10th annual ‘Black Nativity’ performance is a Savannah holiday tradition for all

The Performing Arts Collective of Savannah, which consists of Abeni Cultural Arts, GS Songworks and Spitfire Poetry group, presents the 10th annual retelling of the birth of Christ with a performance of “Black Nativity,” a play by Langston Hughes.

Jana Biggins, the lead vocalist and actress in Savannah’s presentation of “Black Nativity” gleams as she recalls why she got involved in the community arts collective. We share a moment remembering the presence that was and is Clinton Powell. If you’re from Savannah, you’ve probably heard the name, and if you were privileged enough to meet him, to know him, to be taught and encouraged by him, Jana’s recollection of his words will probably resound somewhere deep down in your arts soul.

“If you’re going to speak, speak fire.” Clinton was about bringing everyone into the conversation, and before he passed he encouraged Jana to play the lead role in this play. “Clinton was basically the backbone, the inspiration for doing this play. He was the first director, within and through his illness. The cast itself, the week before he passed away, actually went to the hospital and performed it for him, and the staff right there at St. Joseph’s. So as a tribute to him, every year, we go back to St. Joseph’s and perform pieces from the play.”

“PAC Savannah brings together family, all walks of life. I remember being pregnant with my children in these productions and now their performing with me,” she said. “So, it’s a legacy for a lot of our cast members, to be able to do it this year.” They perform plays and art in spaces all over the city, as well as on the road. There are well-known directors, performers, and dancers involved. You may be surprised to see a face you recognize on the stage. Continuing in the spirit of community, the spirit of the season, they perform scenes in nursing homes and schools and in places you may not expect. For the love of art, for the love of community, and for the love of “bringing everyone into the conversation”.

Biggins talks of the cast like it’s family, and family like it’s the whole community of Savannah. “Our youngest is three months old, which is baby Jesus, and our oldest is in their 70s,” she said. “There’s everything, from dancing to poetry, and we’re adding technology. It has definitely grown from just the singing and dancing itself. The vision has grown. We’ve added new songs, we’ve added new pieces, and so, we’re excited to see some of the original works in the stylings of our artistic director and our musical director.” Speaking of some of the original works, Biggins talks about some of her favorite scenes. “’Come Meet the Lord’ is an original by Gary Swindelle Jr. We do a lot of outreach into the crowd to get them involved, clapping and singing, but this one really calls people to meet peace, to meet joy, to lay burdens down,” she said.

PACSavannah is always looking for new cast members, prop designers, set creators, and anyone who wants to get involved in bringing art to the community that is Savannah. If you would like to participate and see how you can get involved reach out to PACSavannah@gmail.com. [PHOTO PROVIDED]

“Regardless of your religious background, what you believe in, it’s inviting them to come... it just takes over the whole atmosphere in that moment, whatever your emotion, whatever your feeling, whatever your dealing with, it gives you a moment to release that. And then immediately, we take off into something happy right after that.”

This retelling of the Nativity consists of two parts: the first, the birth of Christ as told by the gospel of Luke. The second, “we take it to Church”, Biggins laughs.

The performance isn’t all heavy, she adds. Like that ‘smell of brimstone’ feeling some of us get walking past the over 200 churches in Savannah, it’s light, it’s heavy, it’s full of comedy and joy and tragedy and music and all things that make a good play, a good performance, a good feeling for the community.