'Fannie Lou' Musical

Fannie Lou Musical

"I Will Grow"

WELCOME TO FANNIE LOU MUSICAL!
For information about the Oct. 1 performance at Yale University of
"Scenes and Songs from Fannie Lou: Celebrating the 100th Anniversary
of the Birth of a Voting Rights Heroine," please go here.
To preorder tickets at a discounted rate, please go to this page.

"I Will Grow"

There is a scene in Fannie Lou Musical in which a 12-year-old boy asserts his being. He’s seen and heard what the grown-ups have been going through as they fight for the right to vote. The right to make their own decisions. To determine their own futures. To live their own lives. To, quite simply, grow.

The struggle has reached a boiling point, and the young boy decides to take a stand. Regardless of the roadblocks placed in front of him, he says, he is determined to grow. Not just grow up physically into adulthood, although that certainly is an essential part of his assertion. He also promises that he will grow mentally, intellectually, emotionally, spiritually, individually, socially and any other way that will enhance his human existence. He does not ask permission for the opportunity to grow. He insists on it.

As he makes his decision, he sings the song “I Will Grow.” It is one of the highlights of Fannie Lou Musical.

We've recorded a rendition of “I Will Grow,” performed by several cast members from a recent production of “Scenes and Songs from Fannie Lou.” With such a rendition, the meaning of the song is expanded exponentially. Imagine a timid mother committing to grow beyond her restricted circumstances. Or a teenager hardened to life much too soon. Or a go-along-to-get-along indigent whose reach does not exceed much further than the grasp of his next meal. Or a well-meaning but somewhat naïve college student. Or a staunch segregationist. Or a 44-year-old sharecropper with merely a sixth-grade education, whose eyes are opened to the point where she helps spearhead the region’s voting-rights movement.

These and all of the other characters in Fannie Lou Musical have the potential to move forward and grow.

Many, many thanks to cast members Torian Brackett, Cameron Draper, Ben Marcus, Michael Moss, Jessica Raymonvil, Emily Senkowsky, Karen Stefano, Desi Waters, Angela Watson-Modeste and Hanna Elizabeth Young (all pictured below), who all very graciously volunteered their time to record the song for the very first time. It is being offered here to support our upcoming production marking Fannie Lou Hamer’s birth a century ago. Titled “Scenes and Songs from Fannie Lou: Celebrating the 100^th Anniversary of the Birth of a Voting Rights Heroine,” the event will take place Sunday, Oct. 1, 2017 at 3 p.m. at Yale University.

Half the proceeds from the sale of this version of “I Will Grow” will help defray production costs. The other half will go to the performers, who generously gave of their time and talent to make sure this recording project came to fruition.

“I Will Grow” can be heard via bandcamp. Thank you very much for your support. We appreciate it very, very much.

To hear and purchase a download of “I Will Grow,” please click here. The song also can be purchased via iTunes, amazon.com and other online outlets.

For more information about the Oct. 1 production at Yale, please click here.

Thank you. And come see us on Oct. 1. Hope to see you there!!

Sincerely,
Felicia
“Come for the art. Leave with the knowledge.”