'Look Forward' tells Ruby Bridges' story of school integration

Saniya Lavelle has been acting for the past three years. But up to now, the 13-year-old Pittsburgh resident has only portrayed fictional characters.

Later this month, she’ll play the lead in “Look Forward,” the story of Ruby Bridges, the first Black student to integrate the Louisiana school system in 1960.

Prime Stage Theatre will stage the show Jan. 17-26 at the New Hazlett Theater in Pittsburgh.

“I’m honored to be able to play this role and show people who might not know much about Ruby Bridges her story,” said Lavelle, an eighth-grader at Pittsburgh Creative and Performing Arts school and a member of the Homewood-based Alumni Theater Company.

Bridges was one of four Black students to attend formerly all-white elementary schools in New Orleans on Nov. 14, 1960. While three of the students went to the McDonogh No. 19 Elementary School, Bridges was on her own — accompanied by federal marshals through an angry crowd of white parents — as she began attending class at William Frantz Elementary.

It’s the largest role Lavelle has taken on so far, and her family helped her to prepare.

“I had her talk to some of her aunts and uncles who were around the same age as Ruby,” said her mother Rachel Lavelle. “My aunts and uncles grew up in West Virginia and I wanted her to try and get a sense of their experiences at that time.”

Lavelle said she’s read more about Bridges in preparation for the play, and has learned a lot.

“I didn’t know she was going to be the only kid in her class at first,” she said. “I didn’t know that all the other parents (boycotted and) took their kids out of the school.”

On Bridges’ second day at William Frantz, a white Methodist minister, Lloyd Foreman, broke the boycott and walked his 5-year-old daughter Pam into the building, which led to protests slowly subsiding and more white parents bringing their children back to the school.

Savannah Wiles, 12, of Glenshaw, will portray Pam Anderson in the play.

“We talked about Ruby Bridges in school, but I didn’t know anything about Pam before the play,” said Wiles, a sixth grader. “I read a few books and watched (the 1998 biopic film) ‘Ruby Bridges’ on Disney Plus.”

Joylette Portlock of Swissvale, who will portray Bridges’ mother Lucille, said it’s important for people to know more than just what Bridges did.

“Ruby Bridges in the American psyche is a symbol, but she’s also a person,” Portlock said. “She’s a 6-year-old girl, an actual human with a family, and I think the stories of people like Ruby need to be told and need to be remembered as part of our shared human experience.”

Wiles said her biggest challenge has been memorizing her lines. That was news to Lavelle.

“She was one of the first people to have all her lines memorized,” Lavelle said with a laugh. “She’s really sweet and also really dedicated.”

Lavelle said her biggest challenge is sounding like a 6-year-old.

“I have to raise the pitch in my voice,” she said. “And since this is my biggest role, it was a lot more pushing myself. But I’ve really been enjoying it.”

”Look Forward: The Ruby Bridges Story,” runs Jan. 17-26 at the New Hazlett Theater, 6 Allegheny Square East on Pittsburgh’s North Side. Tickets are $19-$39. For more, see NewHazlettTheater.org.