Photos courtesy of Kristy Meanor
The Wetumpka Depot Players plan to perform the stage version of Hoover author Doug Segrest's "A Storm Came Up" in Wetumpka, Alabama, from Feb. 24 to March 12, 2022.
A novel written by sports journalist and Riverchase resident Doug Segrest has been transformed from a book into a play.
Segrest, a longtime sports writer who now works as an executive for Regions and is a co-host on "The Zone Now" sports show on ABC 33/40, wrote a novel called "A Storm Came Up" in 2011. Kristy Meanor, the artistic director for The Wetumpka Depot Players in the Elmore County city of Wetumpka, now has adapted the book for stage production.
The play is set to premiere Feb. 24 at the Depot theater in downtown Wetumpka and continues through March 12.
Segrest's book tells the story of two people, one white and one Black, who grew up together in the summer of 1963 in a small East Alabama town and find themselves caught in a vicious crossfire between former Gov. George Wallace, the Ku Klux Klan, state troopers and memories of a grizzly murder they witnessed as young people.
“When I read Doug’s book at the end of 2019, I was drawn to several elements of the book,” Meanor said. “The familiar locale, the beautifully crafted relationships between the characters and the time period the story covers all stayed with me for days. It’s an unflinching depiction of the Jim Crow South.”
Segrest said when Meanor reached out to him and shared her vision for adapting the book for the stage, he was a little apprehensive.
“I knew nothing about theater" he said. "She was undeterred, taking 300 pages in print and condensing it to two tight acts. We have collaborated ever since. I love the book, but I believe the play is a two-hour emotional tightrope. I can’t wait to see it go live.”
Photo courtesy of Kristy Meanor
Doug Segrest, a longtime sportswriter who lives in Hoover, Alabama, is the author of "A Storm Came Up."
“A Storm Came Up” is the first of two collaborations between the creative duo thus far. In 2021, they wrote and produced a staged reading of “Journey to Justice”, a two-act play commissioned by the Freedom Rides Museum, based in Montgomery. Three of the cast members of “Journey for Justice” are now helping bring “A Storm Came Up" to life.
Drey Wingate, a Montgomery native and professional actor, said he was drawn to the story by the focus on the small town in 1960s Alabama and the impact the civil rights movement has on two teenage friends, Moses Burks and Braxton Freeman.
Wingate plays Burks, a Black high school football star who aspires for a better life far away.
“At this point in my career, I only want to surround myself with individuals that have the ability to bring the best out of me as an artist, and that is exactly what Doug and Kristy do,” Wingate said. “Doug, as a visionary and storyteller, is what this industry needs. When we had our first table read, Doug walked up to me afterwards and said, ‘Thank you for doing this.’ And I responded, ‘No, thank you for allowing me to do this.’ He is trusting me with a young man that he created, and my hope is that I exceed his expectations with the finished product."
A native of Montgomery, Segrest was a longtime sports writer with stints at the Alabama Journal, Nashville Banner, The Decatur Daily and, for 20 years, The Birmingham News. He now is a vice president of corporate advocacy at Regions, co-host of "The Zone Now" on ABC 33/40 and freelance sports columnist.
For tickets to “A Storm Came Up,” visit wetumpkadepot.com or call 334-868-1440.
