Mercer Players debuted "The Colored Museum" at Tattnall Square Center for the Arts, on Nov. 14.
The show, which is also her senior capstone project, is directed by Aniyah Parham ‘25.
The planning and research for the show started back in January, "on my iPad, I had like, the costumes I wanted, the set, what I wanted everything to look like,” Parham said.
Casting for the show didn’t happen until fall break and managing time for the show between her job and school was no easy task, according to Parham.
Additionally, Parham says the boundaries between friend and director began to blur as she coordinated the show.
“Coming in, a lot of people are like: ‘Oh yup, this is my friend Aniyah,’ and I felt like it was different because I’m your friend, but I’m also your director now.”
The process came with lots of emotions for Parham, but she said it was nothing she couldn’t handle.
“It wasn’t as nerve-wracking as I thought it was," Parham said. "It was like a ‘Okay, this is happening.’ And for the longest, my mind was always on ‘We open next week. We open in a month."
Timing was not a problem for her and Mercer Players, but it was important to organize everything before opening night.
“My brain was like: ‘Okay if we open next week and this is what the show looked like, would I be happy and satisfied?’” Parham said.
After opening night, Parham was very confident in how the production turned out after seeing a positive reception with interactions between actors and the audience.
For anyone who aspires to direct, Parham advises them to be confident, "trust yourself and practice self-care, and be firm in your decisions, because at the end of the day, this is your show.”
The Colored Museum will also be shown on Nov. 21-23 at 7:30 pm and Nov. 24 at 2:30 pm. All students are encouraged to visit.
Tickets can be purchased at tickets.mercer.edu.
Pariss Nicholson ‘26 is majoring in Journalism and minoring in Media Studies at Mercer University. She hopes to report or write for ESPN after she graduates. Outside of her studies, she likes to read and watch sports games in her room.
