February 26th - March 1st: Coker Theater to Present 'How We Got On'

The Coker College Theater Department will present “How We Got On,” a coming-of-age play written by playwright Idris Goodwin. The hip-hop infused play will debut in Coker’s Watson Theater at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 26, with additional performances at 7:30 p.m. Feb. 27-March 2.

Tickets to the event are $10 for the general public, $5 for students and seniors, and free to Coker students and faculty.

“How We Got On” is a modern-day play originally produced in Louisville, Ky., in 2012. The play details the lives of three young adults during the time when rap was a new and unique movement that began a cultural phenomenon. In addition to its historical hip-hop storytelling, the play also highlights the importance of finding your unique voice and path and the crucial roles that friendship and community play in that quest.

“One of the things that appealed to me was the musicality of the piece; the inherent rhythms and the fact that much of the sound support is meant to be made onstage by the actors,” said Kindra Steenerson, assistant professor of theater. “Additionally, I felt our majors could really sink their teeth into this play because they were born after the birth of hip-hop and know nothing of the world before it. Hip-hop is as familiar to them as any other old-school musical genre. Because of that, it's given us some good research opportunities to discover the origins of hip-hop culture.”

“How We Got On” will star students Datra Cook, Sammie Reece, Keon Wilson and Terah Gamble. Before each performance, there will be a poetic cypher to welcome all attendees, which will star Tammaka Staley, Daché Green, Darrell Daney and Aubanita Kirk.

For more information on the event, contact Steenerson at ksteenerson@coker.edu .