Upon entering Mustard Seed Theatre’s presentation of Elyzabeth Gregory Wilder’s “Gee’s Bend,” one expects to learn the quilting secrets of the famed women who rose from the roots of sharecroppers to become international sensations as artisans. Instead, the patchworks of the lives behind the quilts are on display.
“Gee’s Bend” doesn’t reveal real insight on how the quilting legacy came about or the emotions attached to the craft. But the play does show the parallels between the quilts and the women who created them – torn, tattered and mix-matched, yet woven together to make a resilient piece of history for generations to share.
The distinctive quilting tradition in Gee’s Bend, Alabama goes back to the 19th century, when the community was the site of a cotton plantation owned by a Joseph Gee. Influenced in part by patterned African textiles, female slaves pieced together strips of cloth to make bedcovers.
The lively improvisations and geometric shapes of Gee’s Bend quilts have been exhibited at the Museum of Fine Arts Houston, the Indianapolis Museum of Art, the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the Whitney Museum of American Art and St. Louis’ own Missouri History Museum, among others.
That part of the Gee’s Bend story is not the focal point for the play, nor is the fact that the quilting continues to this very day as more than 50 quilt makers currently make up the Gee’s Bend Collective.
Wilder’s story is hollow and formulaic, with Black History Month moments and civil rights landmarks included with the feel of a study guide. However, compelling performances and cast chemistry will keep viewers engaged – even if the story is not necessarily what they signed up for. Marty Casey (matriarch Alice Pettway), Jaqueline Thompson (Sadie Pettway) and Alicia Like (Nella Pettway) present the illusion that they’ve lived their whole lives together when they sit and share stories.
Patricia McKissack speaks
As a compliment to Mustard Seed Theatre’s production of “Gee’s Bend,” local children’s author Patricia McKissack – author of Stitchin’ and Pullin’ about the women and stories of Gee’s Bend – will lead a post-show discussion at 8 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 15.
“Mother and daughter, grandmother and granddaughter, aunt and niece,
friend and friend. For a hundred years, generations of women from Gee’s
Bend have quilted together, sharing stories, trading recipes, singing
Hymns,” she writes in Stitchin’ and Pullin’.
“All the while stitchin’ and pullin’ thread through cloth. Every day Baby Girl listens, watches, and waits, until she’s called to sit at the quilting frame. Piece by piece, she puzzles her quilt together – telling not just her story, but the story of her family, the story of Gees Bend, and the story of her ancestors struggle for freedom.”
Through her work on Stitchin’ and Pullin,’ and the relationships that grew from the book, McKissack is a valuable resource on the stories and personalities of the women of Gee’s Bend.
Stitchin’ and Pullin’ will be available for sale during the run of “Gee’s Bend.”
Gee’s Bend continues at the Mustard Seed Theatre through Sunday, February 23 at the Fine Arts Building of Fontbonne University, 6800 Wydown Blvd. Patricia McKissack will lead a discussion on the women of Gee’s Bend on Saturday, February 15 following the 8 p.m. show. For more information, visit www.mustardseedtheatre.com.
