We are beginning dress rehearsal and tech week for “Finding Patience: The Story of Holly Springs.” As you may remember from the first Call Me Katherine, Grace and I are proud to be in this original production written by a local resident that consists of a cast of over 80 actors, period costumes, original music, and beautiful scenery.
Grace and I did some promotional pictures for the show this past week. It’s interesting how used we are to smiling when someone pulls out a camera. But back in those days, that’s not how it was done. So we had to explain this to our younger actors, while even us older actors had to stop ourselves from breaking out the obligatory smile.
Grace plays Cornelia Holland Hare, a young girl whose family’s farm and house was taken over by Union soldiers while her father was away with the war. I play Texanna Alford, who was the second wife of the man who basically built Holly Springs from the ground up. She was a no-nonsense, strong-minded woman who had good business acumen that she used to partner with her husband in his vision. Grace and I have both visited the graves of the women we portrayed. It continues to be a meaningful experience for both my daughter and me and really the entire cast.
We are excited about the buzz being generated and I hope others will see this also as a replicable placemaking idea, because this project has certainly brought many people together to learn and tell the shared history of the town. Come see us if you are in the area in mid-June. Go to etix.com and search for “Finding Patience.”
Below is Grace’s promo picture in the Holland Family, Grace visiting her the grave of Cornelia, my promo picture as Texanna, and a picture of the real Texanna in all her glory.
Promotional photos used with permission from our wonderful production photographer, Elsa Gonzalez-McConkey of Gardenia House Photography.
