ENGLEWOOD — Tickets are on sale now for “Walk in My Shoes,” a powerful and inspirational stage production about 12 women overcoming issues like domestic violence and breast cancer.
It will take place Nov. 12 at the Kennedy-King College Theater, 740 W. 63rd St. from 4- 6 p.m. Tickets are $35 and can be purchased through Eventbrite here.
A portion of the proceeds will go to the annual "Ditch the Weight and Guns: Englewood 5K Walk & Run."
The play was written, directed and produced by Grand Crossing resident Janet Edmondson, who said she wasn’t seeking fame when she wrote it a few years ago.
In fact, she said initially she didn’t think it was good enough to bring the words on the script to life.
“The Lord gave this gift so long ago and I never moved forward with it,” Edmondson said. “There was fear of success, fear of failure, low self esteem, all of that.”
Janet Edmondson [Photo provided by Janet Edmondson]
What pushed her to finally do something with her manuscript was an unfortunate incident that took place in May of 2014. Her granddaughter Nya Lamarre died that year, after being diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor in August 2010.
She said she felt terrible about never finishing it because before Nya got sick, she had asked if she could have a role.
After her death, which fell on the first day of Brain Cancer Awareness Month, Edmondson said she decided to finally move forward with finishing the play, which is now in memory of Nya.
The first production was staged on Nov. 7, 2015, Nya’s birthday.
“My plan was to do it one time, but obviously God had another plan,” Edmondson said.
Next month’s performance will be the sixth time the cast has showcased the production. So far it has only been performed locally, but Edmondson said she's looking to expand it to the South Suburbs in December.
The performance will address a series real-life issues. One woman plays a breast cancer survivor, another is a domestic violence survivor, and another is a recovering drug addict.
None of the 12 women portraying these fictional stories are professional actresses, but they all bring energy and passion to the stage, Edmondson said. Many are tackling roles that align with their real-life experiences, including a Chicago police officer who plays a police officer onstage.
"Walk in My Shoes" plays Nov. 12 at Kennedy-King College Theater. [Photo provided by Janet Edmondson]
“One of the things I want the audience to leave with is understanding that by the grace of God, women always land on their feet,” she said. “No matter what we go through, we always land on our feet.”
She also said she wants women to be more uplifting and encouraging and less judgmental towards other women.
This performance is for everyone, she said.
Daliah Goree-Pruitt plays a police officer who deals with something tragic involving a child when she arrives at a crime scene. The actress has been a real Chicago police officer for 18 years in Englewood. She said when she read the script, she was taken aback, and hesitated on accepting the role because it was so emotional.
Getting into the role wasn’t a challenge because it hits close to home, Goree-Pruitt said, since she is a police officer and she has an African American son.
“I go into character as the police, but in my mind I’m thinking like a mom,” Goree-Pruitt said.
She said she hopes that people leave the play with a better and more sympathetic understanding of the challenges faced by police officers.
“I hope they’ll see the side that the media doesn’t show,” she said. “The side they don’t see of an officer grieving, watching a child go, or making that quick second decision because everything takes a split second.”
Everyone will be able to relate to at least one issue the production tackles, Goree-Pruitt said.
“A lot of this is what’s happening in the Englewood community,” she said.
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