Tags
Collaboration, Disclaimers, Dramaturgy, Faith and Art, Playwriting, Religion, Texas Tech Theatre and Dance, The Prophet Darla, Theatre, Theatre and Religion
(PICTURED: An example of the “Windy Man” sculptures originally meant for the Marsha Sharp Freeway; such pieces were later defaced by activists who considered the figure “pagan.”)
When I first sat down to write The Prophet Darrell (pre-cursor to The Prophet Darla), I took great pleasure in the incongruity of “prophet” and “Darrell”; surely these two words, never mind the concepts of a prophet and a white trash slacker, would ever intertwine in the real world. The same notion carried over when Darrell became Darla, and continued up until an early production meeting when the esteemed Dr. Jonathan Marks asked me if my Darla had anything to do with the “real” Darla, a woman who live not just anywhere, but right here in Lubbock. I, of course, stammered “no.” The topic was dropped until further notice, but it came back up later on down the road when my dramaturg, Evangeline Jimenez, started doing her own digging, and came up with some of her own research. She summarizes her findings on the real Darla thusly:
Darla Deckard is a local citizen between the ages of 55 and 59 who owns and runs the Hebraic Heritage Center (aka Dreidels and Things) which sells and Christian and Jewish literature in a hope to promote the link between the two religions. She is very well-known and regarded by her faith community. She is also well-known for vocalizing her religious beliefs against the installation of ‘pagan idolatry’ on the Marsha Sharp Freeway back in 2004 . . . I remember the controversy of the situation back when I was in high school, but had forgotten the name of the spokesperson against the art commissioning until now. Because of her strong religious beliefs and blunt protests against the ‘Windy Man’ Art, she was labeled as a local ‘prophet’, speaking out against the city promoting paganism by people of faith. (Email exchange 9/14/2013)
So, not only is there a “real Prophet Darla” out there in our community, she also happens to be fairly well-known and, as the people behind the Marsha Sharp Freeway can no doubt attest, quite vocal. As such, we are already looking into putting a disclaimer in the program and will definitely be on the lookout for any potential upsets. Of course, anyone with a brain and a pair of functioning eyes who comes to see the play and who even knows about the “real” Darla in the first place will see that the two are very, very different, and that no likeness was intended. Still, one can’t be too careful. If nothing else, it may lead to the play getting more publicity than we originally anticipated.