TAMPA, Fla. — The Straz Center will feature a free play reading on Sunday. It’s part of their series highlighting stories written by people of color and one local Tampa native who has a passion for theatre will present his play on the big stage.
While writers struggle for years to get their plays in front of an audience, this playwright has managed at just 22 years old.
“So, the play is called Times Testimony. So, it’s a play on words because the main character’s last name is Time, but then the play on words comes in because it kind of shows throughout the story of the play how time softens a callus heart,” said Elijah Seay.
Seay’s play, Times Testimony, is about a man who struggles with alcoholism after losing his job and hitting rock bottom. “And, so, everything around him is crumbling. Everything around his family is crumbling,” explains Seay.
Seay said the play is partially based on the life of his grandfather.
“Throughout the story, we see a lot of faith, a lot of prayer going on. More so on his wife’s end to kind of soften up his heart and it takes those hard situations to kind of bring him around to saying ‘OK, maybe I should look for a relationship with God. Maybe things aren’t as bad as they seem,’” said Seay.
By night, Seay is fine tuning his play, but by day, he works with children at Metropolitan Ministries.
“Right now, I’m actually running a poetry group with the kids to kind of teach them how to use writing and poetry and words and music to learn how to express themselves,” said Seay.
In fact, the actors who’ll be reading his play on stage at The Straz are children from Metropolitan Ministries. What’s cool is that Elijah was introduced to the arts when he was a child. His mom worked at Metropolitan Ministries.
“And, so, growing up, I was in the programs here at Metropolitan Ministries in the kids program,” said Seay. “Every spring break, they would do a theatre camp with the Starz Center.”
Seay said having his play read at the Straz Center is a dream come true.
“It’s really cool being on this end of it because it’s like that kid that I was—that was yearning for that moment—I’m him now. Like, I’ve realized that dream, and I’m living it,” Seay expressed.
After watching the play, Elijah said he just wants people to feel inspired and filled with hope. “I want people to leave understanding that there’s always hope in a situation. Anything that we encounter that it’s never too big for us to handle,” said Seay.
The premiere reading of Times Testimony will be at the Straz Center this Sunday, March 10th at 2:30 p.m.
