multiple truths coexisting. The ensemble was met with resounding applause.
“I wanted to show that every standpoint is legitimate. Everyone has a valid perspective, but all of these perspectives are able to coexist at the same time,” Holly said. “So, each of the voices portrayed in the piece are all of the hope, but also the endurance and uncertainty that was present during the time and even currently.”
For Lammers, performances like this one are important because they spark conversation, reflection and learning. Key goals of the Residence Education and Housing Services program.
“I think it’s powerful to sit with the notion that these are coming from a student and can give us a window into what some students are thinking and feeling because it will be a lot of staff, faculty and administrators in the room,” Lammers said. “I think that live performance can change the temperature in a room. It can get us out of our heads and tie really big, deep thinking with our humanity. It reminds us that there are so many ways of knowing and understanding each other and ourselves.”
The Transforming Theatre Ensemble is part of MSU’s Office for Inclusive Excellence and Impact and is known for using applied theater to spark dialogue around social justice, identity and community issues. More information about the program is available on the Transforming Theatre Ensemble website.
