When asked what character he resonated with the most, actor Ryan Jamaal Swain, who played Love, said Passion. They enticed the audience with lyrical messages and slam poetry at every second. ![]() ![]() The men embodied their characters so much so that it wouldn’t be surprising if they truly lived those lives. The one thing that made this play stand out from the countless others, was the actors themselves. Both plays use movement and poetic language to explain the dynamics of the world but the big difference between the plays was, while Scott had a distinct linear storyline, Shange focused on “vignettes that didn’t connect.” ” Shange’s work follows seven women as they battle oppression in a sexist and racist society during the 1970’s feminist movement. TOACM has been compared to playwright Ntozake Shange’s “For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide/ When The Rainbow Is Enuf. Scott captured real-life problems in a dramatized production full of spoken word. In the play, their backgrounds shaped their outlook on life and the emotion they characterized. Although the seven lived different lives and experienced a variety of events, they were connected through their inability to convey their deepest thoughts. Like Depression, each man had a story that is relatable to the modern man. In his mind, family came first, though Happiness would disagree. However, he would not change his predicament even if he was given the chance. Stuck at a minimum wage full-time job, it was clear he was frustrated at the world and the cards he was dealt. He was the friend, brother, uncle, or dad who let go of his dreams to care for his family. His struggles resonated in many of the hearts in the audience. The first scene introduced Depression, though we did not know at the time. He said he was heavily influenced by the movements that empowered the black community and wanted to incorporate that in his own renditions. Hampton’s stories had a huge impact on Scott while he was writing his own poetry in college. One key person who stood out to him was Fred Hampton, an African American activist and revolutionary. He drew inspiration from poets, inspirational black speakers and authors. “ I wanted to write a piece that personified these emotions.” “I often heard black men don’t express themselves and don’t know how to,” Scott said. The play highlights seven black men who each represent an emotion that black man typically feel, but don’t express- love, lust, passion, happiness, anger, depression and wisdom. ![]() “Thoughts of A Colored Man,” written by Keenan Scott II, one of today’s upcoming playwrights, made its Baltimore debut on Tuesday, Oct. Seven men, seven emotions, and seven stories are shared in a theatrical blend of poetry, music, and dance. Anger built up inside of him as he watched his young athletes throw away a future in basketball he wish he had. Tears swelled in his eyes as he thought of the battle his mother had fought against AIDS for over 20 years. ![]() for the newest pair of Air Jordan sneakers. Over 61% of all roles on New York City stages went to white actors, a rate double the population of white people in New York City.Gunshots rang out as they waited in line on the streets of Brooklyn, N. There also has been the creation of Musicians United for Social Equity, working to develop pipelines for musicians of color, and a pledge by the Stewart/Whitley casting office to bring greater racial equity to their staff and working environment.Īccording to the annual study, “The Visibility Report: Racial Representation on NYC Stages,” nearly 80% of Broadway and off-Broadway shows’ writers were white and 85.5% of directors during the 2017-18 season. Several theater companies - including The Public Theater, Second Stage Theater, Roundabout Theatre Company and Lincoln Center Theater - have appointed or elevated theater artists of color. The theater community has made other steps toward inclusivity, including the launch of The Industry Standard Group, the first commercial theater investment and producing organization In the country run completely by people of color. “To have a young playwright - a young Black male - be able to speak truths about a neighborhood and an experience and a point of view in life, to share hopes and dreams - it’s revelatory.” It just made people ready to listen,” he said. “It made this show so much more ready for the world to hear these men, for the world to hear Scott’s voice. Ryan Jamaal Swain (left) and Reynaldo Piniella in Center Stage’s production of “Thoughts of a Colored Man.” Capital Gazette eNewspaper Home Page Close Menu
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