Lucy Gellman Photo
There is a fact playwright and performer Sharece Sellem likes to share with people the first time she meets them: In the 1980’s, a group of teens formed a sound that no one had ever heard, and a brotherhood that couldn’t be broken.
She likes to follow it up with a question: do they know that their story can be performed right here, in New Haven?
She is talking about the Force MDs, the subject of her most recent play, Legends of the Forgotten Borough. On Monday, Bregamos Community Theater Founder Rafael Ramos, who has been hosting the play at the organization’s Blatchley Avenue location, had her on WNHH radio’s “Bregamos Community Theater Hour” to talk about the play as it heads to the Atlanta Black Theater Festival this weekend. (Read a full story about that here.)
“Being at Bregamos … I’ve been able to grow and expand and try things. It’s a great place for me to try out new ideas,” she shared. “The project that we have going on now … I wrote this story based on some of the facts from the Force MDs true story … Their story is an unsung story. Their story is — it’s so needed to be celebrated and to be seen. People need to know who they are.”
It’s with that hope that she and the company head to Morehouse College this weekend. To listen to the episode, click on the audio above or find it in iTunes or any podcatcher under “WNHH Community Radio.”