Mika Knight
Yeardisc editor
Two Southeastern professors colloartaed on a play that went to Washington D.C. to perform at Choctaw Days at the National Museum of the American Indian this summer.
The play, “To Us It Wasn’t Code” was written by Dr. Randy Prus, professor and chair of the English department, and transcribed by Kathleen Hardgrove, assistant professor of theatre andcostume designer.
“To Us It Wasn’t Code” is about the “code talkers and how they were heroes, protecting the Choctaw language and culture. This was the focal point,” Prus said.
The code talkers where Native Americans who in the World War II used their knowledge of Native-American language to transmit coded messages through radio transmits.
The inception for the project was to perform at the National Museum of the American Indian during Choctaw Days.
The play was brought about when Dean of Instruction Lucretia Scoufos and The Choctaw Nation thought it be a “good project” and thus the “idea became collaborative more than anything,” Prus said.
As research for the project, he watched videos and read articles, but Prus added, “but basically I listened to Choctaw students. I listened to students and what it meant to be Choctaw.”
One of the actors in the play was Dustin Curry, a double major in acting/directing and theatre management. Curry was the only trained actor in the play.
When it came time for the play, which Hardgrove directed, she also trained the other actors. Curry said, “Kathleen did a lot of training early on, but in the end everyone got it, I was surprised.”
When talking about the play and being a part of it, he said, “It was neat to explore that kind of history and what effect it had on the public.”
Curry, who has traveled with acting before added, “I was nervous about the people who had more of a back history of this topic more than me. That was intimidating.”
Twahana Kemp, a senior English with writing emphasis major and actress in the play, was one of the students who had no prior acting experience.
“Kate was understanding of our lack of experience,” Kemp said. “She was very helpful of what to do and what not to do.”
Kemp also said that she was honored to participate in the project. “I felt extremely honored to pay homage to my ancestors and Choctaw Nation for all that they have given me,” Kemp said.
“To me is about the Choctaw culture where we have been and want to while keeping the culture alive.”
The play has also performed in numerous places such as Choctaw Nation, Southeastern Oklahoma University and the Cox Convention Center in Oklahoma City.
November 15, 2012