Zora Neale Hurston, the celebrated Harlem Renaissance author, wanted to stage a play with an all-Black cast at Rollins College — just a stone’s throw from where she had grown up in Eatonville.

The college accepted the offer, but Hurston soon found out there were strings attached — big strings tied up in the racism of the time: The show wouldn’t be staged in the college’s new jewel of a theater, the Annie Russell, but instead would be relegated to the Recreation Hall.  And while the performers, sharing African-American folklore onstage, would be Black, the audience would be restricted to white theatergoers only.

That was 1932. Now, nearly a century later, a new play written by Rollins students and a professor gives Hurston her due. And, yes, it will be presented in the Annie Russell Theatre that was off limits back then.

“Let the People Sing,” which opens Nov. 13, will tell the story of Hurston’s 1932 production, a musical revue titled “From Sun to Sun.” Songs from that original show are woven into this new one. So is the notion that societal conflict isn’t relegated to history.

“There’s a lot of things going on on campus right now, whether race or political,” said Yasmine Hudson, one of the student playwrights of “Let the People Sing” — pointing to debate on social-media platforms such as Yik Yak.

She sees another similarity between then and now: Hamilton Holt, the college president who barred “From Sun to Sun” from the Annie Russell, was only a few years into his job in 1932. Current president Brooke Barnett just took up the post in July.

“We do have a new president, and I can’t imagine having to deal with all this conflict going on. President Holt was in a similar situation,” Hudson said. “So I think this can also be seen as what’s going on now.”

Fellow playwright Max Payton, an anthropology major, said in the context of history it “makes sense [Holt] would tread on the issue lightly,” calling the incident “one bump on a very bumpy road.”

Actors sing during a rehearsal of “Let the People Sing” at the Annie Russell Theatre at Rollins College in Winter Park on Nov. 5. The play is about a real-life historical incident at Rollins concerning author Zora Neale Hurston. (Stephen M. Dowell/Orlando Sentinel)

Hudson and Payton were joined on the project by Rollins student Conner Chaumley and theater professor Marianne DiQuattro. Chaumely, who’s focused on performance, will also portray noted poet Langston Hughes in the production. Hudson is working in costume design, one of her areas of interest. Payton works in the box office and has been learning the technical side of theater.

The quartet spent eight weeks writing the play after researching its history — and found out creating a new work of theater is no walk in the park.

“Research is something I struggle with, so it was a really big learning experience,” Chaumley said.

“I don’t know if I could write another play,” added Hudson. “It was so hard.”

They also had to learn how to work together, not always easy on an artistic endeavor.

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“We argued it out with each other over and over,” DiQuattro said. “You can’t create something so intensely personal and not have feelings.”

“I think we’d all agree I was the most critical,” Payton said. “It was hard but I would want to be held to high standards. I said what I thought.”

“I would try to be the one who would defend someone’s choices,” Hudson said. “There were days … it was a lot.”

But the play eventually took shape: Act 1 looks at Hurston’s successes in the North, setting up the inevitable conflict when she returns to Florida.

Breyonna Crawford portrays Zora Neale Hurston in “Let the People Sing” a new play written by Rollins College students. She’s pictured during a Nov. 5 rehearsal at the college’s Annie Russell Theatre in Winter Park. (Stephen M. Dowell/Orlando Sentinel)

“How does Zora, who got her education up North come home?” Payton said. “Down South, where we’re dealing with Jim Crow and the relations between Black and white people.”

The play doesn’t portray Holt or other college officials as evildoers, more as products of their time.

“There’s no big villain in a tower scheming, there’s nuance,” Payton said. “I don’t think they are racist, but they are working for a system that’s racist.”

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Chaumley said addressing racism added to the project’s appeal for him: “I was really excited to be a part of a show that uplifts different Black voices.”

Notable arts professionals signed on to the project, as well. Elizabeth Bell-Haynes, a Los Angeles theater professional who has directed multiple stage productions foused on Black history, will direct the show. Her husband, award-winning designer Ed Haynes, will create the set. Choreography is by Orlando-based Arius West, who helped devise the Renaissance Theatre’s award-winning “Lenox Ave.” among other local work.

Choreography is necessary because “Let the People Sing” is “full of music and dance,” DiQuattro said, as the playwrights were determined to incorporate songs from Hurston’s “From Sun to Sun” — and of course make the show entertaining as well as educational.

Actors take their places during a rehearsal of “Let the People Sing” at the Annie Russell Theatre at Rollins College in Winter Park on Wednesday, Nov. 5. (Stephen M. Dowell/Orlando Sentinel)

“People aren’t going to want a research paper onstage,” DiQuattro said.

“From Sun to Sun” received positive response, according to campus newspaper reports at the time. The team behind “Let the People Sing” hope the new show’s mix of history and hope finds similiar success.

“It’s exciting and strange to know that so many people are coming to see it,” Payton said. “It’s such a privilege to see something you worked on take shape on the stage.”

Follow me at facebook.com/matthew.j.palm or email me at mpalm@orlandosentinel.com. Find more entertainment news and reviews at orlandosentinel.com/entertainment or sign up to receive our weekly emailed Entertainment newsletter.

‘Let the People Sing’

Where: Annie Russell Theatre at Rollins College, 1000 Holt Ave. in Winter Park
When: Nov. 13-16
Cost: $20
Info: rollins.college/shows

https://www.orlandosentinel.com/2025/11/06/rollins-college-zora-neale-hurston-play/