(bright music) (upbeat music) - Hello everyone.

I'm Rameca Vincent Leary, and welcome to this edition of Connecting the Community.

It's time to wrestle up some popcorn and grab your favorite treats because this particular show focuses on lights, camera, action.

We'll introduce you to a new drama, Sacred that uses Pensacola, Florida as a backdrop.

You'll meet the brainchild behind it, including several cast members.

But first, we'll focus our attention on the Children's Theater Company.

Now, this is an organization that's rooted in the belief that through the magic of theater, youth can become the voices of positive change and agents of healing in their communities.

We'll see and hear from many of these talented youngsters shortly.

But first, to get the conversation started, I'm happy to welcome Mehr Mansuri, founder and artistic director.

She's joined by Eric Dozier, director of Equity and Community Engagement.

Next, we have Ronetta Allen, a dedicated community member, and grandmother.

Plus Julian MacQueen, founder and CEO of Inness Free Hotels.

Welcome to all of you.

- Hello, guys.

- Hi.

- All right, I'm excited.

So Mehr let's start with you.

Let's talk about the Children's Theater Company and how it came into fruition.

- It began in 1989 in Los Angeles, and then to New York in 1999, and we then have expanded to Flint and Jackson, and last March, in Pensacola, Florida, I think the root of my inspiration was to find theater with families and children who cared about revisiting the power of theater as a source of developing empathy muscles.

And I am originally from Iran, and I had to escape with my family under religious persecution.

And I thought, can theater offer a window into the life of others with a look at lives we've never lived, and create conversation in a safe space about social issues and still make it fun?

And so the idea was theater as a tool for moral reasoning, for capacity building.

- Yes.

- And that's what really inspired my thoughts about starting it.

- And of, of course, we have a chapter right here in Pensacola, Florida, don't we, Eric?

- [Eric] Yes, we do.

- All right.

Let's talk about the mission.

- Oh, well, really the mission is to, is to give these young people a language so that they can begin to speak about what's going on in their world.

You know, oftentimes, and I have a a 10-year old daughter, they know things are happening, but they don't necessarily have the language.

And we've found that theater is a way to give them that language.

A language of collaboration, a language of virtues, a language of character.

And they, you know, they get it as they're singing.

- Yes.

- They're dancing, they're acting, but they're also thinking.

And so we make sure that they engage their whole selves and even get a language to honor their peers as they're doing this work.

And so, you know, we focus on the creative, we focus on the spiritual, and we, you know, we really also focus on the practical through service and community engagement.

- Now, speaking of spiritual aspects, let's talk some Henry Box Brown.

Awesome musical.

Tell us what it is, what the storyline is about.

- Well, Henry Box Brown was an enslaved man that mailed himself from Virginia to Philadelphia to freedom.

And he was also a musician, community, an activist as well, an abolitionist.

Eventually, after he escaped and toured the world, talking about the horrors of the American shadow slavery system.

And so we were approached by our young people, and in, first of all, first off in New York, and they said, well, where are the stories about us?

- [Rameca] Yes.

- Mehr ran into a book called Henry's Freedom Box.

- [Rameca] Okay.

- And started calling friends that we knew in various churches across the city of New York, and we said, okay, we're gonna turn this thing into a story for our young people.

So it was really inspired by a request from our kids.

And, so he eventually, you know, mailed himself to Freedom.

And, you know, when we started researching the story, these folk tales, these the slave narratives of different things, we just were so inspired by those things.

And now we're going to Broadway.

(Eric laughing) - Yes, we are.

Now, Julian, let me step over into your world.

And what I'd like to do is to show our viewers a clip right here, AMA Studio, WSRE.

We have a joint clip that features portions of Henry Box Brown, and then also a BBC performance.

Take a look.

♪ Oh, Lord ♪ ♪ Freedom ♪ ♪ Freedom is coming ♪ ♪ Oh, Lord, Lord ♪ ♪ Freedom is coming ♪ ♪ Lord ♪ ♪ Freedom, everything's gonna be all right ♪ ♪ Yeah ♪ ♪ Yeah ♪ ♪ Yeah ♪ ♪ Yeah ♪ ♪ Oh, yeah ♪ ♪ Everything ♪ ♪ Everything ♪ ♪ Will be all ♪ ♪ It's gonna be all right ♪ ♪ Right ♪ (audience applauding) ♪ When I'm troubled ♪ ♪ Lord walk with me ♪ ♪ When I'm troubled ♪ ♪ Lord walk with me ♪ ♪ Lord when my head is pounding sorrow ♪ ♪ Lord I want Jesus ♪ ♪ To walk ♪ ♪ With me ♪ (audience applauding) - Julian, soul-stirring, I tell you, I think I have a few goosebumps on my arm here.

So how did Pensacola become a recipient of the Henry Box Brown Community Mobilization Project Award?

- Well, I think it first started when I met Eric and Mehr at a Bahai community retreat that we got together, where that's our common religion.

- [Rameca] Okay.

- And we decided that, and locally, that we would start a equity project alliance organization.

And this was a reaction to the George Floyd murder.

- [Rameca] Yes.

- And so I put an article in the newspaper or letter asking other businessmen and women to come together and let's talk, let's start talking about systemic racism.

And so, to my wonderful surprise, we had a tremendous response, and we spent a year just talking.

And then the second year, we decided we would start to kind of show the community what we were discovering among ourselves.

And that's when we had the idea.

And Mehr and I talked about doing something with Henry Box Brown.

So I actually flew up to Flint, Michigan.

- [Rameca] Okay.

- And to see it in person, I wanted to see the effects of what that production had in the community.

- [Rameca] Yes.

- And I saw the results, I saw the kids, I saw what happened, I watched and looked and felt from the principal of one of the major schools there, what it had done for his kids.

And I thought, well, this is something we need in Pensacola.

- Absolutely.

- And we reached out and thank goodness came together and found a common date.

And.

- And the rest is history, right?

- The rest is really history.

It's been a terrific, terrific journey.

- Equity Project Alliance.

I know Dr. Sharon Wiley, wonderful friend of WSRE, has done astounding things in the community.

We are just so thrilled that this is a part of our community, Julian.

- Well, thank you.

Thank you.

I'm, it's been a great kind of adventure because the whole idea there is that, you know, there is a systemic racism in place, and, you know, we were just talking about how it's not been that long.

You know, that these systems were part of our family.

- [Rameca] Yes.

- Wow.

- And how we want to start, you know, moving the needle a little bit.

And the first part is educating ourselves.

- [Rameca] Absolutely.

- So we have to start with ourselves and then go from there.

- All right.

So, Ronetta, you are such a beautiful grandmother who is extremely supportive.

So tell us about your little one, your little grandchild.

- Well, my granddaughter is Kemani Allen, and she bought the application home to me and I read it, and I instantly saw an opportunity for her to mix with other people, you know, and found out about the different cultures and things.

And so she said, am I going to be in?

And I said, oh, yeah, you're gonna be a star.

(Rameca laughing) - [Rameca] Super star.

- So we filled out the application, and I did see this as an opportunity because she's very sheltered, very close, very shy.

- [Rameca] Okay.

- But after participating with the Children's Theater, I have to say sometimes knocky money.

- She deserves an Oscar, doesn't she?

- Yes.

- And with that said, we're going to show you a little clip, character education, students and parents talking about the benefits.

- Stick with them.

- You know, as they, as they come into these young adults.

So, you know, that's powerful right there.

- [Interviewer] How proud of him are you?

- Proud.

Very proud.

- It was awesome.

I loved it.

- Same, same.

Same, same.

- Aw, such a cutie.

Mehr, back to you.

Theater camp.

Now we know that there are some scholarships as well.

- Yeah.

- Please tell us about that.

- That's really a key point.

We wanna, instead of measuring people's wealth and poverty to decide who gets in and who gets out, we've created a culture of service as our main sort of principled mission.

So we ask parents to help be not just bystanders, but stakeholders.

They're integral, not incidental.

So the scholarship is based on their service, not their tax returns.

So we really hope that people understand that the village is raising the child.

So there's a parallel program for parents while the kids are doing the theater piece.

So definitely scholarships is the way to build that community, witnessing that child's growth.

- I love that.

So tell us, what are key programmatic distinctions?

I like the way that sounds.

- I think that the word, the name Children's Theater is so generic.

It was really a Google decision.

Like, how fast can people find us?

It has really, what captures who we are is kids with a cause, and really believing in their power as change agents.

And what's distinctive is that we are really writing new musicals that have new thoughts.

Like how can we look at the world they will someday inherit and have conversations about it, truly celebrating diversity, truly able to speak to, you know, who they want to be, who they aspire to be.

So we have one act musicals that range from Dr. Seuss books, The Yertle, The Turtle, about human rights, the Lorax about the environment, and also original musicals like The History of Women by Dr. Dorothy Marcic, which looks at the top 40 and how women have advanced.

So looking at all these social issues, from bullying to diversity to disabilities, all these different issues that kids inherit, we wanna figure out how can we allow them to really explore and celebrate their diversity.

So that's the key piece.

We don't see a lot of musical theater that's about those topics.

And then the real piece of it is how the community engages with those kids.

Empowerment, capacity building from the kid to the grown up.

We're all in a culture of learning.

So those are, to me, are the key pieces.

- Well said.

Eric.

- [Eric] Yes.

- Kids with a cause.

Now I see that beaming smile over there.

You just want to tell me everything there is about it.

But I know that our own local news anchor, Sue Strong, at WEAR TV, a friend of WSRE as well, actually did a nice story.

- [Eric] Yes.

- On what some of the youngsters were doing.

Halloween for the Hungry.

Tell us more about that.

- Yeah.

Well, you know, Halloween for the Hungry is a program that we developed and we kick off all of our chapters with that program because we want to help the young people learn to connect their creative output to service.

Oftentimes people look at the arts as being merely a performance practice.

But, you know, I grew up in an African-American congregation, and we knew that that singing and that movement and the acting could be used for so much more than just being on stage and performing.

And so with Halloween for the Hungry, we engaged the kids in addressing child hunger, hunger in their neighborhood.

And we were able to make a direct impact here, raising three grocery carts full of food, as well as over $200 to give to a local food bank here in about an hour.

- And one of the things I really liked about it, you had parents and children - [Eric] Oh, yes.

- Together.

- Oh yeah.

- [Rameca] Such a great collaboration.

- Yes, yes.

- And Julian, speaking of collaborations, you have been doing so much in the community.

Listen, if I had two to three hours to tell the viewing audience, I know they'd be all ears, but I want to focus on the self taxing program.

I think it's innovative, it's unique.

Just tell us what you did with that.

- So I would love to think it was my idea, but it wasn't.

I was, I kind of snuck up on.

- Okay.

- I went to a meeting to support this idea of raising ad valor taxes to create programs for children in Escambia County.

And they said they were looking for a chairman, and everybody kind of turned to me.

And there it started.

But once I got involved with it, it was an amazing experience.

And the idea of asking folks in Escambia County to tax their personal property for purposes of drawing up funds to educate the children and to focus on the children, in Escambia County was the whole idea.

So we were successful in getting a half a mill referendum approved.

The county commissioners worked with us.

We did a very good grassroots campaign to get the word out there, that it wasn't partisan in any way.

It was all about our kids.

And the key was to talk about our kids.

- [Rameca] Okay.

- It's not your kids or someone else's kids, it's our kids.

And we're all responsible for their education and their promotion.

So it passed, it was one of the most popular items on the ballot.

We gained a 61% approval.

I don't think anybody can talk about that, but if you think about people taxing themselves for our kids, it's really, really heartwarming.

And in this community, we, you know, we were ready and the time was right.

And so we will gather between 10 and $12 million a year for 10 years.

So we're talking about a hundred million focused on our kids here in Escambia County.

It's super exciting.

- It really is.

Not I, but we.

- [Julian] That's right.

- Ronetta, we have some talented youngsters out there.

Some would even call them peacemakers.

And I see you smiling at me, but I want that smile to emanate even more so, because we're going to share a clip right now of an exceptional peacemaker who has something very important to say.

- My name is Areya and I'm seven years old.

50 years from now, it will not matter what kind of car you drove, what kinda house you lived in, how much you had in your bank account, or what your clothes look like.

But the world be a better place because you were important in a life of a child.

Mother Teresa, winner of Nobel Peace Prize.

- Ronetta.

When I hear little, oh, I am just taken back to my childhood years.

And as a grandmother, I know that you're having these reflections, aren't you?

So how has the Children's Theater Company impacted your granddaughter, Kemani specifically?

And I know that you mentioned she wants to be a star, but these are the building blocks, the things that she's learning right now.

- Yes, it is.

She has come a long way since she's been involved with the Children's Theater.

She, excuse me, she now knows how to communicate with whomever, you know, she has just come out of her shell, and she just loves Mr. Eric.

She loves Miss Mary.

And it just has made her more open to society and how to communicate with people.

- [Rameca] I like that.

- You know, how to get along with people.

Not that she wasn't, but gives her leadway to go down this path, to make her way, to communicate with people and get along with them.

- Well said.

Mehr, back to you as we wrap up a segment.

And I'm thinking about what she said, so peacemakers and I, another one comes to mind, Cesar Chavez.

So we're going to show you a little snippet from this young man who really brings it home.

- Once social change begins, it cannot be reversed.

You cannot uneducate the person who has learned to read, you cannot humiliate the people who feel pride.

You cannot oppress the people who aren't afraid anymore.

We have seen the future.

And the future is all ours.

Cesar Chavez.

Mexican American farm worker and civil rights activist.

- Eric.

- [Eric] Yes.

- Such talented youngsters.

- [Eric] Yes.

- If you could tell any youngster out there viewing right now, just give them a word of encouragement briefly, what would it be?

- Youth can move the world.

You know, if I had to sum it up, I mean, there are so many incredible young people all over the planet that are doing great things.

And I always encourage my own children, look for the light.

You know, look for the light.

There are examples.

And all of their examples don't have to be from the past.

They can be from the present.

There are so many young people that are doing great things to impact the planet.

And they should be able to realize that, and know that they can be one of those as well.

- I must say it's been such a pleasure having all of you on this show.

I'm going to have to have you come back again.

- Yes.

- All right.

- [Eric] Broadway show.

- Yes.

Broadway.

Broadway, Henry Box Brown.

Now folks, you are in for a treat.

Enjoy this musical rendition from the Children's Theater Company that promotes unity.

Will be back right after this.

♪ One world ♪ ♪ We have work to be done ♪ ♪ From the heart of God, may light shine from the sun ♪ ♪ And on this Earth awaken everyone ♪ ♪ World ♪ ♪ Singing in the night ♪ ♪ One world ♪ ♪ A jewel of blue and white ♪ ♪ One world ♪ ♪ What happens when we're done ♪ ♪ From the heart of God, may light shine from the sun ♪ ♪ And on this Earth, awaken everyone ♪ ♪ One ♪ (audience applauding) (upbeat music) Hello everyone.

Get ready for an edge of your seat drama that's packed with twists and turns.

I'm talking about Sacred, and it's created quite the buzz.

I'm happy to welcome the drama's creator, Elrico Tunstall, who also serves as CEO of Manager of the Year Talent Management.

He's joined by Darin Byrd, whose character is the unpredictable Dr. Brooks.

Next we have Nora Jean who plays his captivating wife, Shareeka.

And we also have LaDaron Clardy, who serves as executive producer.

So Elrico, let's start with you.

What inspired you to create this drama?

- Well, I can just say basically watching television from home and seeing that there was a need for a strong family.

And I knew that with my writing, that I could be able to bring that to life.

So I would say definitely just seeing the need for a strong family to be shown in television once again.

- So are you a Pensacola, Florida native?

- Yes, I am.

- Born and bread, as they say.

Right?

- Yes.

- Pensacola High School.

- Yes.

- I'm just curious for the storyline, do you have some, I'm going to say family favorites or reminiscent people in your life that sort of mirror some of the characters in the cast?

- Yes, I actually do.

I have a couple sergeants that was with me in the military when I served in the Army that kind of mimic the mannerisms of our lead character.

Darren Brooks.

- [Rameca] We'll get to him.

Yes.

Totally.

- Yes.

Yes.

That's well said.

Now Nora, you appear quite early in the production.

Now I think audience, we need to see this first clip.

Take a look.

- Dr. Brooks' wife, Shareeka!

- We need to call Dr. Brooks.

'Cause right now he's prepping for a surgery with another patient.

- Yes, but first call Dr. Brooks ASAP.

- Pulse is dropping.

She's starting to code.

- Call Dr. Brooks now.

Come on, let's get her back.

(suspenseful music) - Oh my goodness.

Shareeka.

So tell me, how did you meet Elrico?

- Actually, my husband went through his class, and I followed behind.

And so.

- [Rameca] Manager of the year?

- Manager of the year.

Yes.

Multi, we call it multifamily.

And so he has acting classes, and my husband went through the acting class, and then he was like, hey, you need to go ahead and go through it too.

So.

But I was the first one that told him about the acting class.

- Really?

So you get all the credit.

- I get all the credit.

- I like that.

Okay.

So Darin, you played, goodness, Dr. Brooks.

- Yes.

And just, you are in the mode, you are in the frame of reference for your character.

I can feel it emanating from right over there.

So as far as your acting chops, and they are stellar, how long have you been in the business?

- Wow, almost 17 years.

- [Rameca] 17 Years.

- Yeah.

- [Rameca] So what sparked your interest in acting?

- Just as a child, wanting to do what I seen on TV, wanting an opportunity to step into that limelight.

And I took that opportunity in theater with Pakar, and I was there for almost 10 years until I switched over to manager of the year, and did TV and film.

- All right.

So did you act in high school maybe?

- [Darin] I did not.

- Okay.

- I did not.

I went through John Casablanca.

That was my very first start into getting into the business was through their school.

And then from there I just branched out and found my way.

- And I can tell that you did, but Dr. Brooks, I must tell the audience that there is some trouble brewing on the home front.

Take a look.

- Boss, we got company.

(suspenseful music) (chair creaking) (bell ringing) (suspenseful music) - Hey Niqua, why don't you go grab us a couple of Hawaiian specials.

- That won't be necessary.

I'm not here to eat.

- Okay.

So since this is an a pleasure visit, tell me.

How can I help you then, my brother?

- I lost 300K tonight over at Oakwood Terrace.

Now you wouldn't have to know anything about that, would you?

- Oh, would you?

Okay.

Now, Darin, you are an executive producer.

I'm an executive producer.

This is not, listen, this is not easy work.

Why don't you tell the audience about what it entails?

- It just entails a lot of hard work and commitment and staying behind the scenes, and making sure everything is put in place, that the crew need everything that they need to be successful.

- Now, as an executive producer, you write.

And who or what gives you the inspiration to put pen to paper in and make it happen?

- Well actually I'm not a writer.

I'm just one executive producer.

Elrico is the writer.

- But you know what?

You have to help him.

So you might tweak a little something here and there.

For example, when you're shooting and if you say, okay, well maybe we need to change that angle, or maybe change this word here or there.

So I'm going to give you more credit than you're giving yourself.

How does that sound?

- That's fine.

- That's, that's fine.

Hey, but speaking of which, we have to go back to the hospital, folks, because this storyline continues.

Take a look.

(suspenseful music) - So what's the final prognosis?

- She has swelling on the brain with temporal edema, hemorrhage, several comminuted fractures, and I just can't see us doing surgery at this point.

- So you're basically telling me that I just gotta stand by while the mother of my children slowly and painfully dies?

- Daddy, where is she?

Is she okay?

- What can we do?

- Calm down.

I just got through talking to Dr. Greg.

- Okay.

Elrico.

Now I know he says that you're the main writer, and I know that you are.

So all the musical productions.

- [Elrico] Yes.

- And the, and actually music is so crucial in any drama, isn't it?

Because it really sets the tone for what is to be expected.

- Exactly.

- Thereafter.

So I've gotta take our viewing audience back because a short time ago, the premier was actually held at WSRE in our Amos studio.

Let me just give you a visual idea of how things happen.

Got some great images of that.

We saw you dawning a tux, lot of the cast members signing autographs.

- [Elrico] Yes.

- [Rameca] Posing for pictures.

I'm going to say it was a red carpet stellar event.

And that takes a lot of planning, doesn't it?

- Oh yes it does.

Yes it does.

And it wouldn't happen without an amazing team.

We have an another executive producer, Bill Marshall, of course with Darin over there, of course.

And everybody else, Kathy Peterson.

There's just so many names to name to help put this event, put the event together.

So yeah, it takes a whole team.

- I was wowed when I saw the images from that preview.

Okay, Shareeka, here we have you on a stretcher.

We don't know here, there, everywhere.

How is she doing?

So audience, we have to give you a little taste.

- I don't wanna get involved in any family squabbling, but Mrs. Brooks on the table back there and we need.

- Where is she?

- We all just arriving, Miss Pearl.

- I'm sorry for being so late in here, but I couldn't track down Nikki when I got the call.

- I think it's best to let family grieve, Pearl.

We should leave.

- Grieve?

Leave?

Pardon me, but those are two words we will not be doing tonight.

Especially grieve.

When we dunno what's going on.

- Dr. Gray, what do we need to do?

- Well for starters, there's two officers back there waiting to get a statement from one of you.

- Take me to my wife.

- And I'm sure he did.

(group laughing) That expression that I see right now on your face.

If I were in a scene with you, we could cut the tension with a knife.

That's what I'm talking about.

But seriously, how did you prepare for this role?

You are the patriarch of the family.

You're the head guy.

- Well something of that type magnitude takes a lot of deep studying.

Different characteristics of a sociopath to know exactly what I need to do to be able to become that character.

I do a lot of method acting.

So I take a lot of pride in making sure that I deliver what the audience wants to see.

- And that's good.

A lot of people might be wondering, is he really anything like the character he portrays, would you say yes or no?

In real life?

- They'll have to wait and see.

- Oh, I like that.

I love that answer.

So LaDaron, he is keen, isn't he?

Because we want to keep the audience guessing.

We can't give it all away.

And that's one of the reasons we're just showing you a little snippet here or a little snippet there.

But let's talk about some of the other things that you do as an executive producer because I know there're things such as keeping up with your cast members, making sure that you have everything that is needed on set.

Let's talk about some of the locations though.

We're going to see in just a little bit Warrington Baptist Church.

But talk about some of the physical locations that were used to shoot the drama.

- We used several different business locations like Family Ties.

We used Inglewood Baptist Church, their restaurant, different Airbnbs in the city.

We used the Snow Cone Parlor.

We got a great snow cone, the sacred snow cone.

Everybody need to go by there and check that out, and check those guys out at the Snow Brothers Shop.

Just different business locations.

Pensacola Beach, we just really showed our city, downtown Pensacola.

Different areas where we, where we was raised and grew up at.

But we really showed the how beautiful Pensacola is.

- It certainly is.

I actually saw a little scene from BAM snowballs and I know you mentioned some of the locations where you actually taped, but I think it's great, El Rico, that you had this great measure of support from these local businesses.

- [Elrico] Yes.

- I'm curious about the hospital scene.

So can you tell me where those were filmed?

- Well, at the old Sacred Heart.

- [Rameca] Okay.

- We were actually allowed to go in there.

We filmed, we actually just saw one of the clips that you threw too.

- [Rameca] Yes, we did.

- Yeah.

It was amazing.

A lot of the casts was a little scared.

- [Rameca] Okay.

- But the old creepy hospital.

Right.

- Great location to shoot.

Great location to shoot.

- So was there any location that maybe just, I guess was sentimental to you?

- [Elrico] The Wahoo Stadium.

- And why was that?

- Back when I first started my journey here in Pensacola, doing what I was doing, I had a godfather of mine who recently passed away who told me that one day he saw me filming in that location.

And this was 11 years ago when he told me that.

When I first came back to Pensacola.

So to actually go there and film caused me to have the most emotion of out of any location.

- And I am stirred up right now as well.

But everybody stay calm because anticipation is mounting for the Brooks family.

Will they have the strength to weather the storm?

Here's a heart-wrenching clip from the drama.

We'll be right back.

- I know this decision must be hard, Darin.

- Hmm.

Keep her on the fourth floor.

Once the wing is cleared out, I want no witnesses involved.

Await further instructions.

- Dr. Brooks.

- Did I stutter?

Keep her on the fourth floor.

(elevator beeping) - What happened?

- She didn't make it.

(family exclaiming) It was just too much swelling.

(woman sobbing) There was nothing that we could do.

- Jesus, no.

- Too much.

(woman sobbing) Everybody, go home.

We'll meet up after a couple of days, and we'll start planning the funeral.

(upbeat music) - Hello everyone.

During this segment, we're happy to welcome back Elrico Tunstall, creator of the pulse-pounding drama, Sacred.

He's joined by three cast members.

We have Sophia Stein who plays Dr. Sophia Brooks.

Next it's a pleasure to introduce Favor, who plays Dr. Dante Brooks.

We round out the segment with Pearl Star Ash, whose character is the detail-oriented Nurse Pearl.

Things are heating up in the storyline Elrico, aren't they?

- [Elrico] Yes.

- But I must say heartbreak is never easy, is it?

- Never.

And especially for this cast.

And for these cast members, let's just say it gets very sacred.

- Yes.

When we lose a young one, and in particular when we lose the matriarch of the family, Shareeka Brooks.

Let's take a look.

♪ Heaven say it, thank god ♪ ♪ I thank God ♪ ♪ I thank God ♪ ♪ Don't matter what you gotta say about it ♪ ♪ For mama ♪ ♪ Oh yeah ♪ ♪ Oh yeah ♪ ♪ Mama was there ♪ ♪ Right by my bed ♪ ♪ Right by my bed ♪ ♪ Every now and then ♪ ♪ She'd rub my aching head ♪ ♪ Mama would tell me ♪ ♪ No matter how mad ♪ ♪ Things will be better ♪ ♪ Better, better soon ♪ ♪ Mama would pray for me ♪ ♪ Did your mama pray for you ♪ ♪ Mama would let me know, let me know ♪ ♪ And then how much she loved me too ♪ ♪ So I thank God ♪ ♪ I thank God ♪ ♪ For my, for mama ♪ ♪ Oooh ♪ ♪ Thank god ♪ ♪ For mama ♪ ♪ For mama ♪ ♪ She taught me how to pray ♪ ♪ She taught me how to pray ♪ ♪ How to pray ♪ ♪ How to pray ♪ ♪ You know I thank god ♪ ♪ I really thank God ♪ ♪ For mama ♪ ♪ Hey ♪ ♪ She showed me ♪ ♪ She showed me ♪ ♪ The right way ♪ ♪ Ooh ♪ ♪ It doesn't matter ♪ ♪ If you're right or wrong ♪ ♪ Mother would always be there ♪ ♪ She would always be there ♪ ♪ To welcome her children home ♪ - Sophia, we saw you approaching that casket, and I know, heart-wrenching for you, wasn't it?

- [Sophia] Absolutely.

- And I know that you're playing a role as Dr. Sophia Brooks, but honestly, a scene like that, it's probably a tear jerker.

- [Sophia] Absolutely.

- But one could only imagine.

We see your mom in the casket, and sometimes people can be a little pestering, can't they?

So audience, take a look at this clip.

- Thank you both for being here.

I truly appreciate it.

- But of course, Sophia.

You know she was like a mother to me as well.

But just know that she lives on through you.

- I am still taken aback by all this.

And the fact that you all had to have a closed casket funeral has to be tough on you.

I couldn't imagine the pain of not even being able to see her one last time as they rolled her out of church today.

- I'm sorry to interrupt guys.

I need to borrow my wife.

- What is it, Chip?

- You have a visitor.

- Hello.

I'm so sorry for your loss, Sophia.

- Thank you.

But we weren't expecting you until next Wednesday.

- I know, but in special cases like these, I like to be a little hands on.

- Sure, sure.

We completely understand.

- But you do realize, Ms. Johnson, that I just put my mother in the ground less than two hours ago.

- Tell you, Sophia.

I understand.

I really do.

So would you say that you had a little chip on your shoulder?

No pun intended.

I know that's your husband's name in the drama.

- I would say yes.

I absolutely had a chip on my shoulder.

I was going through a lot and everything was annoying me.

- Listen, we have a bevy of emotions, especially when it comes to the loss of a loved one.

Now Favor, I like your name.

Okay.

But honestly, you're another doctor in the series.

And I'm just curious because you look like you just landed from Los Angeles.

What sparked your interest in acting overall?

- What sparks my interest in acting overall is it's simple, life.

If you think about it, well, speaking for self, basically you're acting your whole life.

I've been in jobs that I didn't want to be in.

You know, your mama tell you to do something, and you gotta say, yes ma'am.

But when in actuality you want to tell her something else.

So it's been something that's always been happening.

And when I was younger, a lot of people always said, you a character, you need to be on TV.

So.

- Speaking of characters, you're a pretty curious character of sorts.

And we're going to show you just why.

(Favor chuckling) - Hey Dante, what's up?

You good?

- Define good, dad.

I just buried my mother and broke the engagement off with the woman I thought was gonna be my forever.

- What?

I thought Shakira was the one, son.

Damn.

- Hurts like hell, dad.

But nothing compares to losing mom.

But I know you are dealing with multiple losses as well, considering uncle E.W., then disappeared all of a sudden, not answering his phone.

- What that supposed to mean?

- Just saying.

Everybody you hold dear.

is either missing or dead.

- So you wanna swim in the deep end of the pool, boy?

Because there sharks in them waters.

- And I know they have to be ferocious.

Nurse Pearl.

Now you are a strong-willed, you are a likable woman, but people don't always treat you right, do they?

- No, they don't treat me right.

And I don't understand why.

- So what makes you get up in the morning in relation to your character?

Go in and face the masses, or there's some vultures out there.

How do you keep it real?

What calms you?

- My savior calms me.

God calms me.

So I get up in the morning, I pray and I'm thankful.

So I treat people just like I wanna be treated, and that's in life and in my character as well.

- Well, Talent of the Year, Talent Manager of the Year, rather.

I know that you are a big part of that.

And how did Elrico discover you?

- Through my son.

My son.

I'm gonna call his name out.

His name is Edward Hayes.

- [Rameca] Okay.

- And he wanted to come, he wanted to be an actor.

So he's been wanting to do that for a long time.

So I found out about when he was having acting classes, and I brought him to class, and Elrico being a Elrico.

- [Rameca] Yes.

- Yes.

He said, why don't you just come and stay because, you know, you're gonna be here anyway.

Why don't you join the class?

Oh, we did.

And I did.

And so here I am now.

- Yes.

Quite a success story.

Elrico, so is there a graduation for Manager of the Year, Talent Manager?

- Yes, there is.

We actually, our headmaster is sitting right here now.

Sophia Stein.

She actually teaches the class.

Just finished Actors Core with 16.

Yes.

16.

Believe we graduated about 14 students.

So yeah, so that's what we do.

Tuesdays and Thursday evenings.

- [Rameca] So these are probably up and coming actors that could possibly appear in future episodes.

- Maybe.

- [Rameca] Am I right?

- Maybe.

- Maybe.

But we will have to make you find out.

You'll definitely need to watch.

- [Elrico] Yes.

- Now you're a a well-faceted person.

You have done a lot of humanitarian things in the community, working specifically with the Salvation Army.

- [Elrico] Yes.

- Providing meals for the homeless and others.

Please tell us about those endeavors because there's another side to you.

- Well, me and my executive producer, LD, LaDaron, we came together and decided that we wanted to take in, actually give back for Thanksgiving instead of always just, you know, sitting back and eating our regular Turkey with family, watching the Cowboys.

But we decided we wanted to go out, and feed 200 homeless for Thanksgiving.

And that's what we did.

And the Manager of the Year crew, everybody came together as you see sitting here, and even more from abroad.

And we were able to facilitate that.

And we fed 200 homeless on that day.

Hot meals.

- [Rameca] Hot meals.

- [Elrico] Yes.

- Sophia, the importance of family.

And I have observed, having met all of you that you are close knit.

How hard is it for people to come together and mesh so well?

Because I believe you have achieved it.

- It is very hard to do.

But when you've been around the actors and actresses that we're around every day, our group, excuse me, our group is so easy to develop the chemistry, and it relates on camera.

- Certainly it does.

But we definitely have more.

So folks, as we head to break, the plot thickens for the Brooks family.

Why don't you take a look at this clip because who can be trusted?

Find out.

We'll be back right after this.

- Hold on.

I think I see one of my church members.

I'll be right back.

(radio playing) (curious music) - So what did you get?

- Nothing yet.

She's just really starting to learn the family.

- Look, we need you to move quick on this before you're made.

- Those Brooks are slick.

We don't want them turning her before we be can expose what's really going on in that hospital.

- No problem.

Just remember our deal.

I do this for you and my brother's sentence get overturned.

- We got our part covered.

Don't worry about that.

But if you screwed this up, let's just say your brother better develop an appetite for gourmet ramen noodles and prison food.

(upbeat music) - And we're back.

During this segment, it's a battle between good verses evil.

Elrico Tunstall, creator of Sacred is here to continue the discussion.

We also have Lamonica Lewis, who plays the multifaceted Dr. Naomi Brooks.

She's joined by Stefan Lorenzo, whose character is the savvy attorney, Shane Watson.

To round out the segment, we have Calvin Kalvo Griffin, first assistant director for the drama.

Now Lamonica, let's start with you.

We see you quite a bit throughout the entire drama.

When you found out you secured this role, what was your first reaction?

- My first reaction was, oh my goodness, I cannot believe I secured a lead role in my first role.

That was my initial reaction.

- [Rameca] So this is your first acting role?

- Yes.

My first.

- [Rameca] Amazing.

Amazing.

Are you a part of the Talent Management company?

- I am, yes.

- All right.

And how many courses did you go through?

- I went through Actors Core Class 15, and it was a six week course.

- All right.

Speaking of endurance, listen, the Brooks children don't always get along with their matriarch, Dr. Brooks.

Let's find out what's happening in the hospital.

- Good morning all.

So this is what I had for breakfast this morning.

- Daddy, these numbers can't be right.

- Look, the board of directors is coming down to review us for the next couple months, and they're sending in a team of sorts who will walk the halls and make rounds with everyone.

So I need all of you to be on your best behavior.

- What you looking at me for?

Like I'm the problem.

And you got bipolar express sitting over there.

(son scrambling) - Look at this.

Look at all of you.

Me and your mother did not build this hospital for you all to tear it down.

She died believing that you all will make a difference, to help this city out.

- All right, Calvin, when I looked at that, I said, oh my goodness, it could have been worse.

But you are our first assistant director.

That is an all-encompassing title for you.

Will you explain what it entails?

- Yeah, so as assistant director, my role on the set was to kind of just make sure everything ran smooth.

So Elrico being the director, his main focus was on the talent, and making sure we got the great performance.

And me, I was just behind the scene making sure that everything was well with production, everything was just in place.

We had all the props, just making sure that we, I was the, the timekeeper.

Just making sure that everything just stayed on track.

- I like that because as a timekeeper, we have to think about, all right, we have the raw footage, and then it has to go to the editing floor.

And if it runs too long, then we also factor in the number of takes.

Am I right?

- That's true.

That's true.

And you know, we didn't really have too many scenes where we had to do a lot of takes.

'Cause we have such a amazing and talented casting crew.

But just kind of making sure everything just went well with production.

Yeah.

- So from a scheduling standpoint with this premier, was it on schedule?

Was everything on target?

No major delays of any kind?

- It was, and even when we were doing production shooting wise, we finished before our projected end time.

So everything just really went at schedule.

- Ahead of schedule.

Because we know in Hollywood, sometimes if you do not stay on that particular schedule, that could equate to dollars and cents.

Now speaking of big time and dollars and cents, Stefan, you play an attorney.

Hey, you have such a poignant role because we see you near the beginning of the drama, and then there's a section where, all right, where is he?

But near the end, you come on the scene once again, and there's a reminder that you pose for Dr. Brooks.

Let's find out what that is.

- Come in.

(suspenseful music) - These numbers are too far off, Gary.

- Well do your job and bring 'em closer to zil.

- Our sink is too small to clean this much money.

We're already dealing with the board, those (censored) detectives, and Omar, this little fake (censored) dope boy game.

- I'll deal with the board, somehow, some way.

- Now Stefan, as an attorney, I will have to say this, you're a guy that knows how to get the job done.

And all too often an organization's gatekeepers can be ignored.

But you're trying to lay it all out on the line.

Do you think Dr. Brooks is listening?

- I do.

I do.

Dr. Brooks, he has me in position for a reason.

- And speaking of which, as an attorney in this drama, you listen to a lot of voices, don't you?

There are people that'll come into your life and say, well, I think you should do this, or maybe you should do that.

You seem like you're very focused.

Does that translate over?

And I would believe that it does into your life as it is right now, your real life.

- Of course.

Of course.

With the opportunity that Mr. Elrico gave me, the sky's the limit.

And I'm just trying to capitalize on it in every way possible.

The Sacred movie and series, it's the biggest thing in my life.

It's the best thing that ever happened to me.

- Was this role one that you really wanted?

Was this the specific role that you said, hey, I'm the guy.

- As soon as I read the character backstory, that's me, no other character, this is it.

You know?

- And that's a blessing because a lot of times people will vie for a role, and they say, okay, this is the only one that I want.

And might face disappointment.

But in your case it all worked out in quite a commanding performance you give in that drama.

So Elrico, I see you smiling over here.

What's that that you have in front of you?

Looks orange.

Is that a T-shirt?

- Yes it is.

- [Rameca] Why don't you hold it up a little bit?

- Yes.

Actually it is a limited edition t-shirt from the Sacred line.

And we're gonna give you the very first one of only, only 17 made.

- [Rameca] Only 17.

- Hashtag nerdy kid from Escambia.

- Thank you.

- Which is part of the brand of Manager of the Year.

Because I was that nerdy kid at Escambia High School.

So now I'm from the mind of Elrico Tunstall.

- Well.

Let me tell you this, and I'm so grateful.

Thank you.

I'll let you hold on to that for me for a moment.

I was also that nerdy kid, but I loved it.

- Oh yeah.

It made me who I am now.

So.

- Speaking of nerdy kids, I know that there's some things that you really want to share with us because we've taken our audience on a journey.

So we had the premiere for the drama, Sacred.

So what are the next steps, more episodes down the line?

What's your thought behind all that?

- Yes, definitely with the, I would say the reaction from the crowd of the night we did the premiere.

There's nothing like being a writer, a director, hearing that first laugh or that first.

(Elrico gasping) You know?

- [Rameca] Aha moment.

- Because as a writer you're sitting there, and you're just like, man, I hope they like it.

I hope they like it.

And it wasn't just one moment.

It ended up being a full 90 plus minutes of people wanting more.

So with that being said, we gotta give to people what they want.

- So we'll see you out and about in the Pensacola area.

I'll be driving down the street and I'll say, oh my goodness, that's Sacred.

- [Elrico] That's right.

- Sacred's filming right now.

But you also have some other major news.

- [Elrico] Yes.

- Because this thing has caught on like wildfire.

Tell us about streaming.

What has happened in that realm?

- Well we, me and my business partners, Bill Marshall and LaDaron Clardy, we sat down and we had a plethora of meetings with several different streaming platforms, networks, and it came down to the final three.

- [Rameca] Okay.

- So we've decided to take our project, and take it to.

- The next level?

- [Elrico] The next level.

- But you can go to the website, folks to find out more about that.

And we know that we've had the website displayed quite a bit and on the screen, so make sure that you go to the website to find out.

And I know a lot of people are curious.

Now, Lamonica, let me come back to you because as I mentioned previously, we saw you quite a bit in the drama.

What is your background?

And I know that this is your first acting role, but you seem like a natural.

- My background is, I did do theater in high school, and I did do some of it in college, and I acted in church as well.

And then I got back into acting about a year and a half ago.

- All right.

And Calvin, how did you even find out about this production?

Were you a person that knew Elrico in the past, or was this a fast friendship?

- It was really both, actually.

So me and Elrico had crossed paths before, and I do film production in the local community as well.

And so when he started doing Sacred, he found me.

And yeah, we just kind of went from there.

- And Stefan, we're going to end this segment with you.

As a savvy attorney, why don't you give us a couple of words of wisdom for anyone that is trying to achieve a goal, no matter what it is.

A little bit of advice.

- Resilience, that's all I can say.

Exhausting all efforts, all resources.

That's how I found Mr. Elrico Tunstall.

- All right.

And now Rico Tunstall found our viewing audience, folks.

Thank you all oh so very much for being with us.

I know that we've definitely learned a lot.

And again, much more on the horizon.

- [Elrico] Yes.

Now I'd like to thank all of our guests for joining us.

I'm Rameca Vincent Leary.

Remember to keep it locked in right here on WSRE.

PBS for the Gulf Coast.

(upbeat music) (upbeat music fading)