Tag Archives: Stage Play

Review: “The Love That Woke My Heart” 

Whether it was a date night with your love, girls night with your besties or group outing with church members. You were in for a treat at Saturday night’s stage play “The Love That Woke My Heart.”

Drama, comedy, realness, friendship, family, faith and of course love were all themes throughout the nearly three hour play (which started on time, by the way) at the historic Wink Theatre in downtown Dalton, Ga. 

Detroit native, Kenyatta Burse, who recently made Dalton her home clearly put her heart and soul into the play. Wearing many hats, Burse wrote, produced, directed and even lent her amazing acting and singing gifts to the play. The play featured five original songs by Burse and one co-written with LaV Davis.

Above: Kenyatta Burse 

Behind  every great woman are even greater men and women, the cast of the play, many first timers could easily be seen on your favorite television shows. They were that good. 

Let’s start with the three women whom the play is  built around.  LaSasha (Kenyatta Burse), Jada (Venus Rice) and Konstance (Michele Satcher).
Sasha’s single hard working entrepreneur not really looking to mingle, that’s until she meets Shaun (Joseph Jennings) and all of that changes. They fall head over heels in love and he make plans to head down the aisle, but something (or someone) halts those plans.
Jada, is a hopeless romantic, she loves her husband Tim (Marcus Linder) and wants their marriage to work. However it’s hard to make it work when there is one, two maybe three additional people in the way.

Above: Jada plays no games when it comes to her man. Don’t move Tressa. 

Next is Konstance, THE FIRST BLACK PARTNER AT A MAJOR LAW FIRM as she loves to remind everyone. Konnie, as her friends calls her has no time for anything (unless it’s a glass of red wine) or anybody, until she meets Donnell (Horace Burse).


Above: Three is a crowd. Who will chose Donnell? Konstance or the “baby mama?” 

Take those three couples and add the realness of Jason (Damon “Big Boi” Gordon), the charm of Keith (Shurah White), messiness of Tresse (Jasmine Madden), cuteness of Katalaya (Danika Morton) , thugness of J-Roc (Kawan Powell), innocence of Nuna (Jennifer McLaurin), smarts of the Detective (Trenton O’Neal), clueless of Jasmine (Linnette Socorro-Perez) hood Shay (Alexis Carmichael), lies of Alana (Keisha Greenwade), desperation of Akeelah (Lisa Jackson) boldness of Aaron (Gene Jackson),patience of Greyland (Adrian Storey) and comedy of Selina (Dionne Rice Powell) and Chase (Vonta Macon) and you have a hit stage play, “The Love That Woke My Heart.”

Above: Some of the talented crew backstage. 

Here is what people are saying about the play…

Congratulations to all of you for a job well done! Especially to the CEO of Burse Productions: Kenyatta”Keke” Burse! Love you all and God bless. Pastor Pat Gross

I truly enjoyed it, you guys are definitely the bomb! I’m waiting in anticipation for the next play! Great job! Terri Betton

Play was outstanding, awesome cast, hats off to all….I laughed and truly enjoyed myself. Joanne Ellington 

It was really great to see the turnout for the play in Dalton put on by Burse Productions. The play was good and the acting and singing was really good! 

Congrats to the cast of the stage play “The Love That Woke My Heart” great job guys. Dennedy Wright

Giving thanks: Dalton and surrounding counties…THANK YOU! Your support at the Wink Theatre was unbelievable. I’m still in awe. Continue to be a blessing to your/our community and watch God change things! Debbie Madden
If you missed the play no worries. Burse Productions will have copies soon available for purchase. Contact them at (313) 676-8203. 

Pieces of You: Juanita B. Green

juan headshot

Ask Juanita B. Green what she has coming up next and she excitedly tells you “EVERYTHING!”
“I have this passion for acting that is unexplainable,” she says.” Not only do I love and appreciate the art form, I study it. Acting for me is like breathing.”
Green a native of Shulerville, S.C. currently lives in Atlanta, she’s been performing in stage nearly ten years, but admits she’s been in character all her life.
Although she is a self-admitted stage type of girl she’s played in numerous musicals and plays. She’s graced the stage in Rent, Rock N Roll Heaven, Hairspray, Little Ham and A Raisin in the Sun just to name a few.
There are a few people in the business who Green would like to work with, some are “local superstars” as she calls them and so are known actresses and actors, Shirley MacLaine, “I can feel her energy through the television, Green said. Anthony Mackie, “He breathes talent, Anika Rose, is a powerhouse.” There are many more, but Green says its too many to name, however Meryl Streep, or “The Streep” is on the top of her list.
When not acting, Green enjoys writing, singing, watching movies, reading and spending time with family.
“Family and friends motivate me, the memory and legacy of my deceased grandmother, Dosha Lee Green, motivates me,” Green said.
juan in action

She smiles at the memory of her niece Mya saying she wants to act after seeing a performances, “That motivated me.”
She continues, “Seeing my talented friends working their dreams motivates me; The look on audience members faces after a performance motivates me and last but definitely not least, God is my biggest motivator.”
Green says she is blessed to have so many role models and mentors in her life. Her three grandmothers showed her how to love unconditionally be strong, yet graceful. She adds her aunts and mom to that list, calling her mother “My wonder woman.”
Debbie Allen is another woman Green looks up to, “I call myself Debbie Allen Jr. because this woman has done it all and is still doing it all,” she said.
Cicely Tyson, Hattie McDaniel, Diane Carroll, Paula Kelly, Jasmine Guy, Audra McDonald, Angela Bassett, Ruby Dee are inspirations to her. “All these woman paved the way for me, also Phylicia Rashad, the first African American to win a Tony for Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a play.

Juanita is a graduate of University of South Carolina in Aiken. In five years she plans to be still performing, but crossing over into other avenues of the business.