By Cliff Lewis
For ten years, Bethel A.M.E. Church has presented a lively and ever-changing Underground Railroad reenactment called “the Living Experience.” The production is held in the church’s E Strawberry St sanctuary, which had functioned as a secret safe-house for runaway slaves during the early 19th century.
A NewsLanc reporter recently attended one of these productions, along with over 50 visitors from Pensacola, FL. Although the Thursday morning event employed a slightly smaller cast than the those presented on Saturdays, the performance was skillfully simple and deeply genuine.
It began with the humming, singing, clapping emergence of three women, dressed in the humble garb of 19th century African Americans. The main performer was Phoebe Bailey, whose strong and spirited voice led the audience in an interactive montage of old spirituals and hymns. Bailey introduced her character as a free former slave, and cast the audience as a collection of refuge-seeking runaways, gathering to strengthen their grasp of what freedom will require.
As the performance continued, spectators may have hardly realized that they were viewing what was often a one-woman show. Bailey charismatically corralled the audience into joining her in both song and dramatic performance, creating the sense of a larger production in spite of the smaller cast. The production’s most gripping moment came near the end, when Bailey’s character shifted into a tearful monologue about the tragedies she faced while enslaved.
After the performance, guests were led to a dining hall where they were served a Southern-style chicken dinner. The entire event, from beginning to end, carried a family-like warmth, which can only be credited to the actors and organizers, many of whom are volunteering their free time to serve.
“The Living Experience” runs at Bethel A.M.E. Church in the Churchtowne neighborhood of Lancaster City. All proceeds are donated to the community outreach efforts of Bethel A.M.E. For more information about this production, click here.
