By Gabby Dacosta
Soft-spoken powerful words of poetry, gospel singing and the sound of ocean waves danced through the air telling their individual stories of diversity, life and legacy.
Tampa Bay theater professionals Bob Devin Jones, Maureen McDole and Fanni V. Green recited their original works on April 9 in “Tales Thrice Told” at the Lynn Pippinger Hall auditorium. It was one of the events organized by USF St. Petersburg for Short & Sweet Theatre Week, a weeklong event that featured poetry, modern dance, improvised comedy and more.
The three performers began the show with coordinated hand movements of unity and gospel singing from Green, a USF Tampa theater professor.
Dressed in black and with a flower on his shoulder, Jones, artistic director of the downtown arts space Studio@620, recited an original piece about an incident that took place in 1893. He described a gathering of African-American male cross-dressers being raided. His sudden sharp movements and loudness of specific words created emphasis on the reality of the emotional piece.
“It was very immersive,” said Rachel Battle, a junior theater major. “I felt very involved.”
The piece also showed how St. Petersburg has grown in terms of acceptance and diversity.
Jones explained how he doesn’t dwell on what people learn particularly from his work.
“I just hope everyone can fully breathe in unison in a moment of extreme humanness,” Jones said.
The silent room filled with the identifiable crash of ocean waves as McDole recited her original poem, “Odyssey.” She is the founder of the St. Petersburg literary group Keep St. Pete Lit. As she swayed gently with a fishing net, she expressed her childhood and family life by the sea and the journey of self-discovery.
By the end of her performance, she was wrapped in the net, wearing it like a shirt.
“I found my current, I became my sea,” McDole recited.
Dressed in an elegant white dress, Green started her performance with gospel singing. By telling a fictional story, she highlighted the importance of family and community, as well as those before her.
Green also allowed the audience to be involved with her performance. Several times she asked the audience for an “Amen” and a “Preach, Brethren.”
