Lee Hall Auditorium is about to be full of theatrical activity as the new play “Trapped,” makes its way to Florida A&M University. Spearheaded by Pastor Larinda Norwood, the religious oriented production strives to expose the dangers of sororities and fraternities.
Straight out of Savannah State University, the play’s first stop is FAMU and Norwood is looking to entertain theatergoers. She said she received the idea to do it after she had a vision.
“In 2006, I went to D.C. and thought I’d be gone for one week and I ended getting dream after dream that I was actually on line myself,” explained Norwood, 33, a native of Sacramento, Ca. “When I got home, the vision was in my spirit and I shared it. We wrote this whole play with about ten writers in just three days. The play just flows. It’s amazing.”
“Trapped” is the very first play that Norwood has written and revolves around the character of Roxanne, a devout Christian who gets into a world of trouble during her second semester of college when she moves on campus.
Some people may liken the play to one of Tyler Perry’s melodramatic productions, but Norwood reassures that it is very different.
“This is not for money,” Norwood said. “This is not for gain. People are sacrificing their own salvation to play these parts. People will learn the truth about where sororities and fraternities actually originated from and how detrimental it is to our culture and as a people. Somebody is going to see a character and be able to relate to them.”
Norwood also said the play tackles a ton of topics such as homosexuality, abortion, lust and lies. In order to get the play off the ground, the young playwright said she invested her salary into “Trapped” in order to make it a success.
“We don’t have any outside founders because the message is controversial,” Norwood said. “Some of us individually have taken out personal loans.”
Norwood said the play features nearly 40 individuals. Among those actors and actresses is Torran Singleton, 24, who hails from Black Creek, Ga. Singleton said he was attracted to the play by the message it was trying to showcase.
“It shines light on the darkness of fraternities and sororities,” Singleton said. “We’re going deeper and finding the root of what’s really behind it.”
Shawon McCoy, another one of the play’s talent, agrees. A resident of Shiloh, Ga., McCoy said the play was indeed very entertaining.
“What makes this play special is that it’s about the truth,” said McCoy, 22. “I think a lot of the times we do plays and it is simply for entertainment. Although people will come to our play and enjoy it, they will be able to leave and change their life from it. With most plays, people can’t do that. With Christ being a part of this, people can walk in one way and come out completely different.”
Next on the college tour list is Hampton University. However, until that date arrives, Norwood said she is looking forward to FAMU’s two showings.
“FAMU is like the conglomerate of black colleges,” Norwood said. “We felt like coming here that we would get the cream of the crop.”
“Trapped” will be showing Friday and Saturday at 7:00 pm. Admission is free.