In less than two hours and across 33 brief scenes, Pierce College Fort Steilacoom theater professor Fred Metzger directs a production that celebrates some of the most defining African-American faces from yesterday and today.

“We don’t dwell on anybody,” Metzger said.

The production, called “A Celebration of Our African American Heritage,” honors the great works of African-Americans in live music, visual arts, theater, literature and poetry.

A cast of eight students, all students who attend the Fort Steilacoom campus, bring the works to life. And for the first time, Metzger is bringing live theater to the Pierce College Puyallup campus.

The production will have a run at the Puyallup campus at 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday in the Arts and Allied Health building.

“We hope the audience sees that, when you look at African-American culture, it belongs to everyone,” Metzger said. “It’s a time of coming together for all of us. Music would never be the same in the United States without the African American people who have contributed to it. It’s so entwined. It’s a coming together. And my goal is that we see everyone come together.”

Certainly the music is a big part of the shows. Students will honor the likes of Jimi Hendrix, Bob Marley and Ray Charles. A full band will play songs from those artists.

In addition, literature, poetry and theater will play a huge role, including four pieces by celebrated African American poet Maya Angelou; the late Pittsburgh-born playwright August Wilson; James Weldon Johnson; and close with “Let American Be America Again” by Langston Hughes.

Suzy Ames, vice president of advancement at the Pierce College District, said having the Fort Steilacoom theater department perform at the Puyallup campus is a good example of how the campuses are maximizing resources.

“Thanks to the great effort by Fred (Metzger), we will be able to show the performance in the Steilacoom black box theater and in the new Arts and Allied Health building in Puyallup,” she said. “Fred has put his heart and soul into this production, and we’re thrilled to be able to show it to audiences on both campuses. We’re lucky to have someone of his caliber on our faculty.”

Ames said that Pierce College would like to have a robust theater program at the Puyallup campus.

“At this point, the state budget cuts aren’t allowing us to pursue that at this time,” she said.

Tara Tapp, a second-year student at Pierce College Fort Steilacoom, is excited to be part of the cast. She will perform a monologue from the Wilson play, “The Piano Lesson,” a comedy skit of Bill Cosby’s “Noah Made an Ark” and an Angelou poem, “Phenomenal Woman.”

“Bill Cosby is a wonderful dude,” Tapp said. “Not only did he do these amazing shows, it’s what he did behind the scenes; he broke down many barriers for black actors and black directors.”

Tapp, an African-American, said she recognizes herself as a black American. She said she remembers her grandmother, whom her family lovingly called “Big Mama,” would share with the family all about black history every Christmas Eve and Christmas morning.

“It’s not just about black heritage, it’s about all of our heritage, because, no matter who you are, you might just have a little black in you,” Tapp said.

Tapp is a graduate of Clover Park High School in Tacoma. She plans to transfer to Central Washington University to earn a paralegal degree with a minor in acting. If law doesn’t pan out, she said she’d like to explore acting in Tacoma.

Kache Waters, a student at Fort Steilacoom in her second quarter, will perform “Imagine” by John Lennon and “Still I Rise,” an Angelou poem set to music written by Ben Harper.

“ ‘Still I Rise’ is about overcoming history struggles in general and moving forward,” Waters said.

Waters will recite a monologue by a central character in Wilson’s, “The Piano Lesson.”

Waters, an African-American, said she is working on an associate of arts degree in oceanography and marine biology.  The Emerald Ridge High School graduate plans to transfer to Oregon State University.

Waters said she hopes people walk away from the production with a renewed appreciation for African-American heritage and that they come to learn the heritage is worth celebrating not just in one month but year-round.

“People make new creations and overcome struggles every day,” she said. “They don’t just happen in one month.”

Weekend performance

“A Celebration of Our African American Heritage” will be presented at 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday in the Arts and Allied Health building on the Pierce College Puyallup campus. Tickets at the door are $2 for students and $3 for the general public.

Reporter Andrew Fickes can be reached at 253-841-2481, ext. 313, or by email at andrew.fickes@puyallupherald.com. Follow him on Twitter, @herald_andrew.