Fast Five: A chat with Dr. Julisa Rowe

Julisa Rowe has been acquainted with the stage for more than 40 years. She is an actor, accomplished director and also a trainer in the arts. Aside from equipping others with her extensive knowledge and experience, she is using these gifts and abilities to draw people to Christ.

In January 2022, she launched ChemiChemi Players, a repertory theatre company. Their first production ‘Spread Your Garment Over Me’ featured an all-female cast telling the stories of women from the Bible through a collection of monologues by Gillette Elvgren. The show sold out six times, evidence that there is a hunger not only for quality Christian entertainment but for God’s Word.

We caught up with her for a quick chat on her work and future plans for ChemiChemi.

Have you caught your breath from the whirlwind success of  ‘Spread Your Garment’?

I am still amazed at the response to “Spread Your Garment”!  Yes, I have caught my breath and got my health back (doesn’t it seem like there is always a physical “crash” after shows?!). I continue to hear from audience members about how impacted they were by the play, how much they learned, and what a powerful experience it was.

How long did it take from the conception of the idea to staging the show? What was that experience like especially being front and center of this new venture?

We had been meeting as a group of actors and writers for several months, going through the book “Bad Girls of the Bible,” and discussing how these women would be portrayed in Kenyan society today.  We were aiming to have a show based on those stories, but unfortunately the scripts were not getting written very quickly.  The goal was a February show date.  In December we realized that we would not have anything ready.  Years ago, I had seen a production of “Spread Your Garment Over Me” done as a one-woman show, and I loved it!  I got the script and held on to it, hoping to do it myself one day.  I realized that it would be a good show to do in lieu of “Bad Girls,” but felt too selfish to do the whole thing by myself when I knew so many wonderful actresses who could act it brilliantly and who wanted a place to perform a more faith-based piece.  So I hand-picked those ladies I had known over the last 15 years that I wanted to showcase and we started rehearsals in January, finally performing toward the end of February.

I began my drama career as director and actor of a church drama team, so it was really nothing new to be producer, director and actor in “Spread Your Garment.”  What was different, however, was my age!  I realize that 30+ years down the line, it takes more energy and takes me longer to recover now than when I was in my 20s!

The whole experience was wonderful though – having a “circle of women” to work with, experiment with, and share our stories and the stories of prominent and obscure women in the Bible.  I still smile when I think of it!

You built quite a following after staging this production. What more can we expect from the company?

Our next show is coming in July!  Based on the response to “Spread Your Garment,” we decided to keep our theme for the year as “Voices of the Bible” – there are so many wonderful characters, known and unknown, that can still be explored in the Bible that have important things to say to us today.  July’s show will be the “Kings and Leaders edition” as we speak into the upcoming Kenyan elections.  Then we can look forward to the Christmas edition, Couples edition, and hopefully even the “Bad Girls of the Bible” edition!  There are so many great, well-written plays that I would love to stage.  In addition, I am working out how to develop new writers and present great, original, Kenyan plays on stage as well.

As a Director what do you look for in an actor before casting them in your projects?

Commitment, talent, integrity, and whether or not they work in the role.  I am happy to work with anyone, but for ChemiChemi Players, I do look for actors who have a commitment to Christ and making him known through their lives and their art.  Not everyone I cast is in that place however, and that’s OK, as long as they are not anti- what we are trying to do in the company.  We welcome them and love them and make them a part of our story!

If you had a limitless budget what production would you love to stage and why?

I would love to re-stage “Rohio and Juliet” for starters.  This was a completely original script and music by the drama team at Mamlaka Hill Chapel in Nairobi.  We staged it over two successive years and had great response.  “Pilate” is another play that I had the privilege of directing in its world premiere in Oregon over 20 years ago.  I would love to bring it to Kenya.  Otherwise, when I think of having a limitless budget, I think of musicals as being the most expensive, and there are many great ones out there that would be wonderful to put on stage!