Jan 1, 1863Freedom declared
Two and a half years untold.
June 19, 1865General Order No. 3
“The people of Texas are informed that, in accordance with a Proclamation from the Executive of the United States, all slaves are free.”
The soldier · Act One
June 18 and 19, 2027Acadiana Center for the Arts, Lafayette
A live theatrical and civic gathering that commemorates Juneteenth through story, music, movement, and intergenerational dialogue.
1865Texas
Aunt Emma · who was Peaches
On June 19, 1865, freedom finally reached Texas, two and a half years after it was declared. The Juneteenth Story lives in that gap: the waiting, the word arriving, the first breath of a people learning they were free.
Told through movement, music, and testimony, it moves between then and now, holding the origin of freedom against the lives we carry today.
1865Belle and Isaac
Aunt Emma
Act TwoLafayette, a Juneteenth morning
Mama Eunice
Aunt Emma · born in Texas
I remember what we said to each other when it was time to leave.
Mama Eunice · her niece
I don’t remember every word anymore. But I remember what it cost.
Daddy
You got to believe in me, Mama. We got it. Every word. Every story. I promise you.
Alex · writing her speech
So, we must stand up andnever forgetbecome the warriors.
And now you know the story too. Don’t let it die.
Aunt Emma · the last line
Since 2022Written and directed
Josiah Price
Twana Benoit · playwright
Twana Benoit wrote The Juneteenth Story. It began as “When We Gon Be Free,” a church skit she wrote in the 1990s, and grew into this play after a commission from the SWLA Juneteenth Committee’s Abram Freeman.
Josiah Price · director
Josiah Price has directed every production since 2022. An actor, director, and educator in Lafayette, he is Resident Director of Black Theatre Experience and founder of Creative Reach, teaches theatre in Lafayette Parish Public Schools, and chairs NAACP ACT-SO Lafayette.
2022–2026Lafayette
A company of Acadiana artists, singers, dancers, and storytellers who give the history a body and a voice. Each year the ensemble grows, and each year the story is passed to new hands.
Co-presented by Black Theatre Experience and the Southwest Louisiana Juneteenth Committee
2026The company
With eight young performers as Peaches and Imani, Caroline, Archie, Tom, and Jayden.
As printed in the 2026 program (opens in a new tab).
2027Lafayette
Acadiana Center for the Arts, Lafayette
In 2027 the story goes further: a more ambitious staging, fair pay for the artists and crew, and a second performance in Franklin on Juneteenth itself. The Heritage Jubilee returns ahead of opening night.
2027The list
Dates, tickets, and casting for the 2027 season, sent when there is something real to say. No more than a handful of messages a year.