It’s not just actors who can drive a play’s storyline or reinforce its themes.
Other elements often play an important role, and with the Augusta JR Players’ production of “North Star,” a multimedia element will add to the presentation. Some of those images might be uncomfortable, but Roy Lewis, the show’s director, hopes people won’t turn away.
“When you watch the show, things will appear In frames upstage, and that’s parts of history I can’t change. They’re framed. History is framed. I can’t change that. How we respond to it and what we gain from it and really try to apply to our own personal lives is how we change. We change ourselves and change those around us and hopefully — like Martin Luther King — we change the world,” Lewis said.
“North Star” will be staged at 7 p.m. Feb. 20 and at 2 and 6 p.m. Feb. 21 at the Kroc Center. Go here for ticket information.
“Set in North Carolina in the 1960s, ‘North Star’ is the story of Relia, a Black girl, searching for her place to shine in both society and her personal life. The joyous innocence of Relia’s summer is transformed by the rising tensions of the growing civil rights movement,” according to the play’s synopsis.
During the course of the play, she learns about the North Star that enslaved people used to guide them toward freedom. Stargazing with her father helps guide Relia as she risks her life to be a part of the “Dream” and the “Big Freedom.”
“North Star” highlights the peaceful protests of the sit-ins in Greensboro, North Carolina, which present Relia and her friend, Willie, with those risks.
“It’s really important that people know about our history — even the darker parts,” said Nathaniel Millings, a Strom Thurmond High School senior, who plays Relia’s friend, Willie.
This is Millings’ first show with the Augusta Players, and the subject matter drew him to it. He feels he’s learned a lot from the show, and other cast members feel the same way. They in turn want to share it with others.
“I hope more eyes will be open when it comes to history,” said Je’Meria Murray, a seventh grader at John S. Davidson Fine Arts Magnet School, who shares the role of Relia with Ariel Hernandez, who is a Westside High School freshman.
While it’s a youth production, there are several adults in the show as well. Those adults are sharing their knowledge of stagecraft as well as their own experiences.
“It is a very combined effort on all folks, all ages, all races to come together and to tell truth. I think that’s one of the most important things that we do tell true stories and we share true meanings behind them,” Lewis said.
Charmain Z. Brackett, the publisher of Augusta Good News and Inspiring: Women of Augusta, has covered Augusta’s news for more than 35 years. She’s won multiple Georgia Press Association awards, is the recipient of the 2018 Greater Augusta Arts Council’s media award and was named Augusta Magazine’s best local writer in 2024 and 2025. Reach her at charmain@augustagoodnews.com. Sign up for the newsletter here.
