"Crowns" is a tale with deep personal resonance for Oglesby. She is the daughter and wife of ministers. Growing up in a Pentecostal church, she understands the call-and-response style that Taylor presents in this play. And much of the characterization for Mother Shaw derives from Oglesby's mother and her aunts, who taught her the practices of the church.
When Africans were enslaved, they arrived in this country cut off from their native religions. The Sunday gathering practiced by white America gave them a vessel for community, but in order to preserve a vestige of their heritage, they syncretized African deities with Christianity to create a different worship experience.
Praise houses rose up -- small, meager buildings where congregations would engage in the "ringshout" whenever someone within the walls would be caught up in the spirit. Pews, chairs and benches were pushed to the side, and worshippers would dance and sing. Because drums had been outlawed during slavery, African-Americans would clap, stomp and pound the floor to create rhythm.
| The rest of Graydon Royce's Minneapolis Star-Tribune article "'Crowns' reaches the heart of African culture" helps build anticipation for the play's arrival
posted in articles on January 16, 2004 12:40 AM | t (0)
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