MANSFIELD — Sometimes we have to reckon with our past before we can step forward into the future.
That’s the message Mansfield playwright Henry “Tiger” Bradley hopes to convey with his newest installment of The Hurt and the Healed series.
Since 2015, Bradley has been writing and directing plays that explore real-world issues through the lens of Tevin Dutton Jr. and his dysfunctional family.
“88” picks up where his last play ended — with Tevin sitting in a jail cell, wondering where it all went wrong. But the play is primarily a prequel, shedding light on the character’s earlier years as he thinks back to his youth.
The play features many of the franchise’s familiar characters, but this time they’re in high school.
“You’ll start to see through my lens as the writer, the true meaning of the Hurt and the Healed,” Bradley said.
“It actually is a love story between Tevin and Stacy. You actually get to see them when they first meet up and get together.”
“88” reveals the backstory of Hurt and Healed characters
After 30 years of fooling around, Tevin finally married his longtime mistress in the most recent installment of the Hurt and the Healed, Family Feud.
Myron Boswell, who plays the family patriarch Tevin Dutton Sr., said audiences have long been puzzled by Tevin and Stacy’s relationship in the past.
For the loyal followers of the franchise, “88” will provide some long-awaited answers.
“You kind of realize why they stuck together for that many years,” Boswell said.
Audiences will also meet another influential woman in Tevin Jr.’s life — his mother, Lady Jacqueline, who passed away before the first chapter of the Hurt and the Healed.
Actress Traci Mask, who plays Danni, said her favorite part of the production is understanding the character’s backstories and watching them experience healing.
She hopes audience members see characters working through trauma and realize healing is possible in their own lives.
“I think the great thing about this play, even though it was based out in 1988, these stories are happening now in our community. History repeats itself,” she said.
“We were all raised in a church, but we all did some things, we all messed up. As you see at the end of the last play, people went back and got back to the church, focused back on God to become a better person … That’s the best testimony.”
“88” premieres June 9 at New Community Temple
For the first time in the series, Bradley won’t be playing the lead role of Tevin Dutton. But there will still be a Bradley onstage.
Tre Cobb, who has played Tevin’s son in previous chapters, will lead the cast Tevin Jr. Bradley’s daughter Cheyla will portray Stacy.
The rest of the cast includes Boswell, Mask, Ciera Williams, Rakayla Smith, Brittoney Roane, Jalen Jones, Marie Holbrook, Sierra Hardin, Danny Holmes and Mookie Hardin. Pastor Renea Collins will serves as the narrator.
Despite being the sixth play with the Dutton family, Bradley said newcomers will still be able to enjoy the show, even if they haven’t seen previous chapters of the Hurt and the Healed.
“I make sure each play has its own story,” he said.
Bradley said the final installment of the Hurt and the Healed will arrive in 2025 — but that doesn’t mean he’ll stop writing plays.
For him, it’s a form of ministry.
“I take my storytelling very seriously,” he said. “That’s my total goal is to win souls to Jesus.”
“88” premiers on June 9 at New Community Temple, located at 338 Harker Street. Seating is first-come first serve and admission is free; a free will offering will be taken.
