This #FrontRowFriday, we’ve got a captivating and timely interview for all the Encore fans out there, so we’ll cut right to the chase: read on to learn more about the thought-provoking research and devising that’s had the cast of Flip the Script hard at work since this summer. Participants Ryely and Kylen share about their experiences in creating this new work of theatre, bringing African-American voices to new audiences, right here in Arlington.

Encore: Tell us a bit about yourself! Have you previously been involved with Encore and/or performing arts?

Ryely: My name is Ryely Rogers and I’m a sophomore at Marshall High School. I am involved in my school drama program and currently in our fall play, The Gifted Program. I have actively been involved with Encore Stage & Studio for the past three years. My latest role was as a member of the front of house crew for Disney’s Frozen Jr.. I first fell in love with theatre as an audience member watching Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs at Encore and immediately wanted to audition. Later that year, I auditioned and got my first chance to perform on stage in The Best Haunted House Ever. Most of my acting was done as a live painting prop on stage. The last time I was seen on stage at Encore was as Detective Pepperdine in Ghostchasers! It was fun to be able to reuse the same live painting of me from two years ago. That moment felt like it had come full circle for me. My most notable roles include the title role of Pinocchio, Mowgli in The Jungle Book, and the Narrator in 21 Chump Street. In addition to Encore, I have also been in various local community theatre plays with CFTC and PPF. When I am not on stage, I am playing lacrosse, painting, listening to music, or doing a craft.

Kylen: I’m Kylen. For the past few years, theatre, especially musical theatre, has been my world. I’ve been devoting the majority of my free time to theatre and the performing arts, while I spend the rest working on writing a novel. Most of the shows I’ve done are with Encore, but I have done several at school, and I am also looking at some other theatres now that I’m getting older. I have a particular interest in musical theatre because my parents are musicians, and I hope to go into musical theatre as a profession. Some of my Encore roles include Middle Anna in Disney’s Frozen Jr, Mary Poppins in the Stage Door production of Mary Poppins, Jr, and Heidi in The Enchanted Bookshop.

Encore: How did you become involved with Encore’s new Flip the Script program?

Kylen: I was in rehearsals as an actress in Frozen Jr. at Encore, and we all received an email saying that Flip the Script needed more actors. Knowing that this program was for a good cause, I jumped at the opportunity. And I’m glad I did!

Ryely: Flip the Script piqued my interest because it was right up my alley of acting and activism. As a mixed-race Black American, the opportunity to learn about our local history was something I could not pass up. I wanted to know more about my history and I wanted to have my voice heard. I also feel privileged to be able to share the stories of others. A lot of this history was never taught at my school. It is almost as if this vital part of history is forgotten or left out and I feel not only compelled to share this but also obligated to use my voice for something that matters.

Encore: Share a bit about your character(s) in the performance.

Ryely: My character is Girl in Black. She is someone that is very skeptical. Strong-willed. Not open to change. She isn’t jumping up and down at the idea that schools would be integrated. She does not want to get to know the white students and is comfortable being segregated from them. She uses her negative attitude as a defense mechanism. Girl in Black has her guard up because she also has her own prejudices about what white people think about her. She represents the doubts and fears within all of us. I love this character because she is very complex.

Encore: Could you briefly explain the devising process your cast used to create the show?

Ryely: Flip the Script started over the summer. In the beginning, it was mostly meeting up to discuss our process. We were each given a book titled Moment Work about the process of devising theatre. Then all throughout the summer, we had meetings where we would brainstorm our ideas. We had the opportunity to meet with historians that educated us on what happened during the time in Arlington when schools were segregated and on the verge of desegregating. We went on walking tours to sites around Arlington. We visited neighborhoods, churches that were significant to the community at the time, the Halls Hill fire station, Langston Brown Community Center, and the segregation wall marker. After we gathered our research, we started work on devising our play. Most of our script was the result of the many improv scenes we worked on in the process. We discussed our characters and their significance. We tried to create characters that would represent different feelings kids may have had at the time. We wanted to build a well-rounded cast that would shed light on what the times were like back then. Most importantly, we took our time to try to create something that would be impactful enough to reach our audience.

A Rogers family photo: Ryely’s grandfather holding her dad (at the end) with all his brothers and sisters, including Ryely’s great grandfather Booker T Talley (in all white with hat) at the grave site of her great-grandmother StarLight Talley.

Encore: What was the biggest “lightbulb” moment for you throughout this process?

Ryely: For me the biggest light bulb moment was during our walking tour when we visited the Halls Hill Fire Station that is currently Fire Station 8 on Lee Highway in Arlington. I have driven by that fire station so many times and never realized the history behind it. Our local historian told us how the Halls Hill neighborhood had to have their own fire station because they could not get the white fire stations to come help them. With only very basic equipment – the men had to carry barrels full of water on a wagon down the street if there was ever a fire. That story really became a moment of clarity for me. It made me think about my own history. What it must have been like for my great grandparents and their siblings and all they had to endure growing up in Alabama. That resilience and courage is something that became my inspiration. That was the moment when I knew that this project was going to be something special. I knew it was our obligation to honor these men and every person of color that had to endure segregation and racism in America. So I am happy to be a part of this project and I hope that everyone can see it’s importance.

Encore: What is the most interesting fact that you discovered throughout your research?

Ryely: During our research process, we went on a walking tour of Halls Hill. It is the historically black neighborhood in Arlington where an actual wall was built to segregate black people from the white neighborhoods. During our tour, we walked to a street that still had the part of the wall up. Our tour guide/historian Wilma Jones and author of the book My Halls Hill Family told us that the homeowner agreed to keep the wall up as part of history. The wall was actually recently damaged from a storm we had earlier this year. Just seeing the “segregation wall” made me feel like even though schools in Arlington have integrated – it wasn’t long ago that the wall was up. This was interesting because I could not help but think about the walls that our country still wants to put up today in 2019.

A remaining portion of the segregation wall, located in the Halls Hill neighborhood.

Encore: What do you hope audiences will take away from viewing this production?

Kylen: There are barriers everywhere. Whether we helped build them or they got started by someone else, they’re there. But just wishing they didn’t exist isn’t enough, because if we don’t break them down, who will? A lot of people don’t realize that there’s still racial discrimination in today’s world, despite the fact that, legally, everyone has rights. I hope they can look at our production and help break down barriers in their own communities.

Ryely: I hope the audience can appreciate that this local history happened not too long ago. The students who first integrated are still alive. Like Wilma Jones and some of her siblings and neighbors back then. And even though the Halls Hill Residents were discriminated against and had walls built to keep them separated from the white neighborhoods – they still made a strong community that was THRIVING. They were smart, innovative, educated, resourceful, and faithful. They knew how to have fun and they built a community on a spirit that could NOT be diminished. While this experience has made me really reflect on how fortunate I am – I just hope this inspires us to BE better and DO better as humans. I feel that the climate that we are in is a hostile one that tries to create a divide, but we can not let the small-minded ideas become the big ideas. My wish is that we all take something positive away, let it be something inspiring, talk about it, and share this with others. And most importantly, I hope that we did a good job of honoring the people in this community. I know that their spirit and my ancestors’ spirits live in me.

A Rogers family photo: Ryely’s great great grandmother Annie Bell Baker (upper right hand – StarLight’s mom) and all her siblings. They grew up in Alabama and some later migrated to Michigan and Tennessee.

Encore: Describe this production in five words or short phrases.

Ryely: Inspiring, hopeful, educational, emotional, and raw.