“Faith, fatherhood and family” are the three thematic pillars of “On the Other Side of the Jordan,” the stage drama by local playwright Samuel Williams premiering at the Maxwell Theatre this coming weekend, a production that marks the directorial debut of performance artist Tarika Holland.
“I’ve been telling everybody that everything has led me to this moment,” said Holland, a Davidson alumna who has gone on to forge a multifarious career in Augusta’s arts scene, from acting to modeling, choreography to teaching dance. “The connections I’ve made from previous work I’ve done, the hardships I’ve been through on my artistic journey, everything has led me here.”
Now Holland, 24, is adding play directing to her professional catalogue, co-directing Williams’ gospel play with her mentor, veteran Augusta Players actor Christopher Lowe. Holland was selected to participate in the project by both Williams, who is also producing the play, and Lowe. She had been tapped to direct another stage production that fell through after Hurricane Helene.
The play is about the tribulations of the Anderson family, particularly its patriarch, Saul Anderson, played by Williams, whose lifetime worth of harmful choices catches up to him when he gets a terminal diagnosis. His pursuit of forgiveness, from both his family and God, are at the heart of the story.
Alongside co-directing, Holland portrays Saul’s teenage daughter Martha Anderson, a character Holland describes as both a “daddy’s girl” and “incredibly courageous.”
“Saul’s actions in this play really break her heart. She just wants her dad to be better,” she said. “She’s incredibly intelligent as well, and she doesn’t back down from anything. She is the one who has the courage to get this ball rolling as far as her father’s change.”
Holland does not take either her roles as director or as co-star lightly. While she found much of her character’s experience relatable, she also underwent a process of finding the character’s grace and softness, even under plenty of rage.
“She’s a lot braver than I am, because there’s some things that I say in this play I don’t necessarily have the courage to say as Tarika,” she said. “So she, Martha, has given me a lot of courage to speak my mind and not be afraid of the consequences.”
A faith-based play that engages with matters such as mental health, addiction and alcoholism demonstrates how the arts can be a means to help audiences explore difficult issues, notes Holland, who credits Williams and Lowe with the opportunity to participate in what she calls a form of ministry.
“There’s a Martha in someone’s home, there’s a Saul in someone’s home,” she said. “It doesn’t have to be an all Black cast. This is happening in homes, period… But I think about just what we’ve been through in history, we have always used entertainment as a way to cope and as a way to find some joy in our hardship. So theater being able to either just step into someone’s shoes, it is just such an amazing way to reach people, no matter what their background.”
“On the Other Side of the Jordan” will be showing at the Grover C. Maxwell Performin Arts Theatre on Augusta University’s Summerville campus on Saturday, July 26.
Skyler Q. Andrews is a staff reporter covering business for The Augusta Press. Reach him at skyler@theaugustapress.com.
