MANSFIELD — Tevin Dutton Jr. is back — and so is his family drama.
The latest chapter of “The Hurt and the Healed,” a series of plays by local scriptwriter Henry “Tiger” Bradley III, debuts June 25 at New Community Temple Church of God in Christ.
“Family Feud” continues Bradley’s exploration of real-world issues through the lens of the Dutton family.
Bradley will reprise his role as protagonist Tevin Dutton Jr. After 30 years of fooling around, Tevin has finally married his longtime mistress. But secrets from his past are coming out, threatening to wreak havoc on the newlywed couple.
“He’s got some past history that’s coming up, he don’t know how to tell her,” Bradley said. “He’s drinking because he don’t know how to express himself.
“He feels like, he lied and when the truth come out, she ain’t gonna want to be with him.”
Tevin Jr. isn’t the only one with secrets.
Traci Mask will take the stage as Monique, an old friend of Bradley’s character with a secret identity.
“You only see me a couple of times, but it’s a significant role,” Mask said.
Monique first appeared in Bradley’s last production, but Mask is new to the role.
“This is a play that everyone can relate to. I’m a teacher and I’ve seen these situations in every household,” said Mask, who recently moved back to Mansfield from Atlanta. “If this was a TV series, I would watch it.”
Myron Boswell is reprising his role as Tevin Sr., a protective patriarch with his own vices to hide.
“All the issues of the family stems from my past actions and some of my current actions,” Boswell said of his character. “He uses his comical (side) to cover up his issues. He never really lets that out.”
Bradley said there are many biblical lessons incorporated into the show — God works out all things for good, though his answers to prayer aren’t always the ones we were hoping for.
Most of all, he hopes audience members will realize family feuds aren’t worth it.
“I’m hoping that this will help families rekindle relationships with cousins, brothers, sisters, mom and dad,” he said. “It’s better just to stick together as a family.”
Mask said she hopes the audience will realize that generational curses can be broken — but it takes a willingness to change.
“Generational decisions always ripple down,” she said. “A lot of times the healing comes from having the right people in your community around you. Sometimes people don’t realize you have to take remove yourself from that toxic environment and put yourself in a better environment to improve on yourself.”
Bradley, an assistant pastor at New Community, has been crafting plays for most of his life. It started in childhood as a way to entertain his younger siblings. As he entered ministry, it became a way to teach God’s word in a fresh, relevant way.
“I deal with real issues, but I make you laugh. Then you be like ‘Wait a minute, what did he say?’ That’s how I do it,” Bradley said.
Mask and Boswell described Bradley as a collaborative director who lets actors have a hand in fine-tuning their characters.
“Tiger’s one of my favorite (directors) because he says okay, how can we make this better as a team?” Boswell said. “He’s very creative but he’s also a team player.”
Audience members who have seen Bradley’s previous plays will recognize other returning characters like Tevin Jr.’s sister Co Co and Pastor Steven.
The full cast includes Bradley, Boswell, Mask, Kerrick Franklin, Bobby Loyd Jr., M. Jaken Collins, Tre Cobb, Matthew Holms, Monica Johnson, Yvonne Williams, Felicia Walker, Nnenna Jordan, Brittoney Roane and Stacy Young.
The play will also feature four original songs by Bradley, Jordan and Garland McCurter.
“Family Feud” will start at 5 p.m.; doors open at 4 p.m. Previous chapters of “The Hurt and the Healed” will be playing inside the church for those who arrive early. Admission is free, but a free will offering will be taken up to help cover production costs.
