Ragland's latest play set to hit VGCC stage

Dec. 2—HENDERSON — Many of the Vance-Granville Community College Civic Center audience members next week will likely be able to relate to the characters in Connie Ragland's upcoming Christian stage play "This Is Why We Don't Come to Church!" Showtime is 4 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 10, for the Connie Ragland Productions and Youth Christian Center play, which is unique, but features themes derived from the real-life push and pull between older and younger generations in the church. In essence, the new guard wants to shake things up while their forebears can be resistant to change.

It's a tale as old as time but nowadays, the sentiment often manifests itself with a millennial pointing out something they don't agree with and declaring, "This is why we don't come to church."

"And so this is how it all started in my head because I'm like, 'Yeah, I've seen this happen,' " said Ragland, who is both the play's writer and director. "I've seen people just — don't want to deal with those types of things. So we're trying to figure out a way to get the message across — that, you know, it's not about all of those other things."

For Ragland, it's about bringing people closer to Christ and creating a welcoming environment for anyone of any background.

If there's something that sets apart Ragland's work — this is her sixth production, not counting series installments, since 2005 — it's that she always saves a space at the end of her plays to "offer salvation to people that don't know Christ or who want to get to know Christ."

"When I was writing this," Ragland said, "it was just dropped into my spirit that this is what's going to make yours different."

Connie is originally from Richmond County, but she and husband Vincent Ragland have been back in Vincent's native Vance County since 1999.

Connie's introduction to playwriting started in the church as she worked to develop a two-person skit titled "Too Young to be Saved?"

After that play's warm reception, Connie realized she could turn it into a larger production and eventually even took it on the road.

"I don't have any professional theater training," Ragland said. "I just have the Holy Spirit that directs me on how to put these shows together."

Humor and art tend to go hand in hand, and Ragland has good comedic instincts, using a brand of observational humor that comes across to audiences as relatable.

Her productions run the emotional gamut — there's comedy, sarcasm and satire, she said, with moments that will bring both laughter and tears.

The cast of "This Is Why We Don't Come to Church!" is mostly local, but there are some out-of-town actors in the mix as well. The stars of the show are Sequoia Epps-Williams and Lionel Branche, joined by Latarcia Oakley as "Hermon" and Sandra Waverly as "Sis. Peacock."

Also included in the lineup is Jayden Watkins, Min. David Bullock Jr., Kaylom Crawley, Varonica Mitchell as "The VV Show," Danielle Mitchell and plenty more.

The Youth Christian Center was started by Pastor Eddie Williams Jr. several years ago and is now under the direction of Delthine Watson.

Ragland's not a preacher, but rather "just a regular person," she said.

"I don't carry any special titles," she said. "The gift was just placed in me several years ago to write. Just have a natural ability to make people laugh, so basically what I hear in my head and think about, I just kind of write it out and make it into a production."

Tickets for are $25 per adult and $15 for school-aged youth 6-18. They're available at eventbrite.com, through cast members or by calling Vincent Ragland for more information at 252-213-2095.