She Didn’t Want the Pulpit. Instead, She Built a Stage

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Ursula Battle comes from a family of preachers, but she didn’t take the pulpit. Instead, the Baltimore journalist-turned-playwright built her own kind of ministry — one where the stage doubles as a sanctuary and every performance leaves room for transformation.

Her work, which centers on faith and faith-based values, fills the pews in performance spaces across metro Baltimore, largely through word of mouth. She’s received mentorship from Charles Dutton, a veteran actor and star of the early-90s sitcom “Roc.” Audiences are so moved by her plays — often set in the fictional United in Victory Tabernacle on the Hill Free Will Baptist Catholic and Episcopal Church — that ministers are on hand to receive those ready to give themselves to the faith. 

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“Some even fall prostrate during the show,” Battle says. “It’s just indescribable.” 

‘It’s Really a Ministry’

Though she still writes freelance news articles for local papers to help pay the bills, Battle says that finding her passion by blending faith and artistry with the pen has been as unexpected as it is gratifying.

”I know I’m doing what God has called me to do and those kinds of testimonies just verify it, and make me say, ‘Wow!’” she says. “It’s more than a play, it’s really ministry.”

A Baltimore native, the drive to preach runs strong in the family. Her grandfather, the late Rev. William Nelson Stokes, founded New Hope Baptist Church, and her father, Rev. John Battle, also owned a barbershop in Sandtown, Winchester.

Ursula Battle, however, chose a different path. 

An excellent student in English and the written word, she got her undergraduate degree from Coppin State University and a graduate degree from the University of Baltimore. Her sights were set on a career in journalism. 

”I never expected I’d be able to tell an entire news story, write an article, and make it plain for everyone,” Battle says.

Influential Supporters

But she was even more surprised when, at the request of her mother, Vashtied Battle, a retired school teacher, she wrote her first play, “The Teachers Lounge.” The play debuted at Coppin State University in 2002, and Battle’s mother was pleased with the outcome. The audience apparently was, too: some came to multiple performances of “The Teachers Lounge,” and those who know Battel still talk about it.

Actually, encouragement from two unexpected sources that really put the soul in that first play.

The first positive sign came from Cheryl Pasteur, a Maryland state delegate representing the Baltimore area and a former drama teacher and educator. Battle says the influential lawmaker read the script and later became one of the play’s directors. 

Then, Battle had the opportunity to interview Dutton, who read the script after hearing about it. The actor, who was a friend and collaborator of the legendary playwright August Wilson, gave Battle invaluable advice. 

“He told me I needed to interject the full life of a teacher, because the original had been pure comedy,” Battle says. “He said, “The life of a teacher isn’t just comedy. You need to capture the other side in terms of the challenges of being an educator.” 

Writing From the Heart

Battle was thrilled: “I was so encouraged and revised the script as he suggested, and the first show was a sellout. But what really got me was when I heard the [audience’s] first laughter.”

Her next play, “DisChord in the Choir,” played to packed houses at Johns Hopkins University. Since then, Battle has written more than 30 plays, some even for specific churches and their planned celebrations. Though her creativity has brought her reknoun, she credits her time as a reporter with helping her refine her craft.

“My experiences over the years as a journalist was preparation for what I believe God has called me to do,” Battle says. “And the reason I say that is because I’ve interviewed many people who, for example, are in addiction, many people who run recovery houses,” the setting for her play “Serenity House: From Addiction to Deliverance.” 

Interviewing people who had fallen into addiction, yet found a path to sobriety, “was preparation for me to write the show, as well as the book that followed.” And, much like her subsequent shows, Battle’s message of faith touched her audience.

”I’ve had a young lady come up to me after the show and said it had helped her overcome her addiction, Battle said. “She had relapsed and then the show helper her in such a way that she was about to not go back to using.” 

‘Come to Jesus’ Moments

Battle’s most recent work, “The Homegoing Service for a Man Named Jesus,” featured tributes from Biblical characters whose lives had been transformed by their encounters with the Savior.

Not every play is a Bible-based story, but each story reflects values that spark a desire for real transformation. And as each play ends, the “come to Jesus moment” in the audience begins.

 Pastors and ministers take their places to receive those who’ve been so moved by what they’ve seen that they’re ready to commit to their faith. Others move toward audience members who indicate a need for prayer.

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The actors of all ages come from surprising places: boardrooms, physicians’ offices, and classrooms.  At least one performer had enough talent to qualify for the 7th round of the talent competition TV show “American Idol.” 

Battle’s work has received awards from the Patapsco Valley Links, Donnie Glover’s Black Wall Street, Leah’s Book Club, and Playwright of the Year!

When people greet her, they often ask Battle, “When’s your next play?” Her answer: “Desperate Housewives of the Bible,” playing June 27 and 28 at One God One Thought Center for Better Living in Windsor Mill, Maryland.