TROY, Ala. (TROJANVISION) — A Troy University theatre professor’s play that centers on Black history featured is now running inside Barter Theatre in Virginia.
On October 31st 1919 in Corbin, Kentucky, the white residents of Corbin forced all of the Black residents onto train cars and shipped them to Knoxville, Tennessee in an attempt to make the population of the town all-white. Over 100 years later, Troy professor, Quinten Cockrell is bringing that piece of history to life with a play set 13 years later, called Trains.
“Right now, I’m pretty obsessed with the idea of Trauma and how it can affect you,” Cockrell said, when describing the inspiration behind the idea.
The play originally started as a monologue, was lengthened into a 10-minute scene before ultimately becoming a full play. Each version explored the trauma of one of the men removed from the town. Every rendition was shown in Virginia’s state theatre, Barter Theatre’s Black Stories, Black Voices series.
“I don’t want to overuse the term, but it was a life-changing experience,” Cockrell said. “It was really exciting to see, you know, professional, experienced actors up there saying your words and they’re so talented that you find yourself doubting ‘is the play good or is it just the actors that are good?’”
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In Trains, a white man from Corbin contacts the Black family that used to work for his family in an attempt to make amends, but the theme is not as simple as it may seem. Cockrell wanted to tackle issues that would force the audience to look introspectively.
“There are people I want to make angry, there I people want to feel validated, there are people I want to hold a mirror up and make people look at life as opposed to just experiencing it,” Cockrell said.
At the end of the day, Cockrell wants people to understand there’s always two side to every story.
“I think it’s really important not to forget that others are part of the tapestry”
Cockrell returned from Virginia on Monday as one of his students prepares to leave for Virginia to have his monologue featured in the same series.
