Play by Gainesville teacher Kimberly Mullins featured at Tampa Bay Theatre Festival

Kimberley Mullins' play titled "Single Black Female in the Navy" was chosen from hundreds of submissions to be one of the plays showcased at the Tampa Theatre Festival in September.

Mullins, a Navy JROTC teacher at Gainesville High School since 2012, is the playwright of, said the play is a coming-of-age story about a young woman in the military named Shenandoah Russell depicting her unwavering spirit through the transformative journey of navigating challenges such as sexual assault, love and self-empowerment.

The play is based in the 1980s at the naval base in Great Lakes, Illinois.

Mullins, who grew up in Jacksonville, is also the author of five self-published books. She said she began writing the the play before the COVID-19 pandemic and had colleagues review the script while she listened to their feedback.

She said watching the Broadway musical Hamilton inspired her to write her play.

“It inspired me because I saw people of color,” Mullins said. “When people watch plays, they rarely see women of color as the lead. There are coming-of-age stories that’s not recognized enough in the media.”

Mullins said she hopes the audience can relate to the main character when they watch the play.

“People can learn about budgeting, finance, relationships, working with different ethnic groups and how to deal with sexual harassment,” Mullins said.

Mullins said she is seeking sponsors and accepting donations to make the showcase a success.

The play debuted Saturday at Acrosstown Repertory Theatre in Gainesville. It will be featured at 6 p.m. Sat. Sept. 2 Hillsborough Community College Theatre at 1411 E 11th Ave. in Tampa.

Tickets ($18-22) for the play in Tampa can be purchased at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/single-black-female-in-the-navy-tickets-669729608287?aff=oddtdtcreator.

Natalia Pegg, director for the play and a GHS theatre director, said she loves the writing of the script and is grateful to be a part of the production.

“I love that she (Mullins) had a story of a Black female lead in the military,” Pegg said. “It is underrepresented in the media.”

Pegg said theatre is an art where an audience can feel the impact of the story live.

“I love seeing plays because I love live performances and being able to have a concept wrapped in motion,” Pegg said.

Marlesia Barthelemy, the actress who will portraying the main character of the play, said she found the audition for the play during a casting call on Facebook.

The audition was in Tampa, where Barthelemy is from, and she said her experience in church plays and stories from her family prepared her for the audition in July.

“During the audition, I brought insight from family and friends who went into the military,” Barthelemy said. “It feels nice to tell the story of family and friends and to the people I don’t know who can share the story of Shenandoah.”

Barthelemy said the play gives a voice to people who went through the same situation as the main character.

“Everyone’s voice matters,” Barthelemy said. “Nobody has to suffer in silence. This is a way to pay it forward to help other seamen. It is a great story. This is history in the making.”

This article originally appeared on The Gainesville Sun: Tampa Bay Theatre Festival to showcase play by Gainesville teacher