Central State University to present 'Reunion: Journey with Ancestors' with Charles Fox

Above: L'arbre de l'oubli, or the Tree of Oblivion, in Benin, West Africa

Central State University will present "Reunion: Journey with Ancestors," written and performed by Charles Fox, at 7 p.m. Feb. 10 at Paul Robeson Cultural and Performing Arts Center. The event is free and open to the public. Donations will be accepted at the door.

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"Reunion" is a non-fiction narrative based on Fox's 30-year journey to learn about, and from, his ancestors. It is a study in resistance, character-building, and love as a discipline in the face of social injustice. It is told in four parts: innocence, awareness, anger, and forgiveness. 

Fox said "Reunion" is like "Roots" with a twist. 

"Over a cup of coffee at work, a white coworker and I discover we have something in common: her ancestor owned mine. Both families know something the other doesn’t," he said. "A dream instructs me to go see my grandfather who has been dead 10 years. A book falls to the floor from a thrift store shelf and opens to an actual account of life on the plantation when my ancestors were enslaved there."

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Putting a face on the unnamed, "Reunion" is a mosaic of real places and people encountered along a path of unimagined twists and turns on the way to truth.

"It rekindles the bond between generations here in this earthly life and beyond," Fox said. 

The production is sponsored by the Central State University Title III Theatre Arts Program and the Department of Fine and Performing Arts. It is directed by John Fleming, with Elias Kelley serving as media artist, Stephon Lane as technical director, Wade Oberlin as audio master, and Will Brown, stage manager. 

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