Livingstone grad involved in play

Maceo Hopkins

By Laurie Willis

Livingstone CollegeNews ServiceWhen Maceo Hopkins graduated from Livingstone College in 1996 with a degree in social work, he envisioned a life spent helping people.

You know, assisting the down and out with food and clothing, keeping their electricity from being turned off, helping them with bills. Social work stuff.

Well, these days Hopkins is helping people, but the work he's doing is behind the scenes and has nothing to do with social work.

Hopkins works in public relations for Jamie Brown and Darrell McCollum, two young African-Americans who own Flowing Waters Productions, a Charlotte-based production company. Brown graduated from the University of South Carolina in 1995; McCollum graduated from UNC-Charlotte in 1995.

Flowing Waters Productions is putting on the stage play "Who's Crying Now?" today and Saturday at the historic McGlohon Theatre, 345 N. College St. in Charlotte. Show times are 8 p.m. today and 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. on Saturday.

Tickets are $20 and can be purchased at www.carolinatix.org. or by calling 704- 372-1000.

The adult play is about karma and consists of six main characters — Catalina, Blake, Kenya, Donovan, Summer and Ellis — whose lives intertwine through relationships and politics and whose paths sometimes collide. They're challenged to choose between love and lust, truth and deception, family and careers and happiness and loyalty.

The play's dates coincide with the CIAA Tournament, going on this week in Charlotte.

"I got involved with them after meeting Jamie through Bank of America where we both used to work," Hopkins said. "Jamie trained me and we hit it off. I'm not a writer, but I'm a sort of behind-the-scenes guy."

Hopkins has assisted Brown and McCollum with some book signing tours. This week he'll be on hand to make sure all goes smoothly when the curtain goes up.

He has taken some still photography shots during rehearsals and even posed as a character when needed.

"I kind of float around in the lobby and talk to people about the play and the writers and make sure they find their seats," Hopkins said. "I'm sort of like an ambassador for the play."

Brown refers to Hopkins as a jack-of-all trades.

"Maceo has no desire to be in front of a camera, on stage or writing whatsoever," Brown said. "He will do a lot of things that help us focus on being out front. Right now he's trying to put together some contacts in the Atlanta area. He's definitely invaluable to us."

Hopkins, from Lincolnton, is an internal treasury consultant for BB&T in Atlanta and has been pitching the play to owners of some small venues there.

"We've had a couple of bites, but we've kind of pushed back on it because of the CIAA timeframe," Hopkins said. "We want to really try to get Charlotte on board with the play. Atlanta is coming, though not as strongly as Charlotte, just because Atlanta is a bigger market."

Securing contracts for performances in Atlanta would be great. But the significance of being part of the CIAA isn't lost on Brown, McCollum or Hopkins.

"I'm happy that we got invited to do the CIAA," Brown said. "We weren't expecting it."

"Who's Crying Now?" was originally performed at McGlohon Theatre in May 2009.

"It did so well they invited us back thinking we'd be a great fit for the CIAA to give people something to do other than just going to the parties and the basketball games," Brown said. "The play adds to the variety of things to do in Charlotte this week."