My Children! My Africa!

My Children! My Africa! By Athol Fugard

November 20, 8 PM (Doors 7:30 PM)

ALL SHOWTIMES: November 12-15 and 19-22, 8 PM and 2 PM Showtimes

Thursday- Saturday (Nov 12-14 and 19-21), 8 PM Show, 7:30 PM Doors
Sunday (Nov 15 & 22), 2 PM Show, 1:30 PM Doors

Tickets:

• $45 – General Admission
• $25 – Students and Youth (13-17)
• FREE – Children under 13 can attend for free with a ticketed adult
• Plus, a limited number of “Pay What You Can” tickets are available for each showtime.

Set in apartheid South Africa, the three-character two-act play takes place in a high school during the final years of apartheid. It tells the story of two brilliant students, Isabel, a young upper-class white girl, and Thami, an 18-year-old black boy, and their proud, idealistic teacher, Mr. M. Through impassioned dialogue and dramatic exposition, it explores themes of friendship, prejudice, racial unity and divisiveness, oppression, and violent unrest.

“As the walls between their three worlds begin to crumble, so do their ideas and understandings of themselves, each other, and the realities in which they all believed they lived. Perhaps, if they can find the strength to really listen and hear each other, despite the noise of their respective worlds burning around them, they – we – can find a way to rebuild a better one from the ashes,” says producer/director, Charles Frederick Secrease.

MEET THE CAST

Charles Frederick Secrease – “Mr. M.”

A native of Western Massachusetts, Charles “Frederick” Secrease (he generally uses his middle name) began performing publicly at the age of six, though not as an actor. Coming from a family of musicians, his first love was the piano, which has continued to this day. He studied classical performance through undergrad and postgrad at Juilliard and the Shanghai Conservatory, and has enjoyed over thirty years with one foot firmly planted in the world of classical music. His other foot, however, began to wander in a different direction when, at the age of 10, her saw his first musical (Oliver). Spellbound, he knew this was something he had to explore. In the years since and alongside his continued life in music, Frederick has studied, worked, and performed with numerous theater companies across the U.S., Europe, Asia, and Africa. Finding a particular love of Shakespeare, he has performed many of the classical roles, including Marc Antony, Macbeth, Oberon, and Othello. “My Children! My Africa!” holds a special place in his heart, as playing Thami was his first professional role in a national tour of the production. Now, some twenty-plus years later, he’s thrilled to be producing the show in November (this time playing Mr. M.) with his newly founded company, Lonetown Theater Works, based in Redding, CT. Frederick is very excited for the opportunity to partner with The Granite in this endeavor and appreciative of all those in our community who’ve come together to make it happen.

Malin Glade – “Isabel”

Malin Glade is a Brooklyn-based transplant hailing from California. She is a recent graduate of BYU’s Acting BFA with additional training from Kimball Studios, the Lee Strasberg Institute, and the Prague Shakespeare Company, where she performed in Romeo and Juliet. Favorite credits include the Off-Broadway premiere of Alexandria (Luz U/S), Curtain Theatre’s Richard III (Prince Edward) and Macbeth (Witch U/S), and The Laundry Play (Eliza). Additional educational/regional credits: Wait Until Dark (Susy), Pride and Prejudice (Mary Bennet), Pride and Prejudice (Kitty Bennet), and The Last Five Years (Cathy).

You might catch her in an upcoming HBO miniseries (she isn’t allowed to say anything else about it)! In addition to acting, Malin has 12 years of competitive show jumping experience and is yearning for the day she gets to ride a horse on camera/stage. Survival is insufficient! @malinglade

Justin Villard – “Thami”

Justin Villard is excited to be part of this production of My Children! My Africa! He graduated from Western Connecticut State University with his BFA in Theatre Arts: Acting. His most recent credits include John Nevins in Trouble in Mind at Collective Consciousness Theatre, Dr. John Prentice in Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner, Professor August Howe in The Mound Builders, Reverend John Hale in The Crucible, and Dayton in Fairview at Westrep Stage. He also recently appeared in Thrown Stone’s 2026 Short Play Festival.

He would like to thank everyone who has supported him through his journey. You can follow him on Instagram @justin_villard.