The audience grows; Maryville woman’s play opens in larger venue

If You Go
Tonya Stoutt-Brown’s play, “Coming Home,” will be performed at 6 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 11 at First Baptist Church Maryville, 202 W. Lamar Alexander Parkway, Maryville. There is no admission charge, but donations will be accepted for Vet to Vet Tennessee, a program that helps veterans adjust to civilian life after coming home.

When Tonya Stoutt-Brown wrote and then directed her first play, “Coming Home,” she envisioned sharing it with her own small church, Immanuel Baptist, with hopes others in the community would attach themselves to the message.

The play is set in 1945 at a small Baptist Church much like Immanuel. The families there are putting together a huge pageant as one of their members, a young man, has just come home from World War II. “Coming Home” sets the scene as pageant leaders and participants clash over most everything against the backdrop of a pivotal moment in history.