Local writer Vanessa Jackson-Fields has explored troubled family relationships, domestic violence and resiliency in several plays she's written for the stage.
Her latest, "Baby Girl 2: My Dad is Dope," is another family-rooted tale where she addresses interpersonal relationships. "The play is kind of like a spin-off of my first 'Baby Girl' two years ago," the writer said.
"Baby Girl 2" will be shown twice at the Sullivan Performing Arts Center on Saturday, Nov. 3: 4 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.
This stage production is about a teenager who finds herself in an unhealthy relationship. She's a daddy's girl, Jackson-Fields explains, but her father is away in the service. When he returns home, he sees what's unfortunately happened to his daughter in the interim.
"He comes home to find that she is in a very dangerous relationship," Jackson-Fields said. She's attempting to break free and be on her own, but the guy she's with is persistent, said the playwright.
There are red flags all over this relationship: phone calls and back-to-back texts, an insistence she stay away from her family, the type of controlling behavior that is "an act of mental abuse and control," Jackson-Fields said.
"She's trying to get away from it, but he keeps calling," she said, noting this is something she's seen with young people today.
About the play, Jackson-Fields said, "It shows the danger of staying in these relationships. It can put not only you but your family in danger also." Ultimately, the situation is one the father confronts, Jackson-Fields said.
For the playwright, it's a rewarding fifteenth anniversary of writing plays, having started in 2003. Others she's staged include "The McCormicks," "Living Behind the Mask" and her first production, "In Bondage." Through it all, she's been an advocate for those who experience abuse and violence, having survived it herself when younger.
Some of the people involved in this production, such as David Michael Wyatt and Connie Thompson, were with with her at the beginning of her career. Her production manager, Andrei Moore, has also been there as a mentor through the years.
Other returning cast members are LaMarcus Franklin, Tammee Harvey and Mary Adele Philips. New cast members are Kiana Smith, Ja'Shun Weatherall, Isaiah Germany and Kameron Randle.
Jackson-Fields strives to point out the red flags that young people should be aware of in the dating world. Get help and get out of it, she says about young people in abusive relationships.
"Don't be afraid to date, but know the signs that this could be a potential abusive relationship," Jackson-Fields said, noting she hopes young people "learn that dating can be fun and exciting," and not something tragic.
(Tickets: $20. Get them by calling 940-389-5802. More info: WomanWithAVision.net.)