They told Black history on stage beginning in 1967; the story of the Princely Players

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — More than 55 years ago, a group of teenagers started a Nashville tradition. Their impact is still seen today. It's a story about longtime friendships and being united for a powerful purpose.

"When we tell stories of Black history, it's not just Black history," said Kenny Dozier, artistic director for Kennie Playhouse Theatre. "It's actually American history."

When Kenny launched the theater, he saw an opportunity. He could give a platform to Black actors to tell stories from a Black perspective on a Nashville stage.

"I realized the stories I wanted to tell were not in abundance," Kenny said.

What Kenny's theater is doing today carries echoes of the purpose of another group. That's a story that begins 57 years ago.

"This is 1967," said Odessa Settles holding up an old newspaper featuring her picture. She sat next to former classmates Roderick Kelley and Robert Smith. "1967, I think."

Odessa, Roderick, and Robert were all students at Cameron High in 1967. To put 1967 in Nashville into context, this is seven years after the Nashville sit-ins sought to integrate downtown businesses. It's still four years before an era of busing efforts tried to integrate Nashville schools.

"'67. We'd just come out of segregation, big civil rights movement," Roderick said.

Odessa, Roderick, and Robert were all part of a student cast.

"The first play we were in was A Witness For the Prosecution," said Robert.

The chemistry in this cast felt powerful. A man named German Wilson pulled the students together to form a group. It was called the Princely Players.

"We wanted to tell the history of African Americans, the struggle through slavery through civil rights through freedom," said Roderick. "I don't know if anybody in Nashville was telling those stories before we started."

They were going to do that through theater pieces and a cappella performances.

"We had something to say," Odessa said. "We had a voice within the community."

"We rolled in there with the afros," Robert smiled. "We rolled in there with the dashikis, and the principals did not quite like that. We radicalized the entire student body. The sort of things we were saying resonated."

The performances were getting covered by outlets like the Fisk University Forum.

"'Writing an article that will accurately describe the performance of the Princely Players is virtually impossible,'" Robert said, reading a review from a 1960s performance. "'Upon seeing them, one is moved to tears.'"

"That gave us a sense of self love, self pride, confidence to lift us from this harsh reality we lived in," Odessa said. "We were worthy of what this world has to offer."

This is not a story that begins and ends in 1967.

"This one here was 1978," Odessa said, showing another picture of the group.

For more than 50 years, the Princely Players with various lineups have continued to perform together. They've toured to universities and churches all over the country.

"We were trying to communicate the discrepancies in our society, the injustices in our society," Robert said. "The art was simply just a way to do it."

What began at a high school was a bond and a shared purpose. Odessa, Roderick, and Robert are proud to see the sort of work the Kennie Theatre is doing right now.

"They started the fire," Kenny said of the Princely Players. "They ignited the fire. We can come in and keep the fire going. They plant seeds for us to continue doing that."

"I think it was important to us that we not be the only ones telling the story," Roderick said. "I'm happy that people are. We carry the stories that our parents told us, our grandparents. We'll be gone one day. Someone else has to pick up the torch and carry it."

The Kennie Playhouse Theatre is performing August Wilson's The Piano Lesson through March 10. Performances are inside the Z. Alexander Looby Theater.