Seattle Rep recently partnered with the Battle Fatigue podcast to create two episodes centered around Fannie: The Music and Life of Fannie Lou Hamer. In these episodes, hosts AJ Musewe and Dalin E. Costello II discuss the "evolution of the production," Fannie Lou Hamer, Mahalia Jackson, and more with Felton Offard, Henry Godinez, Cheryl L. West, and E. Faye Butler of Fannie. 

Fannie Lou and the Crew II: Return of the Hamer (Part 1)

Join us in Part I as we get the amazing opportunity to sit with the dynamite trio of playwright Cheryl L. West, director Henry Godinez, and music director Felton Offard about the history of the first show to open Seattle Rep’s doors since the pandemic began. We’ll discuss how the “little play that could…maybe” got it’s outdoor start in Chicago and traveled from neighborhood to neighborhood to share the story of a Mississippi sharecropper who would change who would change the world. We’ll hear about how the creative team came together, the impact of having a song in your heart, and how the play has evolved over the years. This crew has a ton of chemistry that you can hear and feel. And of course, AJ gets to fangirl about Fannie Lou Hamer. 

Fannie Lou and the Crew II: Return of the Hamer (Part 2)

In Part II of our collaboration series, we have the esteemed privilege of speaking with the accomplished, decorated, and legendary actress and Chicago native, E. Faye Butler. The conversation discusses the culture, how Mrs. Hamer taught us to show up for Blackness, what makes Mahalia Jackson so special (aside from being, you know, Mahalia Jackson), and why this play is the perfect story for right now. We also learn why becoming Fannie Lou Hamer is more of an ancestral embodiment and in true Battle Fatigue fashion, what E. Faye’s self care regimen is.