With 'A Refutation' church opens itself to arts, justice
By Melissa Lauber
On Feb. 21, all the passion, fear, sympathy, despair and chaos that accompanied the Yellow Fever Epidemic that broke out in Philadelphia in1793 swept through Ebenezer UMC in Washington, D.C. as Theater of War Productions used drama to create feelings and conversations that felt both ancient and urgently relevant.
The historic African American church hosted “A Refutation,” a staged reading with nationally acclaimed actors, that brought to life two conflicting accounts of the Yellow Fever epidemic. At this time, Philadelphia’s black community was enlisted to serve as nurses to the afflicted white population because of the misbelief that African Americans were immune to yellow fever.
The primary text of the evening was a lengthy pamphlet written by Absalom Jones, the first Black Episcopal priest, and Richard Allen, founder of the African Methodist Episcopal Church. Their eloquent and thorough writing, which was the first federally copyrighted text by African American authors, refuted a pamphlet by publisher Matthew Carey, which asserted, among other things, that black nurses and first responders swindled and extorted the white population for which they cared.
Theater of War Productions, founded in 2009, works with classic texts and award-winning actors to create community discussions and confront social issues. The audience, which becomes the main character through conversations that follow the readings, helps one another build deeper understandings of complex topics, said Creative Director Bryan Doerries.
That evening, the reading and conversation drew 250 people to the sanctuary while 800 people watched and commented online. The response delighted the Rev. Bresean Jenkins, pastor of Ebenezer UMC, who has a degree in theater and is an arts educator, in addition to being a pastor.
The 187-year-old church, which was home to the first public school classes for African American children in Washington and where W.E.B. Du Bois, the historian and civil rights activist preached, is “a sacred space where faith, the arts and justice converge,” Jenkins said.
Jenkins is a fierce proponent of the arts in the church and a Spirit-led evangelist in the theater and other artistic spaces.
“Through the creative lens of theater, we engage in the most pressing moral and ethical questions of our time, affirming that art is not merely an expression, but a vehicle for transformation,” he said.
He admires the work of Theater of War because he believes that “storytelling, performance and dialogue have the power to illuminate truth, challenge assumptions and cultivate healing in our communities.”
During “A Refutation,” that is exactly what transpired. Audience members from the church, health care community, and political world wrestled with how the Yellow Fever epidemic in 1793 and the racism surrounding it echoed the COVID pandemic, a perceived rise of racism and xenophobia, attacks on diversity, equity and inclusion and other racial and economic divisions in today’s culture.
“History doesn’t repeat itself, but it often rhymes,” said Doerries, quoting Mark Twain. The audience agreed as they found themselves transfixed by how history informs the present age.
Jenkins was also transfixed as he watched Ebenezer UMC serve as a sacred space in new ways, as the community used theater and commentary – “a new kind of call and response” – to start a sacred conversation.
For him, the theater is “a place where God speaks.” As people made in God’s image, “all of us have a Genesis 1 assignment,” Jenkins said. “We are called to create.”
See a recording of “A Refutation,” filmed at Mt.Zion UMC, featuring performances by Chad Coleman (The Walking Dead, The Wire), Biran F. O’Byrne (Conclave, Million Dollar Baby), Michael Potts (The Wire, The Piano Lesson); and Peter Marks (former chief theater critic for The Washington Post).