He was just a small boy, but he had a big problem. "I have anger issues and people at my school call me crazy and I've been praying to God and He hasn't answered me yet." Through misty eyes, Dan McDonald, director of the play on the life of Dr. Ben Carson
He was just a small boy, but he had a big problem. “I have anger issues and people at my school call me crazy and I’ve been praying to God and He hasn’t answered me yet.” Through misty eyes, Dan McDonald, director of the play on the life of Dr. Ben Carson, related the boy’s story. The boy, about 9-years-old, talked about his problem during the question-and-answer (Q-and-A) time after the play.
“I had to, after the Q-and-A was over, go over and let him know, ‘Just stay on the path. ...I don’t want you to think that Ben just prayed for two hours and that anger went away.’”
McDonald was referring to the part of the play that portrays young Ben Carson locking himself in the bathroom with his Bible for a couple of hours, crying out to God for help. This scene takes place moments after Carson nearly killed his best friend with a knife over a minor argument, sending the young man into a deep soul-search to try to deal with his anger.
The scene is Toby’s Dinner Theatre; the play is produced by The Columbia Center for Theatrical Arts, and is part of Toby’s Youth Theatre program. A group of five actors play a combined total of 50 roles in the story of Dr. Carson.
The fast-paced drama unfolds before an audience, seated around a center stage where actors appear from any of four entrances. Kids don’t really have time to lose interest or get bored; they are engaged. After all, Dr. Carson’s entire life story is condensed to one hour. All the kids are still and quiet—for an entire hour.
They are learning that they can, actually, succeed and aim for anything.
Dr. Ben Carson, now director of the Division of Pediatric Neurosurgery at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland, United States, famous for separating conjoined twins in 1987, grew up in a single parent home, was failing in school, and had very low self-esteem. But his focus on God helped him to overcome, and become a huge success. Carson continues to honor his God, and worships at the Spencerville Seventh-day Adventist Church in Maryland.
His story is a witness to millions, particularly children.
Some students come to the see the play unaware of the nature of the story, or what kind of impact it will leave on them. They all are changed when they leave; some more than others, says Toba Barth, director of education for The Columbia Center for Theatrical Arts. She explains that the play is scheduled to be convenient for school groups during school hours, but is open to the public.
Live theater is nothing like going to the movies or watching videos or television, Barth says. With live actors and a live audience, the communication between the two is alive.
McDonald has been involved with the play for seven years, and he identifies with Dr. Carson. “I was born in a trailer park. Very blue collar. So blue collar that it’s like purple. ... This show just speaks to me because I had a really rough way to go growing up.” McDonald now has a master’s degree in directing, and enjoys nothing more than helping kids see their potential.
They even take this particular show on the road.
“There are so many times when ... we’ll see kids getting off school busses or in halls and they won’t even make eye contact with us,” McDonald says. “And after the show they want to talk to you, they want to hug. I’m one of those immediate response kind of guys. That’s why I do theater as opposed to film or TV, because I like that immediate response. When you see that you’ve turned a kid around just that much that they’re willing to communicate, I know the show does its job. It really does. Even if all it does is make them think a little bit.”
The rest of the cast shares similar sentiments. If they weren’t people of faith before, they are now, Barth says. This is the eleventh year they have performed this play.
“We like to think of this play as an ongoing part of the curriculum ... That way the school population gets a dose of Dr. Carson’s philosophy each year,” she adds. “Every year we [the actors and crew] need a dose of this, too.”
“The bottom line is, at the age of 50—I have no family, nothing like that—this fills me up in a way that I can’t begin to tell you. It sounds like [only] words, but it’s the truth. I could do this all the time,” McDonald explains.
His enthusiasm and spirit said so before those words were even ushered. No one needed to say that this cast, from a variety of faith backgrounds, some perhaps from none at all, has this same spirit.
The responses from kids, such as the high school student who asked, “If Ben Carson were here today, what advice would he give us?,” is the reason they’re in this. Two cast members took guesses as to what they thought Dr. Carson would say to these kids.
“I think he would probably say ‘THINK BIG,’” said one, referring to the “THINK BIG” acronym described in the play, and a book by that title written by Carson describing his life story. “He obviously overcame a lot of stuff and worked hard to do it.”
Another said, “I think everything the show says is what he would like to say to kids here in the room, because it is what he says,” explaining that the playwright submitted the play for Carson’s approval. “He gave us his blessing to help get his word out.”
The owner of the theatre, Toby, tells of another instance that brings tears to her eyes. The cast asked a group of children if they thought the show would be good for their parents to see. One little girl said, “Please do that because my mother thinks school is a joke and it doesn’t mean anything. She needs to see and realize that we can succeed and I can do things.”
This is a goal for the crew: to go into other areas and bring parents to see the production.
“His message is so inspirational. I think for me it’s because it comes from a very spiritual point of view. His thing is, ‘Don’t let anything stop you from what you want. You have to believe in yourself,’” said the cast member who played both the role of Ben Carson’s mother and wife. The kids listened intently.
“So find something to inspire you to move forward regardless of what’s going on in your world. Because the world is a very difficult place to live. ... Don’t just think about all the bad going on, but find something to move you forward.”
McDonald adds, “We never know—when the lights come up and we look up, [sometimes] there’s [Sonya] Carson sitting there, checking us out, making sure we’re on the straight and narrow!” he laughs. But, on a serious note, “We firmly believe this show has two heroes;” Dr. Carson and his mother, Sonya.
Perhaps, to these kids, it’s the cast who are also the heroes.
