Mike Wiley Brings “Dar He: The Story of Emmett Till” to Northwood and Seaforth High Schools
What happens when one actor takes on fifteen characters—and the weight of one of America’s most powerful civil rights stories—all by himself?
On October 1, students at Northwood High School and Seaforth High School found out.
Actor, playwright, and educator Mike Wiley brought his one-man play, “Dar He: The Story of Emmett Till,” to both schools for an unforgettable day of performance and conversation, supporting US History curriculum and learning standards. Written and performed by Wiley, the play recounts the 1955 murder of 14-year-old Emmett Till and the trial that helped ignite the Civil Rights Movement.
Transformation :: An Actor and an Audience
With just a few simple props—think a towel, suspenders, a chair, and a lot of imagination—Wiley transformed before students’ eyes. His voice shifted; his posture changed; his energy filled the room. In one breath, he was a witness on the stand; in the next, a grieving mother or a preacher calling for justice. It was almost magical to see.
Students came into the auditorium with lots of teenage chatter and bustle. You could hear the candy wrappers crinkling and you could see some students slumped down in chairs–perhaps thinking the next 45 minutes might be their morning nap opportunity. Right about 10 minutes in, the room was silent, and those slumps turned into hands on chins and eyes locked in. “It was amazing to feel the tenor of the room shift,” noted Amanda Moran, Chatham Arts Council’s Artist-in-Schools Director.
One student at Northwood said, “I have never seen anything like this. I don’t even understand how he did that right before our eyes. It was so powerful and he is wicked talented!”
Conversation :: No Boring Q&A Here
And when the curtain fell (well, figuratively), the students’ questions started flying:
“Do you ever do voice impressions?” “No,” Wiley says with a laugh. “Only the ones in my plays. That’s plenty of voices to juggle and keep up with.”
“Why a one-person show?” “I don’t have to pay anyone else,” he jokes. Then, turning reflective: “But really, I wanted to challenge myself. I wanted to see how many layers of this story I could bring to life on my own.”
“Why THIS story?” “It’s powerful,” Wiley says. “And it still matters. I wanted audiences to feel every part of it—the heartbreak, the courage, and how important it was in being a catalyst to our Civil Rights movement in our country.”
Students are curious about his process, too. Wiley explains that memorizing so many lines isn’t just about repetition—it’s about movement. “I block my scenes. I connect lines to where I am on stage,” he shares. “I can’t just sit and read the script over and over. I have to live it.”
The students also want to know all about Wiley’s research for the play. They learn that, for “Dar He,” he spent months reviewing historical documents and listening to audio to shape his vision for each character. He lets them in on the way he draws inspiration from everywhere, including everyday life. “The preacher’s voice? Might’ve come from someone I met in the grocery store.”
The conversation turns thoughtful when a student asks if Wiley has ever met members of Emmett Till’s family. Wiley nods, “Yes, several times. They’ve seen the show in places like Mississippi and Chicago when I performed there. Those moments are powerful. It means a lot to share this story with the people who lived it.”
And when someone asks how he first discovered acting, Wiley doesn’t hesitate: “I was bad at math,” he grins. “But I had teachers who saw something in me. I got on stage in sixth grade, and I realized—I could do something I loved, something that moved people, made them laugh, and I enjoyed doing it at the same time.”
Education :: When History is Center Stage
As students file out, a Seaforth student says to his friends, “Sadly I had never heard of this story. Have you? Why have I never heard this before?” While one friend was also learning this history for this first time, another friend had never seen it in this way. “It made it come alive!”
Our Northwood and Seaforth tenth-graders saw a performance–and they also what happens when storytelling meets history. Because in Mike Wiley’s hands, history doesn’t feel far away at all. It’s standing right there, center stage in front of you.
Mike Wiley’s work at Northwood High School was sponsored by Harrison Family Trust. His work at Seaforth High School was sponsored by Gloria Weissman and Vivian Brown through the Lily McCoy Voller Stargazer Fund. Both events are part of the Chatham Arts Council’s Artists-in-Schools Initiative.
Arts for Resilient Kids programming is made possible by partnerships with Chatham County Schools, Chatham County, the North Carolina Arts Council, and many individual, foundation, and business donors. If you feel inspired to help us educate kids through the arts, click here to donate.
Photo at top of page: Mike Wiley in “Dar He: The Story of Emmett Till.” Photo Credit: Gina Harrison.
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