We're Heaven Bound!: Portrait of a Black Sacred Drama

by Gregory D. Coleman

Overview

More than one million people from all walks of life have been uplifted and entertained by Heaven Bound, the folk drama that follows, through song and verse, the struggles between Satan and a band of pilgrims on their way down the path of glory that leads to the golden gates.

Staged annually and without interruption for more than seventy years at Big Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Atlanta, Heaven Bound is perhaps the longest running black theater production. Here, a lifelong member of Big Bethel with many close ties to Heaven Bound recounts its lively history and conveys the enduring power and appeal of an Atlanta tradition that is as much a part of the city as Coca-Cola or Gone with the Wind.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780820321127
Publisher:	University of Georgia Press
Publication date:	03/01/1999
Edition description:	Revised ed.
Pages:	200
Product dimensions:	7.00(w) x 9.75(h) x 0.66(d)

About the Author

GREGORY D. COLEMAN, an attorney and businessman in Atlanta, Georgia, has been a member of Big Bethel since his childhood. He has been associated with Heaven Bound, as either a performer or its director, for more than thirty years.

GREGORY D. COLEMAN, an attorney and businessman in Atlanta, Georgia, has been a member of Big Bethel since his childhood. He has been associated with Heaven Bound, as either a performer or its director, for more than thirty years.

Editorial Reviews

A terrific book . . . A thorough and unendingly interesting story . . . We’re Heaven Bound! lovingly and thoughtfully delineates the sixty-two-year history of the play.

Atlanta Journal-Constitution

An engaging historical narrative . . . The reader is not merely introduced to a play but to a community, to a group that rides the tide of history.

Journal of Southern History

A terrific book . . . A thorough and unendingly interesting story . . . We’re Heaven Bound! lovingly and thoughtfully delineates the sixty-two-year history of the play.

Atlanta Journal-Constitution

America's longest-running black folk drama, Heaven Bound was first performed by the choir and congregation of Atlanta's Big Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church in 1930 and has since been seen by a total audience of over one million. The play tells in song and verse the experiences of 24 pilgrims as they meet the temptations of Satan along their journey to the promised land. Having performed in the drama for 30 years and directed it for eight, Coleman is well qualified to write this loving history. But We're Heaven Bound is more than the story behind the play; it portrays African American religion and culture as it developed in Atlanta and as a mirror of social history in America. This richly illustrated book is recommended for drama and black history and literature collections.-Howard E. Miller, Alliance Blue Cross & Blue Shield Lib., St. Louis

Library Journal

America's longest-running black folk drama, Heaven Bound was first performed by the choir and congregation of Atlanta's Big Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church in 1930 and has since been seen by over one million people. The play tells in song and verse the story of 24 pilgrims as they meet the temptations of Satan along their journey to the promised land. More than the story behind the play, this history portrays the development of African American religion and culture since 1930. B&w photographs. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Booknews