Thomasville On Stage And Company presents, "The Journal of Pokey Perkins," a play by
Basil Lucas directed by Kathy Kefalas.
Follow the story of Pokey Perkins and his journal. Next shows:
November 2 at 8:00pm
November 3 at 8:00pm
November 4 at 2:00pm
Tickets are $10 for students and $12 for adults.
Eighty year old Pokey Perkins lives alone and has just had heart surgery. He rents a shack from sixty-five year old Lois Sweetapple. Pokey has been renting the shack for three years, ever since his car broke down in front of Lois’ farmhouse.
A magnetism develops between Pokey and Lois, they maintain distance expected of them by society since Pokey is black and Lois is white.
Pokey passes his days doing odd jobs for the neighbor ladies and also reading and writing in his journal. He also reads throw-away books from the nearby university library where he worked for several years. His pet mouse, Methusalah, serves as his audience as he reads sections of his journal. Pokey dies.
Lois discovers Pokey’s journals while she is cleaning up his vacated shack. She is surprised to find herself mentioned favorably several times in the journals. While she reads, a not-so-dead Pokey hovers about, basking in his landlady’s posthumous attention. When Lois shares the journals with Hester who is also mentioned in them, Pokey attends with doubled interest. There are some very personal revelations that he had rather the ladies not read, but his anguish is trumped by the ladies’ obvious affection for his work.
Lois’ admiration for Pokey and his journals leads her to ask Col. Gaines, the university librarian, if he will find a place for Pokey’s writing on the shelves of the library. Pokey is thrilled by her proposal and astounded as the Colonel, his former boss, accepts the journals for the folk life section of the library.
Thomasville On Stage And Company presents, "The Journal of Pokey Perkins," a play by
Basil Lucas directed by Kathy Kefalas.
