Priscilla Elliott

Family from Ferrum is a slice of life stage play and African American family drama set in a small Southern town that has not changed in years. Johnathan, a millennial from the South but not Southern, arrives in Ferrum searching for a long lost family connection tied to ancestry and identity. Accustomed to technology and quick answers, he expects records to provide clarity. Instead, he encounters a community where Southern Black history is guarded, routine is sacred, and information is shared, but not always in the way Johnathan expects.

At the center is Lisa, the self proclaimed town historian, who preserves Ferrum’s community memory with pride and caution. Her brother Harold clings to tradition, while his daughter Melissa, a nonchalant millennial and lesbian, quietly resists the life expected of her. As Johnathan’s search continues, small moments in Ferrum expose generational storytelling, generational conflict, and what goes unsaid within small town Southern life.

The truth Johnathan seeks ultimately comes not from books, but from Junie Mae, the family’s elder. Though frail, her memory holds what official records do not. Through her recognition and recollection, history and ancestry are reclaimed as something lived, shared, and passed down rather than documented, grounding the play firmly in contemporary American theater.