The May 2023 performance ended in an animated dialogue with the students and professors from multiple institutions participating in the research residency and an audience from the local community about the play and the issues raised. We meticulously noted the feedback and incorporated it into our revisions. The impact of the May 2024 performance, which ended in a dialogue with the students, professors, Penn Center staff, and local community, was striking. Responses shared on anonymous surveys following the performance, compiled by graduate student Linsey Addington, called it powerful, touching, funny, entertaining, and educationally impactful. Respondents stressed how the performance deepened their learning, to share a few quotations: The Penn Center has been explained throughout this entire trip, but this play allowed a much deeper and personal connection. I also learned about the individuals involved and what they provided to the community. All of the parts were extremely impactful but I think I reacted strongest to the York W. Bailey scene. Hearing real testimonials from community members & the impact that York W. Bailey had on their lives. And I think it is so interesting how hard it was to find information about Dr. Bailey. I lived in the low country my whole life and did not know all of this information. It helped reconnect me with southern history by providing a window into a case study that contextualizes broader regional issues. I was blessed to be part of something bigger than myself as a Gullah Geechee descendent…it helped me connect with a part of myself I knew little about as a young GG. As a person originally from the Caribbean it definitely help me to connect many aspects of the GG culture with my own country and gave me new insights in to the USA history Outside of public education, my connection to African American history has been lacking. It was a wonderful experience to reconnect with powerful figures like MLK on stage [The play reconnected me with] lot of my own history but the history of a place I have enjoyed as a vacation spot my whole life. I knew whispers of the history here but I feel I can now respect it on a deeper level. Reception by the local community was warm and positive, with several community members thanking me and the team after the performance, and calling it moving, relevant, impactful, and on point. In a personal text message, one community member, a local librarian, whom students had interviewed about personal memories of Dr. Bailey, as described above, wrote: “I enjoyed [the performance] very much. I had to get back to my teen group at the library. I wish I'd brought them with me. I think every young person on this island could have experienced the play. It gave me chills. I'm so proud to have been a part of something so relevant and needed. Great job! Bravo 👏.”
