Mallory Pace
Words by Mallory Pace
“Nothing beats a failure but a try,” echoed the words of Shaun Powell throughout the lobby of the Ritz Theatre and Museum. She had just finished giving me a grand tour of the intricate museum halls, backstage, VIP areas and all, providing historical and detailed information about each sector as we walked.
“What’s funny is,” Powell said over her shoulder, “I don’t even work here! I just kept showing up until they gave me a desk.”
Powell earned her doctorate from St. Thomas Christian University in Christian counseling, but one of her passions always remained in writing. In 2017, after coming down with the flu, Powell sat in her room, fever running high, and started writing a play. The words flowed and never stopped; she wrote an entire play in one weekend that was incredible enough to sell out 400 seats at the Ritz Theatre, making her the first African-American woman in Ritz history to sell out the theatre with an original play.
Since then, her love and talent for playwriting blossomed, as she continued writing not just plays, but movies, and putting on productions at the Ritz Theatre. She said what first gravitated her toward the Ritz is its history.
“Once I came in and took the tour, I couldn’t leave. I just felt a connection to it, which I still do today,” Powell said. “I’m drawn to The Ritz.”
Her sold-out production of “The Wrong Man” in 2017 was her very first time playwriting, directing, casting, all of it. But with the help of [the other Ritz workers], not only was the show a hit, but Powell knew this was something the community could come together and be a part of.
“I was nervous, but it just seemed like something I was supposed to be doing,” she said. “Have you ever had that feeling? Even though I may not know what I’m doing, I’m supposed to be here?”
Year after year, Powell continued writing and directing plays at the Ritz Theatre until she decided this could be used as an opportunity to teach other aspiring writers about the process of putting on a production. As someone who was once an aspiring writer and director herself, she wanted to create a one-stop-shop for people to learn all parts of the process, from writing to producing to managing. Thus, the Ritz Writers was born.
The challenge went from navigating how to put on a play to trying to teach other people how to put on a play. The first cohort consisted of about eight people and they successfully put on a comedy play called “One Funny Christmas.” From beginning to end, the process took about four months of learning the ins and outs of theater production. Some were more interested in writing, some wardrobe, some directing, but the experience itself is the biggest lesson.
The biggest challenge, Powell explained, is the Ritz Writers not knowing they can do it and being so nervous about it. But the biggest reward is the production and getting to the other side with a standing ovation.
“You’re seeing the smile on their face and they’re just emotional that they did it,” she said. “That’s the rewarding part.”
Powell advises any aspiring writers or anyone who wants to know more about theater, the Ritz Writers is a great start to that education and getting a valuable hands-on experience.
The transition from being completely new to the realm of theater production has been both challenging and rewarding for Powell. Trying something new and giving it your all will always be scary, but like she says, nothing beats a failure but a try. If there’s something you want to do, do it, she said. Give it 100% and keep going.
As for the future of the Ritz Writers, Powell hopes to continue expanding it in all aspects. She plans to grow the Ritz Writers and the Ritz Theater as a hub for writers, actors and filmmakers to be able to learn and take part in every part of the process.
This year marks the 25th anniversary of The Ritz since it was constructed in 1999 on the site of the 1929 Ritz Theatre movie house in Jacksonville’s historic African-American community of La Villa. To commemorate such a historical landmark, Powell and the Ritz Writers plan to create a documentary of its history using the museum’s archives.
Friends and co-workers of Powell know her to be a passionate, kind and hardworking leader who continues to do everything she can to give back to her community and city she was born and raised in. Her work with the Ritz Theatre and Museum has only just begun. To think, what started as a flu-induced playwright for Powell has turned into her being a part of The Ritz Theatre history.
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