Hometown Playwright to Premiere Her Dream

A writer for as long as she can remember, Halifax County resident Joan Daniel Whitlock used to be shy about letting people see what she’d written. Not anymore. Her independently-produced play “Mama’s Pearls” is set to premiere on the big stage at Halifax County High School’s auditorium October 9-11. 

Third of eight children, a wife, mother to “five handsome adult sons,” and a grandmother, Whitlock has many relatives and values her family responsibilities. But she always wanted to do more with her writing. 

A creative writing class at the former Founders College increased her confidence. Writing professor Dr. Bryan Niblett encouraged Whitlock, who afterwards had the courage to put a poem in the newspaper. “That class gave me the courage to step out and do what I’d always dreamed of doing,” she says.  In 2007 she decided “to clean the dust off my play and forge ahead with production.”

 It hasn’t been easy. “Proceeding with production proved to be a daunting and challenging experience. The doors were jammed shut and not opening for me. I wondered if doing what I love was the right thing to do. Finally, after a couple of readings facilitated by a newfound angel of a friend, Fred Motley, I was able to gather the beginnings of a terrific and very talented cast,” says Whitlock.

But then colon cancer struck in 2008. Meanwhile, Whitlock’s husband Melvin was laid off from his Read more