Toshi Reagon’s Parable of the Sower Adaptation Comes to the O’Shaughnessy
On Friday, April 26, roughly 1,800 people gathered in the O’Shaughnessy Auditorium to watch a sold-out performance of“Parable of the Sower,” a folk opera based on Octavia Butler’s sci-fi novel of the same name. The folk opera was written by Toshi Reagon and Bernice Johnson Reagon, a mother/daughter duo with deep roots in the folk music scene.
“Parable of the Sower” tells the story of Lauren Olamina, a young girl living in dystopian America in the year 2024. In Lauren’s world, climate change is wreaking havoc, water is more expensive than fuel, and most societal institutions are in shambles. When Lauren’s gated neighborhood is burned to the ground and looted, she and the few surviving members of her community must learn to survive in the dangerous outside world. As they journey north in search of water and jobs that pay real money, the ragtag group acquires several new members, and they begin to form a new community.
In the musical adaptation of “Parable,” this story is told primarily through a combination of gospel and folk style songs performed by a large and diverse cast. The performers come from all over the country, and many of them, including Afi Bijou (Zahra Moss), Jare Joseph (Rev. Olamina), and Kenita R. Miller (Talent) have performed on Broadway. The show also relies heavily on creative lighting design and choreography to further the narrative.
Toshi Reagon, co-creator of the folk opera, was featured prominently in this production. She played one of three characters called “The Talents,” who acted as both backup singers and narrators. Throughout the show, Reagon periodically broke the fourth wall to address the crowd with brief asides and encourage audience participation. By the final song, if felt like the entire auditorium was singing along with the cast.
Many of the audience members were deeply moved by the performance. “Opera was a perfect medium for this story,” said Lyn Cramer, a St. Paul community member and Macalester College alumna. She explained that opera is a particularly effective vehicle for drama and emotion, both of which “Parable of the Sower” has in spades. She felt that the story of “Parable” was very timely considering the current state of the world, especially in regard to climate change, which plays a significant role in the story and is an ever-present concern in reality.
Megan Moberg, Chemistry Major, ‘21, echoed Cramer’s sentiment about “Parable of the Sower’s” timeliness. “The way things are going right now environmentally, it’s not hard to imagine a lot of the events from this show taking place in the near future. I think this show really strikes a chord with people my age, because a lot of us are really concerned about things like climate change, and feel like we’re powerless to stop it. This story is actually really empowering for me, because it’s about a young woman leading and making change when no one else will,” said Moberg.
Bringing “Parable of the Sower” to the Saint Kate’s community has been in the works for over a year. This semester, several class curricula involved “Parable of the Sower,” and St. Kate’s faculty members led multiple group discussions centered around the book. Toshi Reagon, co-playwright, took time to talk to students about both the book and the opera, and delivered the annual Meyser lecture in March.
Many different people have been involved in the campus wide “Parable of the Sower” project in some capacity. The St. Catherine University Mission Chairs, including Amy Hamlin, the liberal arts chair, played a large role in helping incorporate “Parable” into various curriculums and planning events centered on topics related to the novel; Dr. Tarshia Stanley, St. Catherine’s Dean of Humanities, Arts, and Sciences, and scholar of Octavia Butler, helped facilitate lectures and discussions about the book, “Parable of the Sower,” for students in the months leading up to the opera; Kathleen Spehar, director of The O’Shaughnessy, was instrumental in bringing Toshi Reagon to campus as part of the theatre’s Women of Substance series; and Toshi Reagon dedicated hours upon hours of her time to making “Parable of the Sower” a powerful and multifaceted experience for everyone involved.
When asked about what she’s going to do with “Parable” next, Reagon explained that a show like this is really difficult to tour with, due to the size of the troupe. “It takes a lot of money to do this show,” said Reagon. She then went on to say that she hopes to find partnerships like the one she’s had with St. Kate’s in other parts of the country. Reagon plans to bring the story of “Parable” to as many people as possible in the next several years, but it will not be an easy task.
St. Kate’s is among the lucky few who have been able to bring this incredible art piece into the community. For many, it has been an experience that will not soon be forgotten.
