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Bessemer City teacher uses his role in “Liberty Mountain” to connect with students
Teacher Jeremy Homesley believes that the lessons learned outside the classroom can be just as important as the ones taught inside. That’s a belief he’s instilling in his students through his own outside-the-classroom experience.
Homesley, who teaches English at Bessemer City High School, is finishing up his eighth season in Bob Inman’s “Liberty Mountain” drama at the Joy Performance Center in Kings Mountain. Playing British Major Patrick Ferguson, a role that’s deemed “the villain” in the show, Homesley says he has gained a lot to share with his students.
“Through being in a drama like this, I’ve learned that the lessons from the classroom aren’t just for the classroom,” he said. “It lends credibility to show them that I’m out in the world, using those same lessons that I tell them about every day.”
Written by Inman, who many people recognize from his time reporting news at WBTV, “Liberty Mountain” tells the story of the Revolutionary War’s Battle of Kings Mountain and highlights how colonists joined together to fight off the British troops in their attempt to secure control of the Southern colonies. At the Battle of Kings Mountain, the colonists/patriots were successful in their efforts to defeat British major Patrick Ferguson and his Loyalist militia. Ferguson was killed at the Battle of Kings Mountain, which has been referred to as a turning point in the American Revolution.
Because the production shifted from a summer to a fall time slot, Homesley said this is the first time he’s been teaching and acting in the play simultaneously. So, when he got a chance for his students to come and see the show in action, he jumped at the opportunity.
“I had a group of students take me up on coming to see the drama,” he said. “We had dinner before the show, and they got to come watch the play. Two of them told me that it was the first live play they had ever seen.”
As an English teacher, Homesley says they read a lot of plays in class, and his experience in “Liberty Mountain” has given his students a firsthand view of the ins and outs of a live theater experience.
“All of a sudden, my students understand what we’re doing in class more than they did before,” he said. “They can see the plays in their mind as we read them, and they ask about my co-stars who are full-time actors, too. Seeing that connection come to life has been amazing for me as an educator.”
In addition to teaching, acting, and pursuing a masters’ degree in teaching, Homesley also decided to rekindle the high school’s drama club. “We get together once a month,” he said. “We’ll have audition workshops and put together a show at the end of the year.”
Homesley enjoys being able to bring plays to life for his students, and he is grateful for opportunities to pique their interest in drama. “I get to show them about the great local opportunities for drama and acting that exist, if they just look in the right places.”
“Liberty Mountain” takes the stage at the Joy Performing Center in Kings Mountain on Friday, October 6 and Sunday, October 8 for its final performances of the season. Coincidentally, the play’s 2023 run concludes the same weekend of the 243rd anniversary of the Battle of Kings Mountain, which occurred on October 7, 1780.
For more information, visit www.libertymountaindrama.com