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On Nov. 16, Troy native Makelia LaRee Wingard will debut her first play in seven years with the premier of “Grief, Grudges and Guilt” at the Crosby Theater on the campus of Troy University.

Wingard is a graduate of Charles Henderson and attends Troy University. It was at Troy University where she debuted her first play, “What’s Next,” way back in 2012.

“That was my first show, first time ever putting what I wrote on stage,” she remembered. “It was a great night. We had 930 people in here in Crosby Theater. It was amazing.”

Wingard said that she knew from an early age that she wanted to write but it was in college when she discovered that she wanted to write plays.

“I’ve been writing since middle school,” she emphasized. “Just about every English teacher I had told me I was a good writer. I started doing fictional writing (in college) and took two courses on it. I started writing about different situations in the community that a lot of families were going through. I would hit on those subjects and also try to bring some comedy with it, as well.”

After her first production, Wingard went on to produce three more plays between 2012 and 2017 before taking a step back.

“I originally took a break because of COVID and with raising my child,” Wingard said. “I just couldn’t get back into the mojo. There’s a lot that goes into it and I just felt like I didn’t have the time anymore. I finally sat down two years ago and decided I needed to get back into it and started writing this play.”

“Grief, Grudges and Guilt” comes from real life experiences for Wingard.

“In these past seven years I’ve lost a lot of family members and loved ones,” said Wingard. “In those seven years, COVID took one of my favorite family members. My second cousin, who was just 20 years old, passed away. Losing family members and other loved ones and seeing, not just my family, but others families go through tragedy and how it could lead to families bickering and old secrets coming out and how that could lead to a family falling apart inspired this play.

“I wanted to touch on those things and bring some awareness to how families can start to grow apart, especially after a matriarch of the family – and the older generations – start to die off.”

Wingard said that it was important to show the grief, grudges and guilt but also to show that families can come back together in the end.

“In the end, we’ll see the family come together and form that family bond that the matriarch wants them to have,” she said.

While Wingard said she wouldn’t call her play a “church play,” there are certainly Biblical references that can be spotted.

“I grew up in the church, so there are a lot of points made throughout (the play) that are biblical,” she said. “You can go back and find it in the bible. I do use those points to bring things home, to bridge the gap between the fussing and arguing and falling out.”

There won’t just be sadness and anger in the play, either, as there will also be plenty of humor.

“There will be mixed emotions,” Wingard said while flashing a smile. “There will be points where tears are shed but there are also parts that will make you laugh. When I write a show, I picture myself in the audience and think about what would move me. It’s going to be a mixture of sad and funny.”

There will also be a live band that performs during the play, which will be a musical that sees the cast members singing, as well. That cast features a number of local talented artists. The male lead is Troy native Mitchell Sneed, while Troy University graduates Stephanie Williams Moorer and Mary Walker are female leads.

“Mary Walker is my Cicely Tyson,” Wingard said. “She is so phenomenal. She embodies any character she plays. I call Stephanie my Tamela Mann, she’s the songstress. Mitchell Sneed plays our main character, Jerome, and he’s also phenomenal.”

Union Springs native Montrelle Coleman will bring the funny, while Brundidge’s own Charles Pittman lends what Wingard described as an amazing voice.

“Montrelle Coleman is my Mr. Brown (from Tyler Perry’s films),” Wingard said with a laugh. “He has played Bryan in every one of my shows. He could play other characters but that’s just who he is. He makes the funny side of the show. He is Bryan. Charles Pittman has a great voice. For his role, I needed a man that could sing and he has such an amazing voice.”

Wingard’s 10-year-old son also plays a part in this play, his first time acting in one of his mother’s shows.

“My last show that I did, he was only three years old sitting in the lap of my grandmother,” Wingard said holding back a tear. “That was my grandmother’s last show she got to see before she passed away. Now, my son is in this one, doing one of my plays for the first time.”

Wingard said that this play would be more than just a musical, though. She called it an event, which will have a red carpet with two photographers. There will also be a live DJ playing before the show and there will be a 360-photo booth set up inside the Crosby Theater.

Leading in to her first show in seven years, Wingard said she wanted people to know that “Greif, Grudges and Guilt” is for everyone.

“A lot of folks say this is just a one race type of show, or a show for just one race, but that’s not true at all. You’ll see unity when you come to our show,” she emphatically said. “There will be many races and different kinds of people here and all of those different people will be able to relate to the themes.

“You’ll see a scene of unity when you walk into that theater. There will be mixed cultures and people from all walks of life there. You’ll be able to laugh together and cry together and enjoy an event without there being any issues of politics, race or anything that might divide us.”

“Grief, Grudges and Guilt” premiers on Saturday, Nov. 16, at Crosby Theater on the campus of Troy University. Tickets can be purchased online at, https://www.eventbrite.com/e/grief-grudges-guilt-tickets-1014249025137.