A Peoria native is debuting a play Fri. that he hopes will be a positive disruption to the news of fatal shootings this week.
Anthony Hendricks wrote and produced the show “Strangeland.” Its cast is comprised entirely of actors who are African American.
Hendricks grew up in Peoria and started acting as a student at Manual Academy. He studied theater at ISU and moved back to Peoria in 2001. Since then, he’s performed for several local theater companies over the years, and he’s starring in Corn Stock Theater’s upcoming performance of “Memphis” later this summer.
Hendricks says, he wanted to create a geared toward African American youth and producing “relatable content” for a broader audience.
“So our young people can find another opportunity to explore themselves and to do something that they may have thought, ‘I’d like to do that, but I don’t really see an avenue to do it,” Hendricks said.
“Strangeland” is the first performance to come out of Hendricks’ production company, All Worlds Entertainment.
The play follows several characters’ individual, separate life challenges. In the end, their stories intersect and illuminate a hopeful message, Hendricks said.
This is the first time Hendricks has written and produced a play to be performed for the community. He calls it his “baby.”
Its debut follows a week of bleak news.
On Tues., two white police officers in Louisiana shot and killed a black man, Alton Sterling. On Wed., a Minnesota officer fatally shot Philando Castile while he was in a car with his girlfriend and her child. On Thurs., a peaceful BlackLivesMatter protest in Dallas that formed in response to these killings was disrupted by snipers.
Hendricks says he hasn’t closely followed this week's events, so he can preserve his emotions and energy for his cast and audience.
“So that I can present something different than what they’re seeing day-to-day. There’s a lot of pain and a lot of hurt in the world,” Hendricks said. “We as the human race need to find ways to present love, just the smallest amount would make a difference.”
It’s a play about perspectives, something the whole community could benefit from, Hendricks said.
Performances of “Strangeland” are at the ICC Performing Arts Theater in East Peoria Fri., Sat. and Sun. at 7 pm. Tickets and information are available here.