SARASOTA COUNTY (WSNN) – A cultural Suncoast fixture is featured in an hour-long documentary on the PBS station, WEDU.
A documentary inspired by the song: “This little light of mine, I’m going to let it shine.”
It’s called ‘This Light of Mine, The Making of Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe.’
“I am honored that my little light gets this kind of platform,” WBTT’s Founder and Artistic Director, Nate Jacobs said.
Documentary producer Danny Bruno says the title is a parallelism to the company’s resilience, stage lights, and also….
“It pays homage to the song becoming an anthem for the civil rights movement,” Bruno said.
The film looks at the company’s trials and triumphs with its formation in 1999 through 2020 and COVID.
“He’s like the little engine that could,” Bruno said. “It really showcases how this troupe, this theatre, Nate, especially was so resilient and never took no for an answer and they didn’t give up and kind of the success story of where they are today.”
“It’s a total faith journey; without a dime in my pocket and not really knowing about the structure of theater, organization world,” Jacobs said. “I was really on the performance side, singer and actor. And I had to learn my way.”
WBTT focuses on developing a new voice of cultural diversity on the Suncoast.
“It’s hard work, and it’s dedicated to the mentorship and development of serious aspiring performing artists,” Jacobs said.
Bruno says he wants to inspire others in keeping hope alive.
“Just because you’re in one place today, doesn’t mean you can’t be somewhere much bigger and get to somewhere you want to be the next day,” Bruno said. So chase your dreams, don’t give up, and let your light shine.”
The documentary will air on December 17th on WEDU at 9 pm. You can also stream it live from WEDU’s website.