THE JUNETEENTH STORY Brings An Original Tale To Acadiana Center For The Arts

Black Theatre Experience and the SWLA Juneteenth Committee present The Juneteenth Story, an original play written by Lafayette playwright Twana Benoit and directed by Josiah Price, at the Acadiana Center for the Arts.

Told across two timelines, 1865 and today, the play follows the Williams family as elders hand down the story of how freedom came, connecting the emancipation era to the questions of justice and responsibility a Black family still carries now. It is a faith story as much as a history one, and a celebration as much as a remembrance: full of music, movement, and the kind of laughter that has always lived alongside Black survival.

"We cannot afford, as African Americans, to allow our history to be lost," said playwright Twana Benoit.

"This play asks a Black family what freedom required of them in 1865, and what it asks of us now. That question is the whole point," said director Josiah Price.

The production has deep roots in Acadiana. It began in the early 1990s as When We Gon Be Free and became The Juneteenth Story 17 years ago, growing into an annual community gathering that draws more than 500 guests each year. This year's staging opens with a pre-show by Fire Expressions Performing Arts Conservatory, alongside dedicated community performances welcoming Lafayette Consolidated Government summer camps and, in partnership with the Boys & Girls Clubs and Big Brothers Big Sisters, children attending free.

The weekend is anchored by the Heritage Jubilee, a fundraising soirée on June 19 at 6:00 p.m. in the AcA ArtHouse, all-black attire encouraged. The evening features chef-curated dishes from Jane's French Cuisine, Gravy, iMonelli, Prejean's Carencro, Demeca's Sweets, and Chef Derek Stanford's SaucayBawBQ; live saxophone from Isaiah Norwood; and a silent auction and vendor experience by The Allure for Moore. Proceeds benefit The Juneteenth Story, Black Theatre Experience, and the SWLA Juneteenth Committee. The opening performance follows downstairs in AcA's Moncus Theatre at 7:30 p.m.