One evening in March, the seasoned actress Dianne Oyama Dixon came to the Schoening Conference Center for a moving performance of Claim the Dream. During this one-woman show, Dixon depicted historic African-American women during ghastly times striving to make change – Harriet Tubman, Sojourner Truth, Mary Churchill Terrell, Mary McLeod Bethune and Rosa Parks.
Dixon not only dressed as these influential women; she also channeled them emotionally. As she draped each piece of clothing around her, she immediately became that woman, carrying herself as they would and spoke with their dialect. The pain that shone in her eyes while she cried on stage opened but a window for us to peek into the haunting past.
In the brief show Dixon was able to give a taste of Tubman and the Underground Railroad, of Truth’s “Ain’t I A Woman?,” of Terrell’s right to vote speech, of Bethune’s last will and testament and of Parks’ bus ride.
Being the Tennessee talent she is, Dixon has starred in many a films and Broadway productions, including A Piece of the Action, Good Times, The Cradle Will Fall, As the World Turns, Sister Can I Speak for You? and Ladies, Your Places Please. Aside from being a stage and film performer, she has written, produced and directed hundreds of television and radio commercials.
After performing the show for 20 years, Dixon holds Claim the Dream very near and dear to her heart.
“When young people see their elders standing on a bus and don’t get up to offer them their seat or hold open a door for their elders, something is wrong,” Dixon said following the show.
“When people feel they can greet any race with derogatory words and think it’s okay, there’s something wrong,” she said. “These women, all those people didn’t work so hard so we could be unappreciative or disrespectful.”
For her, Claim the Dream is not just about showcasing the strength of these women who came before us, who changed our history or gave some hope. She wants people to walk away from each of her performances with a different outlook, with whatever strength or reassurance in themselves they may need and a deeper appreciation for what history has given us.
“I lived that,” she said, pointing at the slideshow on the wall showing boycotts over segregation as well as the banners of those who wrongfully lost their lives because they stood for what they believed in.
Who does she enjoy playing the most? “They are all so fun because they are different, but I love Sojourner Truth because she’s just so loud and full of energy.”
Indeed, the Ain’t I A Woman segment was phenomenal, but Dixon’s passion for this history shines throughout the show. She is truly an amazing talent.
