'Sistas' recognized on New Castle Playhouse stage

NEW CASTLE ― The New Castle Playhouse presents "Sistas" in recognition of Juneteenth. For one weekend only, the powerful musical directed by Sindy Hanna celebrates the history and struggles of Black women.

"It's a play with singing and dancing. It's a musical with drama. It is about Black women's struggles, but all women share some of the same challenges and struggles," Hanna said.

"Sistas," created and written by Tyler Perry, is based on the tradition of when a grandmother died a special song was sung that represented her life. This play is about all the music that happened in the Grandmother's life from Billie Holiday and Bessie Smith to Beyonce and Motown.

Featuring classic songs from the 20th century and original music, the performances are filled with soulful vocals and energetic choreography that bring the story to life. “Sistas” is a heartfelt and empowering musical that showcases the enduring power of women and the importance of staying connected to one’s roots.

"The musical is a celebration of sisterhood and explores themes of love, loss, identity and the strength of family bonds," Hanna said.

The cast is Leslie Austin, Jennifer Austin, Charlotte Sheffield, Laura Colvin and Allyson Krimm and it is their third play at the New Castle Playhouse.

Hanna said the five women are not theater people, who regularly perform but women with jobs and full lives.

"They are novices and a little nervous. They are doing much better than they think they are," she said.

Leslie Austin may not be a veteran actor, but she has lived a life of music and song. Austin and her family are the group Holy Fire and they sing where ever they are invited and it has taken them from Phoenix. Arizona to Ontario, Canada and many places in between. Most recently they sang at the International Christian Film Festival in Orlando, Florida where they met and talked to Steven Baldwin, actor, director and producer. Baldwin is also Justin Bieber's father-in-law.

From 1988 to 2017 Austin and her husband, Gordon, were the choir directors for five different churches in Pittsburgh.

"Five times a week we took our four children and went to Pittsburgh," Austin said.

Simultaneously they were the choir directors at Westminster College for 10 years.

The multi-talented Austin doesn't just sing and direct she is the owner of Austin Taste Us Catering and has been a local food favorite for over 20 years.

When Austin was a young girl she wanted a career on Broadway in the worst way but was too shy to pursue it. The shyness that stopped Austin from a career in show business has disappeared with age.

"I do karaoke at Parkstown every Wednesday evening. I love to sing and it is fun," Austin said.

Austin got involved in the New Castle Playhouse when her twin daughters, Jennifer and Jessica, were in the New Castle Mini-Stars and "The Stars of Tomorrow." Jennifer is also in "Sistas."

Hanna wanted to do something to celebrate Black History Month in February, but casting became too difficult because many of the churches were doing programs.

"I was thinking about Juneteenth when Phil Clark mentioned doing something for it, but I was already on it," Hanna said.

Juneteenth is the official name of the federal holiday Juneteenth National Independence Day, also called Emancipation Day. It is the holiday that commemorates the end of slavery in the United States and is observed on June 19. From its Galveston, Texas, origin in 1865, the observance of June 19 as the African American Emancipation Day has spread across the United States and beyond.

The origin of Juneteenth began in Galveston, Texas, which was the western-most area of the Union in 1865. On June 19, 1865, when enslaved people there were told of their emancipation they had technically already been freed two-and-a-half years prior, when President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation on Jan. 1, 1863. Slaveholders in Texas kept the information to themselves, extending the period of the exploitation of enslaved African Americans.

What: "Sistas"

Where: New Castle Playhouse Annex 202 E. Long Ave., New Castle

When: 7:30 p.m. June 16 and 17 and 2 p.m. June 18

Admission: 13.00  For reservations, call (724) 654-3437 between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Information: 724-654-3437; www.newcastleplayhouse.org online; email office@newcastleplayhouse.org

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY NETWORK: Juneteentcomes to New Castle Playhouse stage with 'Sistas'