INTERVIEW | Jeanette W. Hill of Sight Ain’t Seeing Productions

Jeanette, describe yourself for our visitors.

Well, let’s see. I am all of the things that many of your visitors are…a wife, mother, sister and friend. I’m active in my church and the community. I am the Education Team Leader for the Women’s Ministry at the Mount Sinai Missionary Baptist Church and I also teach a traditional adult Sunday School class. I have also worked with our S.T.A.G.E.D. drama group and our Youth Department.

I am the founder and Creative Director of Sight Ain’t Seeing Productions (SASP), an African American Christian theater company. In addition to writing, producing and directing our plays, SASP also hosts an annual creative arts camp for urban middle and high school students called ‘Believe Beyond Boundaries’. We teach the students theater basics and allow them to write, produce and act in their own projects. They are shown how the technical side of theater and television work. Industry professionals and college faculty present workshops and when possible we take them on field trips to studios or live theater.

I am an avid music fan. I love all kinds of music, but thrive on Gospel! I have always loved reading and watching mysteries. I have recently discovered African American mystery writers like Claudia Mair Burney, whose books I just finished and loved. I’m also looking forward to reading work by Pamela Samuels Young.

I love to sew, in fact, I suffer from a sewer’s disease known as ‘fabricandpatternitis’. My husband is desperately searching for a cure.

Probably the most surprising thing that people discover about me is that I am basically an introvert and quite shy. I am truly humbled by the way the Lord has opened doors for me and pray that my work honors Him in some tangible way.

How do you find time to connect with God?

I usually try to connect in the early morning hours by reading scriptures and prayer, however, I am finding more and more that as life happens I need to stay in communication with Him throughout the day. Finding a quiet place to not only talk to Him but to listen to the voice of God is important in maintaining balance in my life. Also I’ve learned that if I don’t stop to listen to Him, He’ll find other ways to get my attention. Connecting with positive Believers, reading motivational books and listening to inspirational music are other ways to keep the spiritual lines open and charged.

Who are your biggest influences?

In terms of subject matter and themes I still look to the people in the Bible, when we think about it, their struggles were not very different than what we encounter today. We are still challenged with marriage problems, rebellious children, relationship dilemmas and health crises. I also use contemporary subjects. As to my writing style and its dramatic lilt, it’s a gift from God but if I had to choose an author whose style and work I love, it would be J. California Cooper, who has a phenomenal gift for using everyday, sometimes fractured people and events that we see everyday to weave a fascinating story in a realistic world! Her writing shows the triumph of the human spirit.

Tell us about your journey to writing your first play.

I wrote my first play while I was a student at Goodyear Junior High School in Akron, Ohio. It was called When All Men Will Be Brothers. I had heard the musical score from the West Side Story and read several short stories about young people trying to fit in and gang violence. The next thing I knew I was writing. At the time I don’t think that I even realized I was writing a play until my civics teacher asked to read what I was writing on that big yellow pad for the last several weeks. Bless his heart, he was so touched by it that he told me if I could find the students willing to act in it, he would stay after school and let us rehearse and perform it in his room! I don’t know if my feet touched the ground for the next two weeks! I found several students who were willing to participate in it…including the not yet famous James Ingram, to perform in my theatrical debut. So, James, if you’re reading this, thank you and the others for helping me to walk in my purpose!

Tell us about your current play?

Our current play, entitled The Silent City, focuses on several very sensitive issues, relating to domestic violence and dating abuse…among Christians. Both women and men are victims of this disease but are afraid to step forward because of the reaction of their church family. The guilt and shame they take on increases their victimization causing them to perfect the ‘church face’ for their Sunday morning appearances.

Even when church members are aware or suspect that the problem exists, they tell themselves that it’s not their business to get involved or sometimes blame the victim for causing their situation. With this presentation we will remind some and reveal to others the necessity of having an attitude of Christian Accountability and Responsibility when it comes to members of the body of Christ.

However, we do want to make clear that this play is a work of fiction and any similarities to persons, places or situations are merely coincidental.

How did you come up with ideas for this play?

Another example of divine intervention! The genesis of this play stems from a on-line writing exercise that I participated in as member of the BW Christian Literature group in 2005. I had written an entirely different piece to submit, but the Holy Spirit came to me and said to erase it and start over. In a matter of about three minutes the story was born. Many of the people in the group suggested that I finish the story because this very thing was happening in their churches. I put it on the back burner and decided that this would be my first book.

Suddenly, I started remembering the instances of abuse that I had witnessed over the years. Then I kept seeing the subject of both dating and domestic abuse and violence in our local newspaper as well as other media across the country-magazines, television, radio shows, books, etc. and how many times the victims feel as though the church, which should be every Believers arch of safety, was not a place of refuge because of the attitudes and ridicule they would be subjected to from some of the members, so I believe that this is the time for it.

Society would have us believe that this only happens in urban areas or poor neighborhoods but this disease is no respecter of socio-economic status, age, education or religion. This can happen to anyone, at any level and as Christians we are accountable to and for each other.

We’re blessed to funding and support for this and several other projects from the City of Austin through the Cultural Arts Division and by a grant from the Texas Commission on the Arts and an award from the National Endowment for the Arts. We also have support from the African American Arts Training and Resource Center (AAATRC).

List your other play titles.

Let’s not go back that far! Our more recent titles are Bruised but not Broken, God Allows You Turns, The Broom, It’s Not About You, The Interview, My Heart, Christ’s Home, The Right One, The Right Reason, Talkin’ Bout Church Folks, The Christian Character Style Show and The Wedding Plans

What’s next for you?

I am really excited about our next two projects. We are producing a Christ
ian drama television series to our local community station, ChannelAustin for the 2009 season titled, The Amen Circle. It is a fictionalized account of the challenges and triumphs of the members of several churches in an urban neighborhood geographically located within a five mile radius of a historic African American landmark. You’d think with that much Jesus in the area, they wouldn’t have any problems but the series shows how real life happens for Christians too and how their decisions whether in or out of the will of God impact their lives and as well as the lives of those around them.

We are hoping for support from the Austin and surrounding area residents for this project, that will hopefully, spread to other community stations in other cities or states who will want to produce The Amen Circle in their areas.

Secondly, we are looking into mounting a tour in Texas after receiving a number of requests to perform in other cities, so we are stepping out on faith and working to create a touring ensemble.

Also, we are in the early stages of discussions on developing an independent film from one of our stage plays. Funding is always an issue that has to be addressed. So as you can see we will be pretty busy for the foreseeable future.

Where can visitors find you online and other information about your performances?

We’d love for them visit us online at www.sasprod.org and please sign our guestbook or send me an email at jwhill@sasprod.org. We also post our production information on websites like Mitchie’s Fine Black Art Gallery www.mitchie.com , www.soulciti.com and www.urbanlifeandstyle.com.