Vincent Victoria Presents THE CHRISTMASTIME SLAVE NARRATIVES

Christmas was officially made a Federal U.S. Holiday in 1870 and before then it was celebrated for years in this country. But how did enslaved people in the United States observe the birth of Christ while in the terrible throes of bondage before emancipation? With their latest virtual event, theater company Vincent Victoria Presents culls from the historic Slave Narratives again to enlighten modern audiences on what slavery was really like from the people that experienced it first hand.

As with their previous virtual productions using the Narratives as its reference point, the company known for recreating famous moments from African American History onstage, tells what kind of celebrations (if any) were allowed by the slaves and what were their personal thoughts on Christmastime.

Says director and producer Vincent Victoria "It really depended on what type of Master that the slave had. Some owners went all out and included the slaves in their family's celebration of Christmas which included gift giving and "time off", where as other slave owners did not let slaves celebrate at all. Because many of the slaves knew little of African customs and celebrations since they were born in the U.S., the tradition of celebrating the Christian Holiday was adapted and continued by a lot of African Americans after slavery."

Using the narratives as the source material in this virtual production , Victoria has crafted a fictional story line involving a writer named Hannah Ellis who interviews the former slaves on assignment for the W.P.A. during The Great Depression. Victoria also ties in the modern day Kwanzaa Holiday, celebrated yearly by many African Americans. into the plot of the story.

The Christmastime Slave Narratives will stream live on consecutive nights Dec. 18-20 at 7 pm Live on the Vincent Victoria Presents Facebook page. Early bird ticket for the event are now available for $1.99 at https://www.facebook.com/events/1086742641759697

There will be a 15 minute talk back after each performance with the actors and director. For additional information you can visit the company website at http://www.vincentvicotirapresents.com.

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