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DIRECTOR'S CUT WITH BYRON C. SAUNDERS
Episode 826th June 2024 • Conversations on Aging • Zoomcatchers
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Greetings and welcome back to Conversations on Aging, Season 2, The Artists!

This episode we're talking to Director Byron C. Sanders, no stranger to the Zoomcatchers family!

Byron’s highlights and many credits currently include working as an independent Arts Management Consultant helping artists and arts organizations with grants administration and fund development.

Byron has recently directed Elders Igniting: Many More Stories To Tell, a Zoomcatchers production, featuring 3 one act plays by some of Atlanta’s renowned senior playwrights.

Byron has served on many arts panels including: The National Endowment for the Arts; The New York Foundation for the Arts, The Department of Cultural Affairs/NYC, The Georgia Council for the Arts and The City of Atlanta Department of Cultural Affairs.

In New York City, he was the Executive Director of the Frank Silvera Writers' Workshop (1988-90) and the Workshop, on his watch, won an Obie Award for Playwriting Development.

To watch Elders Igniting: Many More Story To tell:

https://youtu.be/LZfk3iCGhGY

To find out more about us:

www.zoomatchers.us

www.thefsww.org

www.ncblackrep.org

Transcripts

Kimberly:

Greetings and welcome to Conversations on Aging season two.

2

:

I'm your host, Kimberly

Gunn with Zoom Catchers.

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:

Thanks so much for watching, sharing

our content and continuing to believe

4

:

in the power of podcasting to make

positive impacts on our world.

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:

This season, we have another lineup

of great guests, many of them

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:

artists, writers, and actors to

share their aging journeys with us.

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:

Today, we're talking with Byron C.

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:

Saunders, director, actor, and

civil rights advocate, and no

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:

stranger to the ZoomCatchers family.

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:

Byron's highlights and many

credits currently include working

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:

as an independent arts management

consultant, helping artists and

12

:

arts organizations with grants,

administration, and fund development.

13

:

Speaker 10: Byron has recently directed

Elders Igniting, Many More Stories

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:

to Tell, a ZoomCatchers production,

which is three plays of some of

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:

Atlanta's renowned senior playwrights.

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:

Miron has served on many Arts

Councils, including the National

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:

Endowment for the Arts, the New

York Foundation for the Arts, and

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:

the Georgia Council for the Arts.

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In New York City, he was Executive

Director of the Frank Savera Writers

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:

Workshop from 1988 to 1990, and the

workshop on his watch won the Obie

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Award for Playwriting Development.

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Kimberly: And so now without

further ado, we're so pleased

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to present and welcome Byron C.

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Saunders to the Zoom

Catchers virtual studio.

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Byron, how are you doing today?

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Byron: I am blessed and divinely favored.

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I'm realizing that I have received

and been beneficial to an anointing.

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Speaker 8: Something that we

all have, God has given us the

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chance to be someone special.

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Everybody is special.

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Every child born has a special gift.

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My gift, as I learned early, was

seeing things from a theatrical view.

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and what I mean by that is like

when you're growing up as an African

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American and I was born in 1950,

okay, so where I'm at that I'm at

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the cusp of television invention so

that my visual concept of, Growing

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up was principally by way of a box.

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That screen that we see ourselves in.

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And it's so interesting because my heroes

and sheroes at that time of my wonder

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years, as they say, Was Sammy Davis Jr.

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Frank Sinatra.

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if you could imagine being a combination

of Frank Sinatra and Sammy Davis Jr.

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And every time they were on television,

I was fascinated by what I was seeing.

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And then of course, back in the

fifties, if you had a television,

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it was usually black and white.

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Color television wasn't that much

of a product of affordability.

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You could barely afford

the black and white TV.

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and of course, we all had the antennas

on top with the, you know, aluminum

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foil to try to increase the reception.

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But when a black person was on

television, it was cause for celebration.

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Imagine that.

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Me being born in the 50s,

watching television, and seeing

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Sammy Davis Jr., Paul Robeson.

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My first love affair was

with Dorothy Dandridge.

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Oh my god, watching her in the classical

piece of Carmen, Carmen amazing story.

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And then seeing Harry Belafonte.

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Every time there was a black

person on television, I said,

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that's what I want to be.

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I want to be like that.

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Growing up in a household

where my parents, see, I was

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born in Nashville, Tennessee.

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So when we talk about the great migration

of Blacks leaving the South and coming

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to the North, I'm one of those persons.

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I was born in Hubbard

Hospital, which is now Meharry.

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My mother was a graduate of Fisk.

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Her mother was a graduate of Fisk.

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And her mother, my grandmother,

first cousin, was the first and

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seventh president of Liberia.

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So in my DNA, it's all about freedom.

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my father was a graduate of

Tennessee State University.

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So here I am, HBCU born baby, with

a pedigree that I was unaware of

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because I'm too young to realize.

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The history of that kind of linkage

and connections where my grandmother

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was in the same class as W.

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E.

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B.

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Dubois at Fisk University.

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And she sang with the

Fisk Jubilee Singers.

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So here is the legacy.

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Of knowing and being more than just a

byproduct of a plantation, a byproduct

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of a sharecropping family, being given

what Dubois wrote about, the talented

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10th, my parents are the talented

10th, and they moved to Washington, D.

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C., they got into government, they

worked with the federal government, the

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National Security Agency, I'm 74 years

old, I have no idea what my parents did

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for the federal government, working with

the National Security Agency because

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of their top secret security clearance.

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Now, not many people can

claim that, Kimberly, okay?

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So you grow up in a household where you're

like, at our dinner conversations, my

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mother and father says, we will not and

ever will discuss what we do at our job.

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If anybody asks you what we do,

you tell them we, your parents

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work for the defense department.

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That's it.

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Speaker 7: That's it.

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Every time I talk to you, I learn

something new and different about you.

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You know, I just touch on the highlights

of who you are in the introduction

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and now you're whipping out all this.

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I'm like, whoa.

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Speaker 8: and, you know, it is a woe

moment because I'm learning as I age, the

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significance of your family origin, that

tree that you're a part of, and in our

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21st century, now that we're having this

major conversation about race in America,

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which has been for the last 400 years,

since:

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It does not stop.

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I'm inspired today by a doctor,

who gave a commencement speech

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at Clark Atlanta University.

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The couple weeks ago, in which Janice

Lidell, the playwright that I just got

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to working with, Elders Igniting, she's

emeritus at Clark Atlanta University,

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and this is somebody who she mentored

and taught, who gave the commencement

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speech, that was so brilliant,

brilliant, it was like a, a sermon

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from the mount, And to encourage these

young people who came to that place

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of significance to learn to become

something other than somebody's work

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slave, go beyond, to reach for the stars.

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And it was just so inspirational.

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So that when.

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Janice came back to the theater where

we're doing Elders Igniting, which was

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on Frank Silvera Writers Workshop's 50th

Anniversary Reading Series back in March.

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she came in floating on air and I

was like, wow, this is so wonderful.

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and now I understand because this

was a student that she taught.

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Got his doctorate and then elevated to the

next level to bring in the people behind

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her and with him to where they're going

in this journey that we call America.

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that inspiration is inspires you.

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It lights your fire so that when you get

up in the morning and you put your shoes

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on and you get ready to go out and into

the world that you're not going out there

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just with the always woe is me attitude.

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But it's like I've had breakfast of

champions this morning and I'm going out

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there and I'm kicking ass, taking names,

collecting checks, and I'm writing my

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name in the book that says I am legacy.

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Not just a theory, but a truth

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Speaker 7: And this is a great

way to start off this conversation

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because you literally combine

like 10 topics into one statement.

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And I really want to just back

up a little bit and find out.

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I know that you, you know, you gave

your beginnings, your humble beginnings,

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and now we're talking about legacies.

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How did you go from, watching

the big names on the TV to

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actually getting into the arts?

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Speaker 8: Well, I think it starts

with where you, the first PlayStation.

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Think about this.

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A child's first PlayStation

where you learn the dynamics

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of living is in your kitchen.

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Your mother's kitchen.

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That's a PlayStation.

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And so my parents gave me and my sisters

an opportunity to learn, to grow, to

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develop, to become yourself individually,

and then bring that to the table to be

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a part of a village, your community.

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And even though I didn't know

even to this day what they did.

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I do know this, every time there was a

conversation about what was going on.

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In the world around us, they encourage

us to read the newspaper, have a

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conversation, intellectual conversation,

not just about sports, not just

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about girls, not about the party that

you went to, but can you name me,

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the president's current president.

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administration growing

up in Washington, D.

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C.

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That's what we did most people don't

realize Washington is the seat of power

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of the world, and most people don't

even realize in the country that they

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live in what goes on in Washington, D.

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C.

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As government power, not

just now government of money.

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That's New York City.

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But if you're talking about What

is the world thinking and doing?

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That was my, that was my

playscape, my playstation.

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And then to listen to be a witness

to when Kennedy got killed.

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President Kennedy, primary example.

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When he got killed, I was

going to a Catholic school, St.

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Francis D.

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Sales, the oldest Catholic

school in Washington, D.

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C.

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And I was Out in the seventh

grade, I was taken down the flag.

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I come back into the classroom

and the nuns are crying.

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The classroom is in awe and shock.

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And I didn't know what was going on,

but I realized there was something

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very dramatic that just happened.

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And when I found out it was

president Kennedy had been killed.

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The capital of the world was in shock.

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And then my dad and my mother took

me down to the capital to see the

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body lying in state and standing on

Constitution Avenue and watching little

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John John and Carolyn walking behind.

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The case on that's in my mind.

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That's in my spirit and my soul.

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That was the highest drama

that you could experience.

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And then the loss of Martin Luther

King watching in Washington D.

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C.

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Where the riots broke out and

derstand here's more drama in:

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I'm a senior in high school and

I'm realizing at this moment in

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my Life growth, the theatrics of

what the world is witnessing was

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impacting on me and my family

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That was my bar mitzvah.

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I was 13 years old, 13.

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And I'm growing up in Washington, D.

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C., and then my cousins, my aunts, and

my uncles are coming to Washington, D.

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C.

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to be a part of the March on Washington.

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And my dad took me to the site

of the day that it was happening.

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He said, Son, I know you really want

to go with us, and I would love to have

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you be there with me, father and son.

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But, if anything is to happen to

me or your aunts and uncles, You

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will become the man of the house.

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I need you to stay and protect

your mom and your sisters.

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Now that's high drama.

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That's my bar mitzvah.

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That was the day I became a man because

my father said, I know you want to be with

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me, but you are to protect the family.

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Everything that I do from that

moment to now, that was:

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My journey has been filled with an

experiential moment for every action

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that I've taken and done, every job

that I've had, every theater that I've

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run, every historical society that I've

been, had the privilege of running.

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I've done it because I realized

My DNA is all about freedom.

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The arc of my journey

is all about freedom.

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And if I'm to be honest with the

anointing and the blessing that has

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been given to me to have an uncomprehend

my heritage, my village, my link to

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Liberia as a freed, African American.

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That's a story and a journey.

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That's better than any

movie that I've ever seen.

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Better than any play

that I've ever directed.

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And ultimately, it's because if you

recognize who you are, where you are

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and what you're supposed to be doing

in your life, you have an obligation, a

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moral obligation to follow that journey.

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Engage it.

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Live it, breathe it, talk it,

eat it, sleep it, drink it.

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And if anybody you've met who knows me,

they will always say, Byron is true to

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his word about being nonviolent because

I am a follower of the Prince of Peace.

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Speaker 7: Awesome.

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Speaker 8: That's my heritage.

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Speaker 7: we're here with Byron C.

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Saunders, who is breaking it down for us.

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And thank you so much for joining us

today with Conversations on Aging.

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You know, we say we're never

too young to talk about aging.

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How did you take all of those

experiences and then decide to

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pursue a career in the arts?

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I know you.

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You've been director, act, what, I

mean, there was, I'm sure a plethora

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or a lot of different choices you

could have made, but what was it about

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the arts that really attracted you?

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Speaker 8: Growing up in Washington, D.

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C., everything is free.

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The zoo, the concerts, the

museums, the Smithsonian.

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I spent summers in the

Smithsonian looking, learning.

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Viewing, watching, reading the

Declaration of Independence, going

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to the Smithsonian Institute,

going to the Cochran Art Gallery.

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I was totally surprised when I left DC,

in:

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of Kansas that everything else was 10

years behind where I was growing up.

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It cost to go to a zoo.

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It cost to go to theater.

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It cost to go to the symphony.

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You know, for me, that was just one

of the things that I had access to.

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So my upbringing and my parents

giving us the opportunity

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to go to a parochial school.

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I went to a military academy.

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In Washington, D.

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C.

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St.

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John's Military is now coed, but back

then that was the Vietnam War period.

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So, I mean, it's ultimately,

these were dramatic times.

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And the first play that I ever

did on stage was West Side Story.

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At an all boys Catholic high school

where the girls that came from,

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Immaculata, the other Catholic, school

for girls, there were several in D.

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C., but this was kind of like a sister

school, and we're doing West Side Story.

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Now imagine this, I'm playing

a Puerto Rican, why not?

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It's about, you know, Puerto Ricans

and about, white Anglo Saxon people,

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Europeans, okay, in New York City.

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My dance partner happened to be

the cousin to George Wallace.

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Yes, Alabama's governor, George Wallace.

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My dance partner, she's

playing a Puerto Rican.

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I said to her in the rehearsal one

day, I said, if your uncle ever

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found out you were dancing with me in

this particular production, all hell

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would break loose in your family.

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That's theater right there

and then of course from there

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the next play I did at St.

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John's was, South Pacific.

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You know, and then when

I went to And that's the

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Speaker 7: theater bug bit, right?

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Speaker 8: Oh, the theater bug, the

theater bug bit me, but that's not

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why I went to University of Kansas.

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I went out there to go to pre

law and political science major.

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But when I realized everything in Kansas

was like 10 years behind everything I

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grew up with, I became disenchanted,

even a story like The Wizard of Oz.

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My political science teacher has told us

to read the book by, the guy who wrote

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it, Baum, that, is that it was a study

in, Midwestern politics, and he's right,

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because the story is based in Kansas, and

I realize after being in Kansas for two

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and a half years, and through Kent State,

Jackson State, Being a part of the Black

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Student Union, my first day of college,

my first day of college, Kimberly, at

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University of Kansas, I was sitting in

at a Holiday Inn protesting wages for

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cafeteria workers and the cleanup staff.

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My first day of college.

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I missed my morning classes to participate

in a civil rights disobedient moment.

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And sure enough, the Kansas Bureau

of Investigation , the KBI, came

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in and took everybody's picture.

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So automatically, I was already identified

on that first day of my college career

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in Kansas, of being a, a supporter

of the movement and civil rights.

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Now, what's significant

about Lawrence, Kansas?

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Langston Hughes grew up there.

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Williamson Walker of the

Williamson Walker Comedian Team.

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Walker grew up there.

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There's elements of history in Kansas.

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Lawrence, Kansas, which was a free state.

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My political career got short

changed there because of everything

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that was happening around us.

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Vietnam, Kent State, Jackson State.

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I mean, the current, protests at the

colleges now are very reminiscent

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of what was going on then.

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Been there, done that.

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I no longer wanted to be in Kansas,

so like Dorothy, I clicked my

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heels three times and I said,

there's no place like home.

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There's no place like home.

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I left Kansas, and my godmother

convinced me to get back in school.

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She sent me down to Hampton, where I got

in on the last day of late registration.

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But it was in my junior year at

Kansas that I changed my major from

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political science and corporate law

to speech and drama and theater.

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Because I was unable to be on stage, In

Kansas, mind you, University of Kansas

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was submitting Indians to play Indians for

the, Kennedy Center American Play Contest.

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I auditioned for it.

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There were no blacks in that

play, no black Indians, no brown

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Indians, not even me, who looked

like, who am part Cherokee, okay?

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So, I didn't get cast.

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But what I did do was learn how to be a

stage manager, learn how to do makeup,

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learn about my face, learn technical

theater, building sets, all of that.

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So that when I transferred to Hampton.

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This is like going from one place

of academia to paradise, where a

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black HBCU was a homecoming for me,

where I was able to realize this

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was where I needed to be to grow.

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to realize if the arts was something

that I wanted to undertake, that

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these were a group of people who I

could feel very comfortable with.

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And ultimately, to this day, there's

some of the folks who have run some of

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the biggest theater companies, worked

at some of the biggest institutions.

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Marjorie Moon, who was my

teacher at Hampton, came out

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of Caramoo House in Cleveland.

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And she actually took us to Caramoo

House as the Hampton players in

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my senior year, for which we did

slave ship at Caramoo House as

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part of a winter break opportunity.

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And realizing at that point,

well, we were in Cleveland.

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It snowed every day.

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But what we realized as seniors when

we came off of this winter break and we

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were going back to Hampton, what were

we gonna do with the rest of our lives?

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This is our senior year.

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So we decided, we the Hampton players,

Mikel Pinckney, Tommy Marks, Don Bryan,

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I mean, The actors and friendships

that were made then, we went into the

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house we were staying in, which was a

beautiful, multi room house, bedrooms,

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where the cast of The Hampton Players,

men and women, stayed, and we went

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into the upper room, literally, in the

upper room of that house, and we had a

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meeting, one evening and we were asking

ourselves, what are we going to do when

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we get back to Hampton and being seniors?

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Because the average, the average

income for a speech and drama

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major, majoring in theater or music

or the arts was 2, 500 a year.

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That's 1973.

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2, 500 a year.

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You can't make a living on 2, 500 a year.

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In the arts, how are you going to do that?

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Because everybody else will be

like, well, your parents, my

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parents, my parents friends.

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Well, when you get through with this

theater thing, what are you going to do?

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You know, what's your

real job going to be?

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What we decided in that upper room

was that when we got back to Hampton,

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we were going to create a soap opera.

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A soap opera, a weekly soap opera,

okay, that ran Mondays, Wednesdays,

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and Fridays from 12 noon to one

o'clock and call it Lunchbox Theater.

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Speaker 7: I love it.

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Speaker 8: We made the story

of a family, three different

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families, a well to do family.

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Black family, a middle class

family, and a poor family.

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And these three families met and

in the middle as, whereas the

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opening episode was Jeff bet, Linda

bet, Jerome bet, and Mary bet.

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Now these were based on

friends of my family.

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My mother and father's bridge friends,

they played bridge and pinochle, okay?

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So it modeled a family

after them called the Betts.

362

:

They were called the Bunches,

but we changed the name

363

:

And we entitled It's a Bet.

364

:

And these three families, the opening

storyline was a black male who was

365

:

at Amherst College not happy being

black and at an Ivy League school

366

:

and wanted to transfer to an HBCU.

367

:

So the first episode was involving mail

transferring from Amherst to Hampton.

368

:

And then the storyline took on highlights

from everyday newspaper, but we did it

369

:

because The communications department

was right next door to the theater

370

:

and the music department was right

on the other side and we decided,

371

:

well, if we're going to do this and

create a profile for creating a black

372

:

soap opera, now this is before Cosby.

373

:

This is before BET.

374

:

We did this, and it succeeded.

375

:

People would come from the lunchroom,

from their dorms, and come to the theater

376

:

where, not on the main stage, but a

little black box space off the main stage

377

:

for which we then, we had built a small

little theater that changed from one home

378

:

to the other of these three families,

379

:

You know, but they all interacted because

they were the brother and the sister,

380

:

but there was all a connection so that

in every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday,

381

:

you could come to the theater, Little

Theater in Hampton and watch It's a Bet.

382

:

Now, what was encouraging was

once we graduated, because

383

:

that was our senior project.

384

:

Speaker 7: Wow.

385

:

Speaker 8: Okay.

386

:

And then from the, then the year after

that, not only did it continue, but

387

:

the group that we were working with.

388

:

created a tonight's show concept that was

also put into the little theater as if

389

:

you didn't want to watch the soap opera,

well we have a today's show, a tonight's

390

:

show program that we were interviewing

people on the campus and trying to

391

:

convince the communications department

was at that moment creating its own in

392

:

house cable network along with its radio

station that they were already part of.

393

:

And I said, well, listen, why don't we

get together and have, do this in the

394

:

theater, have the communication, people

majoring in communication, film it.

395

:

We never got to that stage, but when I

graduated from Hampton in 73, I went to

396

:

BET that was then located in Virginia, and

I pitched It's a Bet for BET television.

397

:

What they told me was, we don't have the

funds to do local originating program.

398

:

So what they were more interested

in was the talking heads of MTV

399

:

and music videos and all that,

Which was popular at that time.

400

:

But if you look at BET today.

401

:

What are they doing?

402

:

Tyler Perry, soap opera, specials, show,

I mean, it is like, this was 73, like

403

:

I said, before BET actually got into,

before they sold it to, Time Warner

404

:

or whatever bought it, but ultimately,

where were we ahead, far ahead?

405

:

what's really grown up to be

a major industry right now.

406

:

When I left Hampton, moved

back to Washington, D.

407

:

C., and I was doing, I had

auditioned at the Arena Stage.

408

:

This was a national audition.

409

:

And Arena Stage, there was, the

Arena Stage and several other theater

410

:

companies who were sitting in the

audience, watching the auditions.

411

:

I got offered a contract with

the Arena Stage to be a, intern

412

:

stage manager, which was good.

413

:

However, the Folger Shakespeare

Library and Theatre Company offered

414

:

me a contract to work with the Folger.

415

:

Now, to me, the ultimate of

stage work is Shakespeare.

416

:

Classical theater.

417

:

I took that contract and I was

able to teach Shakespeare in the D.

418

:

C.

419

:

public high schools.

420

:

Where I would take a group of actors,

and I went to Howard and got about

421

:

three or four actors, and hired them.

422

:

And we would take Romeo and

Juliet and Macbeth into the D.

423

:

C.

424

:

public high schools.

425

:

And the teachers would tell me,

listen, don't be surprised if they

426

:

fall asleep on you because they're

not interested in Shakespeare.

427

:

And I said, that's okay.

428

:

All I want them to do is watch.

429

:

And I would go in with my four

actors, no costumes, no props, just

430

:

the scripts, because the Folger gave

the scripts and the books of West

431

:

Side Story and Romeo and Juliet,

432

:

So every D.

433

:

C.

434

:

public high school, I would be in

for about a week at a time, teaching

435

:

Shakespeare, teaching Romeo and Juliet,

with actors from Howard University.

436

:

in their theater program to be a part

of teaching Shakespeare in the D.

437

:

C.

438

:

public high schools.

439

:

And then I got a chance to work

on the stage that is a replica

440

:

of the, of the theater in, in

England is where he performed.

441

:

and I did, inspector

general on that stage.

442

:

from there I did mime.

443

:

Yes, I did Marceau Marceau's, the

whole routine of mime, and I worked at

444

:

the Kennedy Center, on the 12 days of

Christmas, and it was the opera house.

445

:

So, every time I would step up in my

career, it was one more step higher,

446

:

another step here, another step there.

447

:

And then one of my classmates from

Hampton, Elizabeth Williams, the

448

:

daughter of Hosea Williams, one of

Martin Luther King's twelve associates.

449

:

Martin called him his Castro.

450

:

He would be the one to go into a city.

451

:

He was the John the Baptist that would

go into a city as part of the civil

452

:

rights movement operative and stir it up

so that when Martin and Andy and Ralph

453

:

came in, they were the peacemakers.

454

:

So if you call yourself a Baptist, know

who your origin is, because at that

455

:

point, then Liz said, Byron, I want you,

I'm inviting you and your wife to come

456

:

to Atlanta and help me start People's

Survival Theater, working with the

457

:

Southern Christian Leadership Conference.

458

:

And I took the journey.

459

:

This is wife number one.

460

:

I lived in Hosea's house.

461

:

I ran with Elizabeth, ran

People's Survival Theater.

462

:

And then from People's Survival

Theater being there a couple years,

463

:

the spiritual journey itself was,

codified and validated in A meeting,

464

:

one Sunday, Hosea had a church service

where he would invite other pastors

465

:

from around the country, around Atlanta.

466

:

and that's how I got to work with the King

family and Julian Bond and John Lewis.

467

:

All these were my friends.

468

:

All these were personal friends.

469

:

C.

470

:

T.

471

:

Vivian, you know, another personal mentor.

472

:

Hosea, the bull in the china closet,

as they called him, so when you think

473

:

about a journey that you're on and

you're realizing from a commitment and

474

:

a vow that I took in 1968 promising

God, my Lord and Savior, that anything

475

:

that everything that I would ever do

would be for the freedom of my people.

476

:

I am a civil rights lawyer.

477

:

Man, I am part of the movement.

478

:

I have left my name in the sand, in

the gray, in the dirt, in the halls

479

:

of where it needs to be because that

commitment has never been shaken.

480

:

Now, I have to tell you, along the

way, that's not always been accepted.

481

:

I'm Peck's bad boy, because I'd go to the

city hall meetings, I'd go to the council

482

:

meetings, and the state legislature, both

in Georgia and in New York, when I finally

483

:

did go to New York, but I would be the one

to stand up and say, you know something,

484

:

what is wrong in this system that we

have is that You'll give us a little bit

485

:

of money to do the art, but you're not

giving us money to build the institution.

486

:

And imagine when we started people's

survival theater, it was in a

487

:

furniture store, And in that furniture

store where you could come and

488

:

get clothes and you get furniture.

489

:

There was a little space that we carved

out to have a soap opera and we named it.

490

:

We didn't call it It's a Bet.

491

:

We took the stories that we did at

Hampton, and we created the new version of

492

:

that idea and called it The Promised Land.

493

:

And it ran for ten weeks as a live

soap opera, every Friday and Saturday.

494

:

And then from there, Because of the

success of it, we got press from the

495

:

Atlanta Journal Constitution, you know,

we challenged everybody because we were

496

:

saying, listen, you all are giving all the

money to the Alliance, you're giving it to

497

:

the Academy Theater, you're giving it to

here, but what you're not giving is money

498

:

to help sustain and support the African

American community and its entertainment

499

:

dollars in the Central Business District.

500

:

So that our little project

that moved from to David T.

501

:

Howard High School.

502

:

Now, why is that significant?

503

:

David T.

504

:

Howard High School is in the fourth

ward, which is called Buttermill

505

:

Bottom in Atlanta, Georgia.

506

:

Who went to that school?

507

:

African Americans.

508

:

And what we were able to do, because

they had this big gymnasium for, where

509

:

theater and basketball and everything,

but we took over the ROTC building

510

:

and turned it into a black box theater

where we did The Promised Land.

511

:

Now, The Promised Land became such a hit

that WPCH, which is easy listening music,

512

:

as you get on the elevator, you know,

you got that nice music playing for you.

513

:

And W I I N.

514

:

Sister Stations at WPCH was a

country western, radio station.

515

:

Warren Cromartie worked at the station.

516

:

He was one of their DJs, black guy.

517

:

And he said, he came to us

and he says, Would you all be

518

:

interested in doing radio drama?

519

:

Hello!

520

:

Not only were we interested, but he

said, There's one thing, you can't

521

:

come into the studio during the daytime

because they don't want you here.

522

:

You have to come in at midnight.

523

:

We came in at midnight.

524

:

Now, mind you, we're still in the midst

of doing the soap opera every Friday,

525

:

we're ten weeks in, of doing the soap

opera, and about the sixth or seventh

526

:

week is when we got the offer, which

meant that we had to recalibrate the

527

:

opening to tape radio drama for midnight.

528

:

to like four in the morning.

529

:

We would the WPCA studio, come back to

work at SCLC in our day jobs, which could

530

:

be as working with the People's Crusader

newspaper, that was Hosea's newspaper

531

:

for the Civil Rights Movement, Metro

Atlanta Southern Christian Leadership

532

:

Conference, and then have to go to work

from nine to five, and then from in the

533

:

evening on that Monday, after, you know,

taping your show, get ready for the next.

534

:

episode in the soap opera as live

theater because we were writing it on

535

:

Mondays and Tuesdays and rehearsing

it Wednesdays and Thursdays and

536

:

then doing it Fridays and Saturdays.

537

:

We even had commercials

from local businesses.

538

:

that we would put in.

539

:

And it was like the magic of doing

the theater concept this idea.

540

:

How do we talk to our people?

541

:

How do we continue to tell the stories

about us as a people in this land?

542

:

Because Atlanta, as we know, is the seat

of the civil rights movement, which is

543

:

one of the reasons why I went because

I wanted to experience it firsthand.

544

:

I wanted to know who Yoki King was.

545

:

I wanted to know Martin's family.

546

:

I didn't get a chance to meet Martin.

547

:

Obviously, he was killed in 1968.

548

:

But Coretta All the kids, Dexter,

even Alveda, they were all my friends

549

:

I

550

:

worked with them.

551

:

So my whole concept of being able to

communicate to the community, for which

552

:

I loved and give my faith and hopes and

dreams to was being embellished right

553

:

there in a pocket of a cultural heaven.

554

:

So that when I left People's Survival

Theatre, my next journey was to Just

555

:

Us Theatre, which happened to be the

largest Black theatre company in town,

556

:

run by Theatre of the Stars, which was,

a white organization, the Broadway show

557

:

circuit, that every time a show closed

on Broadway with the Nederlanders or the

558

:

Shuberts, Tots, Theatre of the Stars,

would bring it to Atlanta, bring it into

559

:

the Civic Center or to the Fox Theatre,

and then Running a black theater company

560

:

for which there was an upheaval there.

561

:

And then, I was offered the

position as general manager.

562

:

Then I offered the position

as executive director.

563

:

And then ultimately, because of the

dynamics of what we were able to create.

564

:

and succeed as probably

being the third largest black

565

:

theater company in the country.

566

:

I had over 2, 200 subscribers.

567

:

The mayor's wife, both Andy

and Maynard's wife, were all co

568

:

chairs, were all honorary chairs

of my Just Us Theater task force.

569

:

So I had the, Crème de la Crème of

Atlanta supporting the theater company.

570

:

The biggest problem with all of that

support, because I mean, I produced and

571

:

presented Timbuktu with Eartha Kitt.

572

:

I had the opportunity to work with the

best of the best through the League

573

:

of Regional Theater concept with

LORT, because when the shows came to

574

:

Atlanta under Theater of the Stars,

I was their production coordinator.

575

:

as my mentor, Chris Manish, used to

tell me, he said, Byron, when they

576

:

get off the plane and you meet them at

Hartsfield Airport, you say, welcome to

577

:

Atlanta, payday is on Thursday, because

that's the way the industry works.

578

:

You have to have a reputation that

people respect, bringing in the stars,

579

:

and everybody's a star, but there's

some who are bigger than others.

580

:

But you still create

and respect everyone's.

581

:

I made that as part of the M.

582

:

O.

583

:

for Just Us Theater so that when

I first came on board, I directed

584

:

Hughes Tambourines to Glory.

585

:

We didn't pay anybody, but what I

told them was, I said, listen, we

586

:

don't pay you yet, but here's what

I will command of your presence.

587

:

I will start on time.

588

:

I will end on time.

589

:

And all I ask is that you come

when you bring your talent to

590

:

the table, work with me on that.

591

:

Then when we began to pay the actors,

because we had, an agreement with Actors

592

:

Equity as a, artist program, letter

of agreement and then I could hire the

593

:

equity actor to work with the non equity

actor in Atlanta and we paid and I would

594

:

tell them in the first day of rehearsal,

listen, this is contract signing day.

595

:

We start on time.

596

:

We end on time.

597

:

We pay on time.

598

:

But if you start to, abuse

that, you don't want to see me.

599

:

Any time during the first week except

on Saturday when I'm asked my director

600

:

to show me the show that I paid

for to help present to my audience.

601

:

That's when I would come

to the first run through.

602

:

And I wouldn't know if my

show was real, but it were.

603

:

But I told, I would tell the actors,

I said, now if you see me come in, any

604

:

time between Monday and Friday, I've

been handing out pink slips, don't make

605

:

me do that because I don't want to,

and I had to do it a couple of times,

606

:

but you have to establish the esprit

de corps of a professional concept that

607

:

will translate to the actor who has been

treated like dirt in most opportunities,

608

:

Speaker 7: which

609

:

Speaker 8: is sad because we only play

the maids, the butlers and whatever.

610

:

Speaker 7: Right.

611

:

Speaker 8: and in the state of Georgia,

which is a right to work state, that

612

:

makes it even more difficult because we're

talking about cheap labor overcome that.

613

:

Yes.

614

:

Speaker 7: And we're here with Byron C.

615

:

Saunders.

616

:

We're talking about all

kinds of things, cheap labor.

617

:

The civil rights movement

and so much more.

618

:

Thank you so much for being on

really learning so much about you.

619

:

And I did want to ask you, cause

you, I know you've acted and you

620

:

obviously are a director, how you

made that transition or how did you

621

:

decide to also get into directing?

622

:

you have directed, you did

elders igniting with us.

623

:

So we're going to talk a

little bit more about that.

624

:

But how did you decide to, would you say

that that's your focus directing now?

625

:

Speaker 8: Producing.

626

:

I love, see the three things.

627

:

Now, going back to Hampton, I'm going

to tell you how I actually started.

628

:

I was in Ti-Jean and his brothers.

629

:

I was in several productions

in which I was the star.

630

:

I loved it.

631

:

But there was one show that I actually

wanted to do, which was Tambourines to

632

:

Glory where I could play Buddy Lomax.

633

:

Buddy Lomax is the devil.

634

:

Okay, his opening monologue is like, you

have to read Langston Hughes to realize

635

:

what a genius he was because here's this

character, Buddy Lomax, in Tambourines

636

:

to Glory, who's actually the devil trying

to tempt these two women who are starting

637

:

a storefront church, and of course, the

idea is how does he tempt them, how does

638

:

he persuade them to do wrong, and then of

course he gets his comeuppance at the end.

639

:

Well, I'm on stage auditioning.

640

:

Marjorie Moon was going to

play the lead character.

641

:

So I'm like, Oh my God, I want to

be on stage with Marjorie Moon.

642

:

She's my instructor and Mikel Pikney,

who was my roommate, who's now just

643

:

retired two weeks ago as a emeritus.

644

:

a full professor, Dr.

645

:

Mikkel Pikni at the University of

Florida, who happened to be the youngest

646

:

director to direct on Broadway when he

directed Innocent Black with Melba Moore.

647

:

On Broadway.

648

:

He's the youngest, okay?

649

:

My roommate from college.

650

:

And so here I am at Hampton

auditioning on stage, and before

651

:

I could even say the first line.

652

:

Mikell in the back of the

house says, Byron, can you, I

653

:

want to talk to you for a sec.

654

:

Can you come off stage?

655

:

And I'm thinking, Oh my

God, here's my moment.

656

:

He's going to tell me I got the part.

657

:

And he says, I really need

you to be my stage manager.

658

:

Crestfallen, broken hearted.

659

:

My one chance to be the star of

a show but he asked me the most

660

:

important part of that was, I

need you to be my stage manager.

661

:

And from that moment on, and I reminded

him of this story many, many years later.

662

:

It's because of you that

I'm not on stage anymore.

663

:

But basically because of the relationships

that I created and had with those folks at

664

:

Hampton, not only gave me the opportunity

to be on stage, but also to produce.

665

:

To be a part of what makes the play the

play, selling the tickets, doing the

666

:

press, actually sweeping the stage, you

know, I mean, and as a stage manager,

667

:

you wear every hat, and then once the

director is through with the show, it's

668

:

your show, you're in charge, so I didn't

lose status, I gained status and respect.

669

:

Then, once I left Hampton and came from D.

670

:

C.

671

:

to Atlanta.

672

:

That's when I realized some of the

things that I could direct because I had

673

:

proven myself at the Folger, doing and

working with the Shakespeare, company.

674

:

Proved myself doing Mime

with, Arcasus Productions.

675

:

Proved myself doing dinner theater.

676

:

I did dinner theater work.

677

:

I played Man of La Mancha

where I was the Monsignor.

678

:

I did Camelot where I was King Pelenoa.

679

:

I did shows that were literally, the

broadway type of shows, musicals.

680

:

I was a triple threat.

681

:

And then because of the success

of Atlanta, I was then offered to

682

:

be a member of the Georgia Film

Commission by Joe Frank Harris.

683

:

So for seven years, Lou Walker and

Georgia Allen and I were the black

684

:

faces that helped lay the foundation

for what Atlanta and Georgia has

685

:

become the Hollywood of the South.

686

:

I'm so proud of that

because we opened the door.

687

:

We took the door off the hinges and

because of that and our experience and

688

:

what we brought to the table my directing

acumen kept increasing because I was

689

:

directing shows for just us three.

690

:

theater and producing shows for the

theater company and selling the tickets

691

:

and doing the box office and doing all the

things that were necessary to perfect the

692

:

art and the business of show business and

then succeeding beyond all expectations.

693

:

Because at that point, what drove me

out of Atlanta was, I got blackballed

694

:

for challenging status quo, for

literally standing up and saying your

695

:

programs and the way you disseminate

funds to our cultural community

696

:

is a violation of contract law.

697

:

Not about the art, about a violation

of contract law for a set aside program

698

:

for women and minority owned business.

699

:

Did you know in this country that

every dollar spent in the public

700

:

sector has a caveat attached to it that

says that they must subcontract with

701

:

women and minority owned businesses?

702

:

And if you are an arts organization that

has not been given the access to that, you

703

:

can understand why there is no more Just

Us Theater, why there is no more Jumanji

704

:

productions, why NEC is teetering on the

brink of disaster all the time because

705

:

we can't get access to the institutional

support that's guaranteed by contract law,

706

:

because the arts have never been mandated

to follow that procedure of justice.

707

:

a set aside program and ultimately that's

the demise of so many of our really

708

:

good professional theater companies

because they've never given access to

709

:

institutional development and I would

be, I challenged that and Atlanta did not

710

:

respect it and so I left Atlanta to run.

711

:

The Frank Silvera Writers Workshop.

712

:

Speaker 7: And you know what?

713

:

And that's the perfect segue.

714

:

That's the perfect segue.

715

:

That was literally the Frank

Silvera Writers Workshop.

716

:

How

717

:

Speaker 8: are you going to

718

:

Speaker 7: That's how it happened.

719

:

that's our connection.

720

:

That's how we connect.

721

:

And, you've worked with us, you've been

working with us for several months now.

722

:

We really appreciate your support.

723

:

You've helped us with, Directing Elders

Igniting, many more stories to tell

724

:

and also behind the scenes you've

helped us with moderation and getting

725

:

ourselves set up to continue to fly.

726

:

So tell us more about how did

you get involved with the Frank

727

:

Silveira Writers Workshop?

728

:

Speaker 8: Well, it all

happened at Coca Cola.

729

:

Now, Dito, how did you get here?

730

:

Well, it was the 57

Chevy that I got there.

731

:

You know, that's the old

joke from Vaudeville.

732

:

But anyway, in my last year, I left my own

theater company, Just Us, and it happened

733

:

because my mentor came to me one day

after I had liberated the theater company,

734

:

Just Us, from Theater of the Stars, and,

and we were doing 222, and I wanted to

735

:

get Marla Gibbs to come to be a guest.

736

:

She wasn't available.

737

:

She had reservations about coming

to Atlanta at that time because she

738

:

was working on several projects.

739

:

I had Mikel Pinkney directed.

740

:

he went to take somebody, from New York.

741

:

can't think of her name right now,

but she was in Chicago, the Broadway,

742

:

Fosse, Chicago, Carol Woods, and hired

her to play the lead role, which was

743

:

Marla Gibbs role, my mentor, Chris

Mannis, called me up while we were, in

744

:

rehearsal, about to go into rehearsal.

745

:

And he says, Byron, I got

good news and I got bad news.

746

:

I said, well, great, because that's

the kind of relationship we have.

747

:

He said, the good news is, I just signed

Savion Glover to do Tap Dance Kid.

748

:

I said, wonderful.

749

:

I said, congratulations.

750

:

of course, my antenna is up at

that point because I'm thinking,

751

:

wow, I'm the black theater company,

that should be the show that I buy.

752

:

But of course, I don't have the liquidity

that Theater of the Stars had because,

753

:

and the relationship with the Schubert's

and the Nederlanders and, and the such.

754

:

And I say, well, what's the bad news?

755

:

He said, well, the bad news is,

is we're going to play on the same

756

:

date as your show, Now, mind you.

757

:

Just Us Theater was one of several

black theaters in Atlanta, Georgia.

758

:

We had New Cosmos with Walter Dallas.

759

:

We had Proposition was Walter Dallas.

760

:

New Cosmos, Eddie Billups and Joan Lewis.

761

:

And, I mean, Just Us and Jumanji.

762

:

But you know one thing that we

had all agreed upon as African

763

:

American arts organizations?

764

:

We would never play a show on the

same date your show was running.

765

:

We refuse to be the split of the

diaspora of the economic wealth of

766

:

the African American community for its

entertainment dollars and disposable

767

:

income to be choosing one over the other.

768

:

But not the white theaters.

769

:

They got to realizing that because

Just Us was succeeding, Oh, now we're

770

:

going to start doing black theater

plays during Black History Month.

771

:

Or I can go and bring in the Alvin Haley.

772

:

When, obviously, if Byron had a chance

and had the money to buy these shows,

773

:

wouldn't it be right for him and Just

Us to be the producers of these shows?

774

:

Absolutely.

775

:

And so I began to challenge all of this.

776

:

ultimately, because I was challenging

the status quo is when that became a

777

:

reality check for me, and I realized

if I'm going to succeed, I need more

778

:

than just crumbs from the table.

779

:

The central business district in

every city that has a major African

780

:

American community needs to have its

performing arts arena in that area.

781

:

Peachtree Street, from Five

Points to North Avenue.

782

:

Or Fox, where the Fox is, the

Lions Theater, that's the corridor.

783

:

I was on that block with my

shows in a 714 seat opera house.

784

:

And then they began to usurp my right

to these, my own cultural communities,

785

:

arts excellence, by buying it and

keeping me from getting access to it.

786

:

You cannot sustain running an organization

of several hundred thousand dollars

787

:

every year that you got erased from zero.

788

:

We're out an endowment.

789

:

Everybody else has an endowment.

790

:

The Alliance Theater has an endowment.

791

:

So if their years go bad,

their endowment saves them.

792

:

But if we go bad, we're in the hole for

another trying to stay alive and not

793

:

having the access to funds to help secure

a growing institution and principally

794

:

because the violation of contract law

set up by the federal government and co

795

:

signed by every state in this country.

796

:

So, if you're wondering why you do not

have a major cultural arts community

797

:

center in your central business district,

it's because there's been contract

798

:

violations all up and down and it

ain't got nothing to do with your art.

799

:

It's about political capital and

respect of the arts community's dollar.

800

:

So I've left.

801

:

My last job was with Coca Cola

bottling company where I needed to

802

:

make some money to keep sustaining my

condominium and my wife and whatever

803

:

And, and you know what I was doing?

804

:

I was riding on the trucks with the

delivery people who you go buy a

805

:

gasoline station and see all those

coca cola products out on there.

806

:

Trust me, that's what I was doing.

807

:

And little me, that 125, 130 pound

guy, these guys are stevedores.

808

:

who take a full case of Cokes and toss it

from one side of the room to the other,

809

:

and you're supposed to catch that and

then stack it up in the gasoline station.

810

:

By the end of the first day, I had

black and blue marks all up and down my

811

:

chest from trying to catch the stuff.

812

:

And I said, I can't do this.

813

:

I can't do this.

814

:

And so I saw Silvera Writer's

Workshop was looking for a director.

815

:

Karen Baxter had been the director.

816

:

And I interviewed for the

position, and I got it.

817

:

interestingly enough, my sister who

was in Dallas was working with Girl

818

:

Scouts down there, but Girl Scouts

USA brought her to New York to work

819

:

with the corporate organization.

820

:

Now this is very important because when

I tell you about my family of excellence,

821

:

my sister, is one of, in 2005 is one

of:

822

:

a Nobel Peace Prize based on conflict

resolution She was one who was nominated.

823

:

Of course she didn't win, but she

was working at Girl Scouts USA.

824

:

She helped to co design the current

signature piece of Girl Scouts, a logo.

825

:

So we got to New York, principally

at the same time, we said,

826

:

well, let's be roommates.

827

:

And then for the two years that I was

there, one of the things that impacted

828

:

me was working at Frank Silvera Writer's

Workshop, which was on 125th Street, St.

829

:

Nicholas, right off of St.

830

:

Nicholas, in a tennis shoe store

above the tennis shoe store.

831

:

That's where the workshop existed.

832

:

Three flights of steps up.

833

:

We had a coal burning stove in the office.

834

:

It could seat maybe 40 people in the

small space that we had for the readings.

835

:

But what I realized was that

where were all the dynamic Black

836

:

theater productions originating?

837

:

And they originated at the Frank Silvera

Writers Workshop, which made it iconic.

838

:

So my Running Just Us Theater, 714 seat

opera house, thank you for that lovely

839

:

visual that you're giving behind me,

because I love an opera house, you know,

840

:

with the box seats and the elegance, to

running a workshop with 40 seats above

841

:

a tennis shoe store, but creating and

continuing to produce The African American

842

:

theatrical classics that I, as a theater

producer, would come to New York to

843

:

purchase to bring back to Atlanta where I

was able to meet and work with Ozzie and

844

:

Ruby and Anthony Chisholm and, they were

there on those Mondays for those readings.

845

:

And that became another rationale

of my, Understanding the blessing

846

:

that I've been given to run

an organization, we succeeded.

847

:

We won an Obie award on, on my

watch for playwriting development.

848

:

And so I, I take that with me and because

it's not because we were doing anything.

849

:

extra is the fact that finally the

organization itself, the institution,

850

:

the Frank Silvera Writers Workshop, had

established itself to be acknowledged by

851

:

Obie Award, to be acknowledged by the,

the Broadway community, to understand that

852

:

every show that was in one of those major

theaters in the city, off Broadway, on

853

:

Broadway, off, off Broadway, came through

the Frank Silvera Writers Workshop.

854

:

And so it was an honor.

855

:

to have met and worked on

behalf with Garland Sr.

856

:

And then creating a relationship

outside of the theater with

857

:

Garland with mutual respect.

858

:

So, when I left, I left the

workshop to run the Queens

859

:

Historical Society, creating and

protecting the history of the 2.

860

:

5 million people of the borough

of Queens, New York City.

861

:

I'm the only African American male or

female who's ever run a major historical

862

:

society in the city of New York.

863

:

And I take that with honor and pride

because I knew nothing of New York's

864

:

history and so working with them, I was

able to be on the board of directors

865

:

of the Louis Armstrong House Museum.

866

:

I was able to be on the board of the,

Louis Latimer House who created the

867

:

carbon filament and helped to sustain

it and refurbish it and winning

868

:

and receiving applause from the

preservation community because of the

869

:

work that I was doing at the workshop.

870

:

And then.

871

:

Or at the, Historical Society, but

it was proving that it wasn't about

872

:

working and succeeding in a black

organization, but succeeding because

873

:

of what I was able to accomplish as an

arts administrator and understanding the

874

:

dynamics of the arts business to this day.

875

:

Every step, every job, everything that

I've ever had in my journey of my 50

876

:

plus years of being in the business,

I've always attempted to bring my

877

:

cultural, commitment to my people

to a level of creating even for the

878

:

historical society, making sure that

it's archival collection was taking

879

:

African American history stories and

putting it into the archival collection.

880

:

Because when we talk about.

881

:

Book banning.

882

:

And you really want to know why there's

no story about your culture in the books

883

:

is because when they write the books,

they go to the historical societies to get

884

:

the information that's in their archival

collection to then put it into a book.

885

:

But if your story is not in that

collection, you don't even get recognized.

886

:

Speaker 7: And we're here

with Byron C Saunders.

887

:

We're covering a lot of ground race,

the arts, all kinds of great stuff.

888

:

Thank you so much for being here

and for telling us your story.

889

:

I do want to talk about, the workshop

and the work that you, you've

890

:

done with us and continue to do.

891

:

your latest work was

with, Elders Igniting.

892

:

Many more stories to tell.

893

:

since the, workshop has gone

virtual, we've been able to,

894

:

reach a global audiences.

895

:

So tell us more about, your work

with Elders Igniting and, give our,

896

:

our listeners those plot lines.

897

:

Speaker 8: The plot

lines and they're thick.

898

:

Trust me, the plot lines are so thick.

899

:

even I'm amazed at how.

900

:

All of it has come together

and speaking with Dr.

901

:

Lidell this morning and acknowledging

how the journey actually began to elders.

902

:

Janice Lydell, Dr.

903

:

Lydell, Clark Atlanta

University, brilliant writer.

904

:

Now, mind you, I have to

say this about the theater

905

:

company I ran, Just Us Theater.

906

:

Pearl Clegg, the writer, Pearl Clegg,

was my playwright in residence.

907

:

And just us.

908

:

I directed all of her

shows, not Kenny Leon.

909

:

I directed those shows and gave,

gave her the status of being

910

:

recognized, which is great for

Janice Lydell, living in Atlanta,

911

:

Clark University, English professor.

912

:

came to me, several years ago, and I, and

I don't even know how we, actually met.

913

:

I, at this point, it's about, we did,

The Talk at the Billie Holiday Theater.

914

:

I think that was the first

play that she introduced me to.

915

:

And what she wrote was a story about,

How do we tell our children and our

916

:

sons and daughters about racism?

917

:

The talk.

918

:

You know what I'm talking about.

919

:

That talk.

920

:

That's right.

921

:

That talk about racism in our country.

922

:

And of course, being a writer from

Atlanta, her whole concept of the

923

:

storyline based in Atlanta was Almost

similarly, more about Atlanta's politics

924

:

and its own story and how the people of

Atlanta, both the poor, the wealthy, and

925

:

the middle class, were all and continue to

be all a part of this civil rights story.

926

:

And so she wrote it and we did it at

the Billie Holiday Theater as part of

927

:

the reading series and we had it filmed.

928

:

And it was unique, that the relationship

with both the workshop was ongoing

929

:

because by then, the eight years, nine

years that I ran either the workshop or

930

:

the historical society, I actually moved

back to Atlanta and then came back to New

931

:

York to run, the White Farmhouse Museum.

932

:

And it was in that time period, my

second, trip back to New York, that

933

:

I began to work with, Garland Jr.

934

:

because, as I remember, when Garland Sr.

935

:

was failing in health, it

really was painful for him.

936

:

Because I had befriended and

became a good friend to Garland Sr.

937

:

And I remember, I'll never forget this,

because I remember we had a, Harlem

938

:

Arts, Alliance meeting at, Riverside

Church where I was box office manager.

939

:

And I saw Garland Sr.

940

:

come in and he was so bent over.

941

:

And I knew he was in pain.

942

:

I knew this was, it was something

really physically and anything else in

943

:

his world was calling attention to me.

944

:

And I asked him, is he okay?

945

:

And I made sure he got in and

then I immediately called his son.

946

:

I said, Garland, your dad needs you.

947

:

I'm a believer in

institutional development.

948

:

I'm a believer in making sure that our,

uh, Established institutions can sustain

949

:

themselves and, and because of my personal

commitment to that ethics in my own M.

950

:

O., that I felt a moral

responsibility to the legacy of an

951

:

institution that I was a part of.

952

:

To see its own, to see its origins,

to work, have had the party.

953

:

at Gretchen Cryers where, Morgan

Freeman and Alfred Ury come to the

954

:

party working with James Briggs

Murray and the board of directors.

955

:

I came to, appreciate the effort that

they have been given for the years that

956

:

this institution has sustained itself.

957

:

So it was very easy for me to get

on the phone annually, literally,

958

:

about every January, February, and

have a conversation with Garland Jr.

959

:

and say, what are you, what is

the workshop doing this year?

960

:

How can I be of assistance?

961

:

Let me know what we can do.

962

:

I got a couple shows I'd like to

bring to this workshop series.

963

:

That was fine, but along the way,

journey to help the institution

964

:

sustain and survive itself.

965

:

So when Janice Lidell, Dr.

966

:

Lidell, asked me to get involved with her

project, the talk, I immediately said,

967

:

well, Garland, how do we get a chance to

do this for the workshops, reading series?

968

:

and he shared with me that we could

put it in and we actually did it

969

:

the weekend of, Martin Luther King

celebration at the Billie Holiday

970

:

Theater, the reading of The Talk.

971

:

And we filmed it.

972

:

And realizing at that point,

my relationship with Dr.

973

:

Lydell.

974

:

had succeeded and exceeded her

expectations, having had her play,

975

:

Who Will Sing for Lena about the

Lena Baker story, the first woman

976

:

to, and only woman, black woman to be

electrocuted in the state of Georgia

977

:

for having killed her white boss, her

employer, because he tried to rape her.

978

:

And she was later exonerated, but

Janice's show was, like, convincing

979

:

me her work was just as important, as

Pearl Clegg's, and on the same level.

980

:

And so from there, our relationship

grew because I was her dramaturg,

981

:

I was her director, and I was using

all the elements, that I learned.

982

:

From the Obie award winning,

playwriting development company

983

:

called Frank Silvera Writers Workshop.

984

:

And then I realized that because

of my relationship was to bring

985

:

it to the table and continue, to

be a consultant for the workshop.

986

:

Kind of, An advisor to see it grow

and really making sure that Garland

987

:

knew he had somebody on the East Coast

while he was on the West Coast that was

988

:

working with him and on behalf for him.

989

:

and of course, When, it was really,

magnificent that when Garland Sr.

990

:

did pass and we had his going

home celebration in New York, the

991

:

opportunity to share some of these

stories with everybody who knew

992

:

Garland Sr., but perhaps did not know

the journey of the workshop itself.

993

:

And so when it came down to

Janice and I working together.

994

:

On, several other projects that

she's asked me to be her dramaturg.

995

:

I said, sure.

996

:

I love working with you.

997

:

So then she calls me up, what, a year ago.

998

:

And she says, well, what would you think

about a show about senior citizens?

999

:

I said, Janice, go ahead and write it.

:

01:06:20,404 --> 01:06:21,045

Just write it.

:

01:06:21,154 --> 01:06:22,145

you had me at hello.

:

01:06:22,145 --> 01:06:24,005

I'm your dramaturg, so I will work in it.

:

01:06:24,745 --> 01:06:28,645

She had somebody that she wanted

local to direct it, and he wasn't

:

01:06:28,645 --> 01:06:32,225

able to direct it, or didn't want to

direct it, for whatever the cause was.

:

01:06:32,235 --> 01:06:34,135

So she pitched it back to me.

:

01:06:34,135 --> 01:06:35,535

I said, Janice, I've been waiting for you.

:

01:06:35,535 --> 01:06:36,865

Why didn't you ask me the first time?

:

01:06:37,175 --> 01:06:40,015

So, you know, but the challenge was this.

:

01:06:41,085 --> 01:06:42,635

Three one act plays.

:

01:06:43,565 --> 01:06:50,605

A farce written in the style of, Comedie

d'Art by Carlton Millett and his wife.

:

01:06:50,654 --> 01:06:55,395

Carlton and his wife Barbara were, when

I first met them, the co chairs of the

:

01:06:55,395 --> 01:06:58,965

Spelman College, Spelman University.

:

01:06:59,295 --> 01:07:00,125

drama department.

:

01:07:00,375 --> 01:07:04,191

They were the ones who taught Sam

Jackson and LaTanya Richardson, who,

:

01:07:04,191 --> 01:07:09,211

by the way, were two of the actors in

Atlanta, along with Bill Dunn and several

:

01:07:09,211 --> 01:07:11,561

others, who started Just Us Theater.

:

01:07:11,791 --> 01:07:17,201

So my relationship With Sam and

LaTanya and Bill Nunn had already been

:

01:07:17,201 --> 01:07:18,791

established because we're all friends.

:

01:07:19,271 --> 01:07:26,241

And so, when Janice said, Byron, about

this new piece, I said, okay, I can do it.

:

01:07:26,641 --> 01:07:32,241

And I realized not just that Carlton

and Barbara Millett's show was one

:

01:07:32,241 --> 01:07:34,661

that was really exceptionally written.

:

01:07:34,894 --> 01:07:38,574

commanded and demanded artists

who could understand it.

:

01:07:38,624 --> 01:07:43,794

And then to write, the second piece

that she had in this three show

:

01:07:43,794 --> 01:07:46,864

series, was written by Jamil El Shahir.

:

01:07:47,684 --> 01:07:51,689

Interestingly enough, Jamil When my kids

were young, I'm not talking about seven,

:

01:07:51,689 --> 01:07:54,049

eight, nine, ten, played with his son.

:

01:07:54,389 --> 01:07:57,999

Okay, now my boys are 27 and 25 now.

:

01:07:57,999 --> 01:08:01,709

So we're talking about a

relationship that goes way back.

:

01:08:02,019 --> 01:08:07,829

And he wrote a piece called Dying

Well, which is so exceptional about

:

01:08:08,139 --> 01:08:14,189

that moment where transitioning If

you get to be a certain age, and

:

01:08:14,199 --> 01:08:19,229

I'm sure in our communities, many

of us have had to be caregivers.

:

01:08:19,849 --> 01:08:21,319

Now what does that really mean?

:

01:08:21,618 --> 01:08:28,349

You're, stop being yourself to give care

to an elder or someone in your family

:

01:08:28,589 --> 01:08:32,529

who has entrusted you with their lives.

:

01:08:33,068 --> 01:08:35,524

And, each one of my artists.

:

01:08:36,115 --> 01:08:39,875

In that particular piece, three

characters, as was the other one,

:

01:08:39,875 --> 01:08:45,585

but they each had recently had

a, caregiving situation in which

:

01:08:45,585 --> 01:08:49,475

they saw and helped to transition.

:

01:08:49,524 --> 01:08:54,675

my own mother in law, succumbed, six weeks

before her 98th birthday, but my wife

:

01:08:54,675 --> 01:09:01,295

and I were her caregivers, my wife for 10

years and me for four years learning how

:

01:09:01,365 --> 01:09:08,575

to handle a very, sensitive situation,

issue in every family, being a caregiver.

:

01:09:09,225 --> 01:09:15,205

That's what that story is about and about

transitioning and how we as families and

:

01:09:15,205 --> 01:09:21,965

members of the family can accept or assist

the transition from one life to the next.

:

01:09:24,175 --> 01:09:25,925

And then the last piece written by Dr.

:

01:09:25,925 --> 01:09:28,194

Janice Lidell was Senior Prom.

:

01:09:28,505 --> 01:09:31,694

And when she asked me about Senior

Prom the first time, I said,

:

01:09:31,705 --> 01:09:33,375

Janice, ooh, I like that idea.

:

01:09:33,535 --> 01:09:37,145

A Senior Prom for those seniors who

didn't get a chance to go to their Senior

:

01:09:37,145 --> 01:09:42,170

Prom because they were, you know, Unable

to go in:

:

01:09:42,170 --> 01:09:46,910

civil rights movement and the base of

the story was a woman who is 77 years

:

01:09:46,910 --> 01:09:54,770

old, who lived in Birmingham, Alabama,

the most segregated, hated town city.

:

01:09:54,940 --> 01:10:02,050

In the United States in:

children's march began on May the third.

:

01:10:02,180 --> 01:10:06,615

The same Birmingham, where the church

bombing was that fall in September.

:

01:10:07,184 --> 01:10:11,485

Write a story about a woman who didn't

get a chance to go to her senior

:

01:10:11,485 --> 01:10:17,315

prom because the white establishment

canceled all of those activities for

:

01:10:17,315 --> 01:10:21,715

the black community because they were

involved in the civil rights movement.

:

01:10:21,934 --> 01:10:26,575

Y'all remember Bull Connor, y'all remember

the dogs, and if you haven't seen it, go

:

01:10:26,575 --> 01:10:30,565

back and watch Eyes on the Prize because

that's exactly the story right there.

:

01:10:30,715 --> 01:10:37,625

Now imagine, that was my visual

in:

:

01:10:38,140 --> 01:10:44,710

And ABC, CBS and NBC, because we only had

three television stations back then where

:

01:10:44,710 --> 01:10:48,280

they were showing me a 13 year old child.

:

01:10:48,695 --> 01:10:56,805

young man who was watching that moment

where Children were marching and they sick

:

01:10:56,825 --> 01:11:00,434

the dogs on them, sprayed them with hoses.

:

01:11:00,615 --> 01:11:01,215

Why?

:

01:11:01,295 --> 01:11:07,595

Because they wanted to have equal

initiatives, equal education,

:

01:11:07,855 --> 01:11:11,045

voting rights, Imagine they left

their schools during the day.

:

01:11:11,745 --> 01:11:17,085

To participate in a civil rights march

that became the iconic visual on TV

:

01:11:17,085 --> 01:11:23,805

in:

because in her story, that's the story

:

01:11:23,805 --> 01:11:29,015

she's telling about why she didn't go to

her senior prom and how it was canceled

:

01:11:29,015 --> 01:11:33,684

and how the other white communities

were celebrating their, their, their

:

01:11:34,184 --> 01:11:36,455

being able to go to a prom and such.

:

01:11:36,755 --> 01:11:37,265

So.

:

01:11:37,475 --> 01:11:41,745

Then the story is the 77 year old

woman, now living in Atlanta, Georgia,

:

01:11:41,915 --> 01:11:47,210

is taking care of her grandkids, who

are 32 and 28, who were Parents were

:

01:11:47,210 --> 01:11:50,070

tragically killed in a car accident,

and she helped to raise them.

:

01:11:50,790 --> 01:11:53,290

But she's giving them a

chance to tell them the story.

:

01:11:53,790 --> 01:11:58,290

That we sometimes, in our community,

a story of a civil rights story

:

01:11:58,550 --> 01:12:04,790

that we sometimes refuse to tell

over and over because of the pain.

:

01:12:04,980 --> 01:12:10,650

It's like right now, today is May

st,:

:

01:12:13,620 --> 01:12:15,160

Why is that an important year?

:

01:12:15,620 --> 01:12:19,960

Because that was the year the Tulsa

Race Riots took place, where Black

:

01:12:19,960 --> 01:12:26,660

Wall Street was literally destroyed

by white supremacists and racism.

:

01:12:26,860 --> 01:12:30,550

They dropped bombs on the black

community, which was the richest

:

01:12:30,550 --> 01:12:32,880

black community in this country!

:

01:12:34,120 --> 01:12:34,640

:

:

01:12:36,325 --> 01:12:41,075

And if that story is not resonating in

your history classes right now, it's a

:

01:12:41,585 --> 01:12:47,705

God unforgiven shame that you have not

learned about that particular incident,

:

01:12:47,934 --> 01:12:54,490

because that's when our hopes, our dreams

of a society, a world, Where we could grow

:

01:12:54,490 --> 01:12:57,840

up and learn and live and be respected.

:

01:12:57,970 --> 01:13:01,370

The richest black community in

this country was not New York city.

:

01:13:01,380 --> 01:13:03,350

Harlem was not Washington, DC.

:

01:13:03,550 --> 01:13:06,270

It was in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

:

01:13:06,480 --> 01:13:07,059

Why?

:

01:13:07,620 --> 01:13:13,340

Oh, you know, about flowers of the moon

or whatever the story is about the Osage

:

01:13:13,480 --> 01:13:17,640

Indians, same story because oil, oil.

:

01:13:18,325 --> 01:13:22,775

was on the grounds, under the grounds

where our black community was living.

:

01:13:22,925 --> 01:13:27,415

And if you know the Trail of Tears story,

where did they leave my Cherokee Nation

:

01:13:27,415 --> 01:13:33,475

people, me, part Cherokee, driven from

the East Coast in Carolina to relocate

:

01:13:33,525 --> 01:13:39,745

to Oklahoma, and where they gave those

African people, moving in that direction,

:

01:13:39,955 --> 01:13:43,434

gave them smallpox infected blankets.

:

01:13:45,300 --> 01:13:47,110

Y'all need to know these stories.

:

01:13:47,350 --> 01:13:51,030

This is why, why do we need to

write a new Disney story when

:

01:13:51,040 --> 01:13:52,600

we have our own stories to tell?

:

01:13:52,750 --> 01:13:56,430

And if you don't know these stories,

it's the reason why I, as an

:

01:13:56,450 --> 01:14:00,950

arts administrator, an artist, a

director, a dramaturg, have made

:

01:14:00,950 --> 01:14:06,160

that commitment to make sure our

stories are told and given respect.

:

01:14:06,400 --> 01:14:09,430

we did it as live theater

in Atlanta, Georgia.

:

01:14:09,610 --> 01:14:14,780

And the workshop gave us the

opportunity to showcase three stories.

:

01:14:15,245 --> 01:14:19,905

the leading agency for reader's

theater in this country, is

:

01:14:20,105 --> 01:14:23,305

Frank Silveira Writers Workshop.

:

01:14:23,934 --> 01:14:25,434

This is why it's important.

:

01:14:25,445 --> 01:14:31,695

So my work with the workshop as now as

a consultant and advisor to bring us and

:

01:14:31,695 --> 01:14:38,915

rebrand us into the 21st century because

institutionally, we have to keep making

:

01:14:38,915 --> 01:14:44,015

sure our own institutions are telling

our stories, not depending on other

:

01:14:44,285 --> 01:14:49,038

organizations, which might do a good job,

the origin of the story starts with us.

:

01:14:49,818 --> 01:14:50,398

Speaker 9: And if not

:

01:14:50,448 --> 01:14:54,618

Speaker 8: us, who else is

going to tell our story, but us?

:

01:14:55,038 --> 01:14:59,617

And this is why, yes, why it's so

important and why the success of what

:

01:14:59,617 --> 01:15:05,687

we were able to accomplish is that

opportunity to do the workshop, reading,

:

01:15:07,027 --> 01:15:11,090

and I would tell Janice every time we

posted, Put in the workshop's logo,

:

01:15:11,390 --> 01:15:20,070

put in the logo of the theater company,

because we built, person by person, to

:

01:15:20,090 --> 01:15:23,390

fill a house of a hundred plus seats.

:

01:15:25,135 --> 01:15:25,945

every show.

:

01:15:26,945 --> 01:15:28,075

We succeeded.

:

01:15:28,335 --> 01:15:30,215

We didn't have marketing dollars.

:

01:15:30,765 --> 01:15:33,355

We had Frank Silvera Writer's Workshop.

:

01:15:33,915 --> 01:15:35,805

We didn't have PR dollars.

:

01:15:36,565 --> 01:15:39,005

We had Frank Silvera Writer's Workshop.

:

01:15:39,525 --> 01:15:46,495

We had zoom catchers allowing us to do

these three productions for an audience

:

01:15:46,695 --> 01:15:52,890

to see as Garland senior would say

to show How to do from page to the

:

01:15:52,890 --> 01:15:55,720

stage and we proved it would work.

:

01:15:55,940 --> 01:16:01,900

Not only that, we had

capacity houses every night.

:

01:16:02,280 --> 01:16:06,500

We averaged more than a hundred

people, which is amazing.

:

01:16:06,730 --> 01:16:08,660

And we got congratulations for that.

:

01:16:08,740 --> 01:16:10,800

We got no reviews, I said to Janice.

:

01:16:11,300 --> 01:16:14,380

There's a story in the Atlanta

daily where hopefully this

:

01:16:14,380 --> 01:16:15,610

week, but it's after the show.

:

01:16:15,940 --> 01:16:22,220

you as a producer, Janice, brought three

shows into the Atlanta Arts Exchange,

:

01:16:22,340 --> 01:16:28,059

which was a converted elementary school

to a cultural arts center run by African

:

01:16:28,059 --> 01:16:32,723

Americans, Alice Lovelace and Iban

Dooley, who I've known for 40 years.

:

01:16:33,420 --> 01:16:39,010

So my coming back home to Atlanta

was to work in a facility of friends

:

01:16:39,010 --> 01:16:44,750

that I've known and we packed the

house, each of those three shows.

:

01:16:45,790 --> 01:16:49,360

And we all, we were planning

for about 100 people per show.

:

01:16:49,480 --> 01:16:52,410

We were over average, over a

hundred people for each night.

:

01:16:52,440 --> 01:16:54,040

We had 150 people the first show.

:

01:16:54,445 --> 01:16:57,125

Speaker 7: and we also had, the

virtual reading was well attended

:

01:16:57,355 --> 01:16:59,175

and the link exactly description.

:

01:16:59,175 --> 01:17:03,005

You can watch the video was

really, a great reading and, hats

:

01:17:03,005 --> 01:17:05,845

off to everyone who participated

in that and congratulations

:

01:17:05,845 --> 01:17:06,945

for all the success with that.

:

01:17:06,945 --> 01:17:10,415

And hopefully we'll, get a chance to

see it again somewhere on the stage.

:

01:17:10,865 --> 01:17:11,351

Uh,

:

01:17:12,231 --> 01:17:13,251

Speaker 8: we did have it filmed.

:

01:17:14,141 --> 01:17:18,121

I had industry people at the

theater who came to see the show.

:

01:17:18,401 --> 01:17:21,550

My connections being on the

film commission for seven years,

:

01:17:21,930 --> 01:17:22,940

I can't ask for much more.

:

01:17:23,980 --> 01:17:27,790

You can't, if you're going

to open the door, my friends,

:

01:17:28,720 --> 01:17:30,530

knock the door off the hinges.

:

01:17:31,519 --> 01:17:33,769

Speaker 7: And provide

opportunities for people coming up.

:

01:17:34,489 --> 01:17:35,269

Speaker 8: Exactly.

:

01:17:35,329 --> 01:17:39,898

The box office, the set, the

lighting, the, capacity to work with

:

01:17:39,909 --> 01:17:41,309

the Frank Silvera Writers Workshop.

:

01:17:41,529 --> 01:17:42,969

I mean literally.

:

01:17:43,549 --> 01:17:50,068

Realize our community commands and

demands the respect and the excellence

:

01:17:50,229 --> 01:17:52,209

that you get from any place else.

:

01:17:52,859 --> 01:17:56,499

You don't have to be Disney,

you don't have to be Pixar, you

:

01:17:56,499 --> 01:18:01,499

don't have to be George Lucas or

Spielberg, but you can be yourself.

:

01:18:01,999 --> 01:18:06,549

You can be yourself and bring your

game, bring your A game to the table

:

01:18:06,659 --> 01:18:12,099

and I guarantee you, you will rise

above every expectation and even exceed

:

01:18:12,099 --> 01:18:14,059

it because you did it the right way.

:

01:18:14,234 --> 01:18:14,644

Way.

:

01:18:15,114 --> 01:18:17,874

Don't sell your soul

for 30 pieces of silver.

:

01:18:18,404 --> 01:18:24,484

Do it because your people, our

people, need you as a griot to keep

:

01:18:24,484 --> 01:18:29,294

telling our story and be honest

and be, tell the truth because

:

01:18:29,754 --> 01:18:32,164

Unless you do it, nobody else will.

:

01:18:32,412 --> 01:18:33,462

Speaker 7: Thank you so much for that.

:

01:18:34,041 --> 01:18:34,902

Take note, everyone.

:

01:18:34,902 --> 01:18:36,122

We're here with Byron C Saunders.

:

01:18:36,142 --> 01:18:39,612

We're talking about all kinds of things

in the arts, conversations on aging.

:

01:18:39,932 --> 01:18:44,182

I do want to ask you, now that you have

several decades of experience underneath

:

01:18:44,182 --> 01:18:47,762

you, what would you, what would your

older self tell your younger self?

:

01:18:47,762 --> 01:18:49,120

If you could do that?

:

01:18:49,372 --> 01:18:49,882

Speaker 8: Okay.

:

01:18:49,932 --> 01:18:51,102

I tell it like this.

:

01:18:51,932 --> 01:18:52,802

I have two boys.

:

01:18:54,507 --> 01:19:04,087

When they were coming of age, let's say

10, 12, every year, and it wasn't easy

:

01:19:04,357 --> 01:19:10,487

raising them because their mother and I

fell out of what happens in marriages.

:

01:19:11,037 --> 01:19:14,347

But we raised and put all

of our love into our sons.

:

01:19:15,527 --> 01:19:20,627

And I told him that each year, I said,

if you just stay on the track that

:

01:19:20,627 --> 01:19:25,477

you are right now, and this is them

understanding who I am, and as their

:

01:19:25,477 --> 01:19:29,847

father, having had and continuing

to have a very successful career.

:

01:19:30,402 --> 01:19:34,252

In the arts and everything that I've

done, they've been a witness and I made

:

01:19:34,252 --> 01:19:40,142

sure that they were with me along each

one of those steps on the ladder so that

:

01:19:40,142 --> 01:19:44,312

they can understand it's theirs to have

and to they could do the same things.

:

01:19:44,312 --> 01:19:49,242

And I said, but guess what, sons,

you're way past where I was at your age.

:

01:19:49,752 --> 01:19:52,752

And if you just stay on the track

that you are on right now, you

:

01:19:52,752 --> 01:19:58,002

will far exceed my expectations and

your own expectations of greatness.

:

01:19:58,462 --> 01:20:03,642

It's in you, but you have to

have the courage and the, to

:

01:20:03,652 --> 01:20:07,832

be honest with yourself about

your choice and your passion.

:

01:20:08,242 --> 01:20:10,912

And if you want, you

realize what it is you want.

:

01:20:11,537 --> 01:20:13,467

Like my son wants to be a pilot.

:

01:20:14,057 --> 01:20:18,407

He's building jet planes

for Gulfstream right now.

:

01:20:18,547 --> 01:20:24,007

He's a staff sergeant in the Air

Force National Reserve and he's been

:

01:20:24,017 --> 01:20:26,347

flying since he was 13 years old.

:

01:20:26,427 --> 01:20:28,007

He's got his certificate.

:

01:20:28,027 --> 01:20:31,317

He's been flying gliders and he

wants to be a commercial pilot.

:

01:20:31,787 --> 01:20:35,037

So he's about to start working

with Delta in a week or so.

:

01:20:36,127 --> 01:20:38,267

My youngest son is a chef.

:

01:20:38,267 --> 01:20:41,317

He is a private, personal,

and corporate chef.

:

01:20:41,392 --> 01:20:45,682

And he's been cooking since

he was eight, nine, and ten.

:

01:20:46,152 --> 01:20:49,972

his moniker is, he's known

as the Kitchen Magician.

:

01:20:50,432 --> 01:20:52,692

Brandon, the Kitchen Magician.

:

01:20:53,012 --> 01:20:58,712

So I'm, you know, this is what you have

to realize about your, not just yourself,

:

01:20:58,912 --> 01:21:04,302

but if you're going to be the best you

that you can be, and if you have kids or

:

01:21:04,302 --> 01:21:10,852

you don't have kids, mentor somebody to

share and pass the baton of the best of

:

01:21:10,852 --> 01:21:16,172

you to be the best of them so they can

be a better person and a better world.

:

01:21:16,412 --> 01:21:20,002

That's how we're going to be able to

overcome all the isms that are out there.

:

01:21:20,062 --> 01:21:20,842

Speaker 7: Absolutely.

:

01:21:21,022 --> 01:21:22,192

Thank you so much for that.

:

01:21:22,972 --> 01:21:24,932

We're getting to the bottom

of this conversation.

:

01:21:24,942 --> 01:21:26,322

Really appreciate you being on.

:

01:21:26,802 --> 01:21:31,522

I do want to ask you though, just to

continue with the topic of, pro aging.

:

01:21:31,732 --> 01:21:34,862

Content because I think the elders

igniting was pro aging content.

:

01:21:35,142 --> 01:21:39,652

What do you see is the Trends for that and

what type of advice would you have for?

:

01:21:39,972 --> 01:21:44,862

producers and other people in the field as

far as producing more content in that vein

:

01:21:46,154 --> 01:21:49,604

Speaker 8: First and foremost

don't be afraid to tell a

:

01:21:49,604 --> 01:21:51,454

story that hasn't been told.

:

01:21:52,644 --> 01:21:55,674

You see, it's interesting to

me as a producer, how many

:

01:21:55,714 --> 01:21:57,294

Superfly stories have we seen?

:

01:21:58,614 --> 01:22:00,734

How many Godfather stories have we seen?

:

01:22:02,443 --> 01:22:09,574

How many stories of fantasy

from an African American

:

01:22:09,574 --> 01:22:10,943

perspective have you seen?

:

01:22:13,564 --> 01:22:17,924

I'm asking that question because

as part of the diaspora, if

:

01:22:17,924 --> 01:22:23,514

you're remaking somebody else's

story, it's really not your story.

:

01:22:24,324 --> 01:22:28,424

It is if you make it your part of

your story, but the creative part

:

01:22:28,454 --> 01:22:31,494

of the imagination, the greatest

nation in the world is right here.

:

01:22:32,154 --> 01:22:35,824

The imagination, not the one

with all the superpowers.

:

01:22:36,064 --> 01:22:38,794

We're talking about what's

up here, what's in here, your

:

01:22:38,804 --> 01:22:41,164

heart, your spirit, your soul.

:

01:22:41,693 --> 01:22:45,914

And if you really want

to make sure your story.

:

01:22:46,094 --> 01:22:51,384

And our story, the village that you

come from's story is put into the

:

01:22:51,443 --> 01:22:56,014

perspective of the universe that it

was supposed to be, then you are,

:

01:22:56,273 --> 01:22:58,314

the one who has to, develop it.

:

01:22:58,454 --> 01:22:59,704

Now that's as a producer.

:

01:22:59,934 --> 01:23:02,154

As a writer, tell the truth.

:

01:23:03,504 --> 01:23:06,434

Even if you're the

producer, produce the truth.

:

01:23:07,454 --> 01:23:13,284

But if you're the writer, tell the

story from the perspective of truth.

:

01:23:14,864 --> 01:23:17,644

My father used to say there's

three sides to every story.

:

01:23:17,724 --> 01:23:20,023

Your side, my side, and the truth.

:

01:23:21,604 --> 01:23:22,204

Tell the truth.

:

01:23:22,954 --> 01:23:26,314

As an actor, then be on stage.

:

01:23:26,374 --> 01:23:30,773

Don't fake the funk, because

everybody's sitting there watching you.

:

01:23:31,004 --> 01:23:32,254

See those seats out there?

:

01:23:32,404 --> 01:23:33,954

See those seats up in the balcony?

:

01:23:34,389 --> 01:23:38,459

They're watching you on stage, and

it may be only you that catches their

:

01:23:38,479 --> 01:23:43,309

eye, and if you're not being true

to the character on the stage that's

:

01:23:43,648 --> 01:23:48,169

in front of them, where we are, they

will know that you're faking it.

:

01:23:49,249 --> 01:23:53,339

You have much more, obligation

to bring the story's truth to

:

01:23:53,349 --> 01:23:57,419

life by being the truth, and if

you're doing that, Guess what?

:

01:23:57,479 --> 01:24:02,068

It won't matter if you win the academy

or the OB or the Tony or whatever

:

01:24:02,068 --> 01:24:04,889

award that's there because the award is

:

01:24:08,409 --> 01:24:10,898

at the end and the standing ovation.

:

01:24:11,189 --> 01:24:12,359

That's your reward.

:

01:24:12,449 --> 01:24:13,229

And guess what?

:

01:24:13,349 --> 01:24:15,509

You only got one day to

celebrate that victory.

:

01:24:15,509 --> 01:24:18,029

'cause the next day you gotta

be even better than the what

:

01:24:18,029 --> 01:24:19,379

day that you were before.

:

01:24:19,446 --> 01:24:25,136

And if you bring that to the stage as a

producer, actor, director, stage manager.

:

01:24:25,356 --> 01:24:31,066

Costumer, set designer, set builder,

light design, and get, and yeah, get,

:

01:24:31,126 --> 01:24:35,636

I think even AI designer because we

got a lot of stuff on AI right now.

:

01:24:35,925 --> 01:24:38,876

You will realize that it's

still about telling the truth.

:

01:24:39,675 --> 01:24:40,416

Absolutely.

:

01:24:41,175 --> 01:24:45,230

Speaker 7: And then to continue to

talk about truth and, uh, because I

:

01:24:45,230 --> 01:24:47,970

know there's still a lot of seniors

out there that are in the arts,

:

01:24:47,980 --> 01:24:50,830

you know, Many people you know, on

that edge of, should I keep going?

:

01:24:50,830 --> 01:24:51,740

Should I retire?

:

01:24:51,843 --> 01:24:54,473

What advice would you have

for, specifically for seniors

:

01:24:54,473 --> 01:24:55,403

that are still in the arts?

:

01:24:56,113 --> 01:24:59,223

Speaker 8: The seniors that are

still in the arts, the most powerful

:

01:24:59,233 --> 01:25:01,473

weapon in the universe, is love.

:

01:25:02,473 --> 01:25:07,702

We came in with love, and

hopefully you exit with love.

:

01:25:08,393 --> 01:25:11,313

You're being a part of the bigger picture.

:

01:25:11,513 --> 01:25:12,963

You are not the picture.

:

01:25:13,083 --> 01:25:13,753

Okay.

:

01:25:13,952 --> 01:25:17,773

It's not your picture alone And believe

me when you really begin to realize

:

01:25:17,773 --> 01:25:22,393

that as a senior Because you get respect

you give respect and your family will

:

01:25:22,393 --> 01:25:29,577

respect you even more because when

they seek truth and wisdom, they don't

:

01:25:29,577 --> 01:25:34,918

ever go to a baby and say, can you

tell me how to cure what's ailing me?

:

01:25:35,378 --> 01:25:40,998

They go to a person who's lived a life,

someone whose experiences are able to

:

01:25:40,998 --> 01:25:49,098

share with you where the pitfalls are

so that when you do find yourself in a

:

01:25:49,108 --> 01:25:53,288

stumbling block and trying to overcome

it, you're probably able to leap over

:

01:25:53,288 --> 01:25:58,088

it, walk behind it, and kick it off the

side of the road so somebody else won't

:

01:25:58,128 --> 01:26:00,008

fall into the same pit that you did.

:

01:26:00,438 --> 01:26:01,548

So is that your advice to

:

01:26:01,548 --> 01:26:05,461

Speaker 7: the seniors who

are continuing the arts?

:

01:26:05,461 --> 01:26:09,558

Speaker 8: Continuing the arts

because you're not, they shoot

:

01:26:09,568 --> 01:26:11,378

horses, but they don't shoot actors.

:

01:26:11,998 --> 01:26:13,008

You know where actors go?

:

01:26:13,443 --> 01:26:14,503

We do commercials.

:

01:26:14,503 --> 01:26:16,333

Speaker 7: golf courses and

:

01:26:16,333 --> 01:26:20,663

Speaker 8: golf courses and medications

and even you can get paid in New York.

:

01:26:20,813 --> 01:26:25,503

You could get paid in New York

health care privileges by sharing

:

01:26:25,513 --> 01:26:29,202

your art with their patients.

:

01:26:30,413 --> 01:26:31,263

Imagine that.

:

01:26:32,032 --> 01:26:35,253

You're paying all this out of your

pocket for health care, but you can get

:

01:26:35,253 --> 01:26:40,943

health care in a specific system that

says, if you come and read to these

:

01:26:40,943 --> 01:26:45,653

young kids in the pediatrics ward,

we will trade some health care for

:

01:26:45,653 --> 01:26:48,993

your being able to be a part of this.

:

01:26:49,883 --> 01:26:52,233

Speaker 7: So you hear that all

the actors, is this New York?

:

01:26:52,233 --> 01:26:52,713

You said all that.

:

01:26:52,782 --> 01:26:53,233

Speaker 8: York.

:

01:26:53,343 --> 01:26:58,083

This is literally because at

the point of which there are 8.

:

01:26:58,083 --> 01:27:00,113

5 million people in New

York City, guess what?

:

01:27:00,113 --> 01:27:02,133

There are 8 million of them are actors.

:

01:27:02,663 --> 01:27:04,713

And they're all trying to do

the same thing you're doing.

:

01:27:04,893 --> 01:27:10,753

and the reality is, is that if you are

able to still give to your community.

:

01:27:10,963 --> 01:27:11,393

Guess what?

:

01:27:11,393 --> 01:27:18,952

Your community can give back to you to

appreciate your being wise, for being

:

01:27:18,952 --> 01:27:25,873

able to share and mentor, keeping people

out of the hospital who unfortunately

:

01:27:25,983 --> 01:27:28,223

have made bad health choices.

:

01:27:28,713 --> 01:27:29,213

Or had an

:

01:27:29,357 --> 01:27:30,183

Speaker 7: accident or something.

:

01:27:30,233 --> 01:27:31,443

Speaker 8: had an accident.

:

01:27:31,513 --> 01:27:32,153

That's right.

:

01:27:32,623 --> 01:27:38,613

So, I mean, you, in some ways, If

you're a blessing, be a blessing.

:

01:27:39,873 --> 01:27:41,003

Give somebody a blessing.

:

01:27:42,032 --> 01:27:45,113

Make sure that they, and don't

look for the pat on the back.

:

01:27:46,883 --> 01:27:47,943

That's not why you know, and the

:

01:27:47,943 --> 01:27:49,853

Speaker 7: pat on the back is best

When it just naturally happens.

:

01:27:49,863 --> 01:27:50,403

Exactly.

:

01:27:50,403 --> 01:27:50,875

That's

:

01:27:50,875 --> 01:27:52,291

Speaker 8: been my experience.

:

01:27:52,291 --> 01:27:52,763

Exactly.

:

01:27:52,813 --> 01:27:53,103

Speaker 7: Great.

:

01:27:53,103 --> 01:27:55,923

Speaker 8: working for

the award, good luck.

:

01:27:56,282 --> 01:27:56,753

good luck.

:

01:27:56,763 --> 01:28:02,133

Because even after you receive the award,

it's like, after the success of what

:

01:28:02,133 --> 01:28:08,073

we just created in Atlanta, Two days

later, I got to realize, okay, I gotta,

:

01:28:08,633 --> 01:28:10,503

I gotta show in New York in three weeks.

:

01:28:10,503 --> 01:28:12,273

I gotta get myself ready for this.

:

01:28:12,323 --> 01:28:12,583

And that's

:

01:28:13,193 --> 01:28:15,833

Speaker 7: the perfect segue for

what's coming up next for Vine.

:

01:28:15,833 --> 01:28:18,393

I want to talk about the National Black

Theatre Festival and your next show.

:

01:28:18,803 --> 01:28:19,803

So what's coming up?

:

01:28:20,543 --> 01:28:21,193

Speaker 8: Oh my God.

:

01:28:21,413 --> 01:28:23,063

See, see what I'm saying?

:

01:28:23,103 --> 01:28:26,563

It's like, just when you thought you

could sit back and relax, forget that.

:

01:28:26,833 --> 01:28:29,113

Because the success only spreads.

:

01:28:29,548 --> 01:28:34,398

to the next level in which somebody

says, well, I'm living in Winston Salem.

:

01:28:34,718 --> 01:28:36,958

I'm working with the Frank

Silvera Writers Workshop.

:

01:28:37,148 --> 01:28:40,998

They are a critical part of the

44th anniversary of the Black,

:

01:28:41,438 --> 01:28:45,008

International Black Theater

Festival in which Garland Sr.

:

01:28:45,028 --> 01:28:49,238

created the opportunity that's

followed up by Garland Jr.

:

01:28:49,428 --> 01:28:52,648

to do a play reading

series at the festival.

:

01:28:52,788 --> 01:28:59,678

So I'm excited about the 50th anniversary

of the International Frank Silvera

:

01:28:59,678 --> 01:29:04,878

Writers Workshop to work with the 44th

anniversary of the International Black

:

01:29:04,898 --> 01:29:08,688

tre Festival in Winston Salem:

:

01:29:08,958 --> 01:29:13,848

Be there or be square because

this year is holy ground.

:

01:29:14,278 --> 01:29:19,888

This is what the International Black

Theatre Festival has defined itself,

:

01:29:20,128 --> 01:29:21,998

not just because it's international.

:

01:29:22,198 --> 01:29:24,538

And look at what the Frank

Silvera Writings Workshop has

:

01:29:24,538 --> 01:29:26,318

done for its 50th anniversary.

:

01:29:26,628 --> 01:29:34,833

Our selections of plays have been

About the global community, the plays

:

01:29:34,833 --> 01:29:41,053

themselves, the technology that's being

used, the green screen projections, that

:

01:29:41,063 --> 01:29:42,963

wonderful theater that I'm sitting in.

:

01:29:43,253 --> 01:29:44,713

Thank you wherever I am.

:

01:29:44,713 --> 01:29:46,043

I am ready for my close up.

:

01:29:46,383 --> 01:29:46,893

Are you ready

:

01:29:46,893 --> 01:29:47,393

Speaker 7: for your close up?

:

01:29:48,863 --> 01:29:49,293

Speaker 8: Yeah.

:

01:29:51,153 --> 01:29:55,363

But here's where this comes

in as truth and reality.

:

01:29:56,093 --> 01:29:57,223

Come to Winston Salem.

:

01:29:57,673 --> 01:30:00,523

Be a part of the

celebration of our culture.

:

01:30:01,233 --> 01:30:05,973

It is, as I said, they identified

Winston Salem as holy ground.

:

01:30:06,493 --> 01:30:10,813

Now, not every city can declare

themselves that, and that's most unusual.

:

01:30:10,813 --> 01:30:12,343

I was at the branding ceremony.

:

01:30:12,653 --> 01:30:17,793

for the International Black Theatre

Festival based because of the North

:

01:30:17,793 --> 01:30:22,733

Carolina Black Repertory Theatre Company,

which is the sponsor of the Black Theatre

:

01:30:22,733 --> 01:30:28,163

Festival, for which Frank Silver Writer's

Workshop is a partner in that festival.

:

01:30:28,433 --> 01:30:34,693

And so celebrating black theatre, not

just from the past, but its future.

:

01:30:34,952 --> 01:30:37,323

And that's what the workshop

is all about right now.

:

01:30:37,532 --> 01:30:42,663

Looking into the globe and

saying, Oh, tell me the future.

:

01:30:42,663 --> 01:30:46,093

Show me the bright lights

of wisdom and truth.

:

01:30:46,373 --> 01:30:49,202

And it's in what we're

doing like right now.

:

01:30:49,202 --> 01:30:51,503

Zoom catchers you don't

even have to do that.

:

01:30:51,513 --> 01:30:52,833

You can QR code it.

:

01:30:53,193 --> 01:31:00,282

Just go to the F F V F S W W dot org.

:

01:31:00,843 --> 01:31:01,623

And guess what?

:

01:31:01,863 --> 01:31:04,883

You're going to be led right to that

place where you can make that donation.

:

01:31:04,983 --> 01:31:05,713

Make it real.

:

01:31:06,443 --> 01:31:11,723

Please understand this is how we're going

to be able to keep our institutions alive.

:

01:31:12,193 --> 01:31:15,452

Keep it from being roadkill because

they don't want us to succeed.

:

01:31:15,713 --> 01:31:17,353

Make no mistake about it.

:

01:31:17,753 --> 01:31:20,683

Every theater company in this

country is using the, the, the money.

:

01:31:20,913 --> 01:31:24,353

Profile for which we helped

to establish and it works.

:

01:31:24,952 --> 01:31:27,653

So don't let them be the

only one that you support.

:

01:31:28,423 --> 01:31:28,933

Speaker 9: Continue

:

01:31:28,933 --> 01:31:30,952

Speaker 8: to support the

Frank Silvera Writers Workshop.

:

01:31:31,153 --> 01:31:33,793

Continue to support Garland Jr.

:

01:31:34,303 --> 01:31:39,973

and continue to support Kimberly Gunn

with Zoom Catchers because they're

:

01:31:39,973 --> 01:31:43,735

the ones who are helping to move

this ball forward where somebody

:

01:31:43,735 --> 01:31:49,318

like me who was a part of the engine

before is still a part of the engine.

:

01:31:49,318 --> 01:31:50,633

We're just retooling it.

:

01:31:51,173 --> 01:31:52,463

Thank you for taking the time.

:

01:31:52,493 --> 01:31:54,163

I saw you, you right there.

:

01:31:54,313 --> 01:31:56,633

Yes, you were the one who

just picked up that phone.

:

01:31:56,893 --> 01:32:02,250

I know you're on your computer

say the F s w w dot or links will

:

01:32:02,593 --> 01:32:03,553

Speaker 7: be in the description.

:

01:32:04,113 --> 01:32:05,960

Speaker 8: Of course it will be, You

:

01:32:05,960 --> 01:32:07,832

Speaker 7: got to

:

01:32:08,112 --> 01:32:09,612

Speaker 8: do it with

fun in your heart too.

:

01:32:09,892 --> 01:32:12,382

Passion is what you're going

to bring here, but you better

:

01:32:12,382 --> 01:32:14,112

enjoy what you're viewing.

:

01:32:14,332 --> 01:32:18,002

Because if you're not having fun

and you don't enjoy it, that's okay.

:

01:32:18,612 --> 01:32:20,192

Find something else that will.

:

01:32:20,282 --> 01:32:25,382

But I guarantee if you lock into this

and what Zoom Catchers is doing and

:

01:32:25,382 --> 01:32:30,432

what the Frank Silvera Writers Workshop

And all the other companies and good

:

01:32:30,432 --> 01:32:32,052

hearted people that are out there.

:

01:32:32,482 --> 01:32:34,512

There are more of us than the others.

:

01:32:34,902 --> 01:32:36,312

So let's get together.

:

01:32:36,541 --> 01:32:37,442

Let's do this.

:

01:32:37,602 --> 01:32:38,362

Speaker 7: Let's do it together.

:

01:32:38,372 --> 01:32:41,612

And remind me, what are the dates for

the National Black Theatre Festival?

:

01:32:41,612 --> 01:32:41,682

I

:

01:32:41,682 --> 01:32:43,822

Speaker 8: The last week of

July, first week of August.

:

01:32:44,142 --> 01:32:44,322

Great.

:

01:32:44,322 --> 01:32:45,362

It's all of one week.

:

01:32:45,902 --> 01:32:46,142

Speaker 7: Great,

:

01:32:46,192 --> 01:32:49,242

Speaker 8: There's a real Wakanda,

and it's called Wisdom Salem.

:

01:32:50,122 --> 01:32:50,822

Speaker 7: Get your tickets.

:

01:32:51,252 --> 01:32:51,922

Get there.

:

01:32:52,468 --> 01:32:56,468

This year, the Garland Senior Writers

Workshop, the series they'll be

:

01:32:56,468 --> 01:32:57,978

hosting, I think it's over 30 plays.

:

01:32:57,978 --> 01:33:00,488

So there'll be a lot of great

new works you can go check out.

:

01:33:00,548 --> 01:33:01,327

You can meet.

:

01:33:01,573 --> 01:33:02,383

Garland Jr.

:

01:33:02,383 --> 01:33:03,593

and Byron, they'll be there.

:

01:33:03,653 --> 01:33:04,743

Hopefully I'll be there too.

:

01:33:05,333 --> 01:33:06,050

You better be.

:

01:33:06,083 --> 01:33:06,693

I'll say that.

:

01:33:06,702 --> 01:33:08,313

We're getting to the bottom

of this conversation.

:

01:33:08,313 --> 01:33:11,743

But before we head out, I do want to ask

you just what you like to do for fun.

:

01:33:11,743 --> 01:33:12,723

I know you love to cook.

:

01:33:12,723 --> 01:33:15,083

I know that's something we've

got several things in common.

:

01:33:15,083 --> 01:33:16,133

tell us more about some.

:

01:33:16,378 --> 01:33:17,648

Things you like to do for fun.

:

01:33:18,327 --> 01:33:21,288

Speaker 8: Okay, I love sports.

:

01:33:21,948 --> 01:33:24,368

I try to play all the sports

I could possibly play.

:

01:33:24,878 --> 01:33:29,738

Football, I learned, was one of my

first sports that I learned how to

:

01:33:29,738 --> 01:33:32,978

play because my dad played football

in high school and a little bit

:

01:33:32,978 --> 01:33:34,758

in college, at Tennessee State.

:

01:33:35,093 --> 01:33:38,952

but, I was too small to match

the poundage and the weight of

:

01:33:38,952 --> 01:33:40,513

these guys for like 300 pounds.

:

01:33:40,513 --> 01:33:43,793

I'm still 135 at my,

at my fighting weight.

:

01:33:44,032 --> 01:33:44,532

Okay.

:

01:33:44,723 --> 01:33:45,823

so I do love sports.

:

01:33:45,823 --> 01:33:46,693

I love golf.

:

01:33:47,278 --> 01:33:52,248

Bowling, football, basketball, not so

much cause I couldn't shoot that well,

:

01:33:52,248 --> 01:33:54,118

but I love to play the game anyway.

:

01:33:54,407 --> 01:33:57,308

tennis, I wanted to hit it

over the net, over the fence.

:

01:33:57,318 --> 01:34:02,468

So I'm not so sure I'm ready for

pickleball, although my wife and

:

01:34:02,468 --> 01:34:06,688

I have a pickleball set and we

haven't tried that yet, but why not?

:

01:34:06,918 --> 01:34:07,368

What the heck?

:

01:34:08,978 --> 01:34:10,188

Speaker 7: So, you know.

:

01:34:10,388 --> 01:34:11,157

I know, I know it's trending.

:

01:34:11,648 --> 01:34:12,588

I haven't tried it either.

:

01:34:12,588 --> 01:34:13,758

It's trending, it's trending.

:

01:34:14,237 --> 01:34:14,808

But you

:

01:34:14,808 --> 01:34:16,358

Speaker 8: know, I do love to cook.

:

01:34:16,558 --> 01:34:17,648

I love good food.

:

01:34:17,768 --> 01:34:19,327

I love to dance.

:

01:34:19,628 --> 01:34:21,268

I love hand dancing.

:

01:34:21,268 --> 01:34:22,737

I love ballroom dancing.

:

01:34:22,758 --> 01:34:25,358

I love the art of the art.

:

01:34:25,698 --> 01:34:27,008

and then of course theater.

:

01:34:27,448 --> 01:34:30,428

That's my profession,

but I love a good story.

:

01:34:30,978 --> 01:34:36,428

I love to hear a good story woven

and told and given life on stage and

:

01:34:36,428 --> 01:34:38,598

screen and pictures and whatever.

:

01:34:38,888 --> 01:34:42,907

and then of course, The best job

I've ever had, the one that really

:

01:34:42,907 --> 01:34:47,368

is, the one that I love the most

is being a father to my two sons.

:

01:34:48,168 --> 01:34:48,188

Speaker 9: The

:

01:34:48,188 --> 01:34:51,827

Speaker 8: love that I, I've

been able to share with them

:

01:34:51,878 --> 01:34:53,907

and being a grandparent now.

:

01:34:54,298 --> 01:34:58,558

and watching them grow and

enjoying the beauty of life.

:

01:34:58,558 --> 01:35:03,538

And I love flowers, the God's

infinite beauty design in

:

01:35:03,538 --> 01:35:06,068

floral arrangements is just

:

01:35:07,168 --> 01:35:07,918

Speaker 7: remarkable.

:

01:35:08,398 --> 01:35:08,898

It is.

:

01:35:10,638 --> 01:35:11,358

so much for that.

:

01:35:11,358 --> 01:35:12,618

And we've been here with Byron C.

:

01:35:12,628 --> 01:35:13,077

Saunders.

:

01:35:13,157 --> 01:35:14,737

We've covered a lot of ground.

:

01:35:15,088 --> 01:35:20,418

Really appreciate you sharing your, your

life, your the details of your journey.

:

01:35:20,428 --> 01:35:23,732

It's been quite a long journey, quite

a storied journey that you've had.

:

01:35:23,732 --> 01:35:25,112

And we really, really appreciate it.

:

01:35:25,233 --> 01:35:28,625

You being on and I know you got a

production coming up in the Big Apple.

:

01:35:28,625 --> 01:35:29,725

So tell us, tell us about that.

:

01:35:29,725 --> 01:35:30,295

Before we head out,

:

01:35:30,684 --> 01:35:31,195

Speaker 8: oh yes.

:

01:35:31,575 --> 01:35:36,165

You know, there's a line in Godfather

3 that's just, that's significant

:

01:35:36,165 --> 01:35:37,455

and I'm sure every actor knows this.

:

01:35:37,475 --> 01:35:41,325

Every time I try to escape, they

just keep pulling me back in.

:

01:35:41,325 --> 01:35:42,355

The long goodbye.

:

01:35:43,070 --> 01:35:43,520

Right, right.

:

01:35:43,520 --> 01:35:51,394

So Superheroes and Other Men written

by Jeff Oppenheim, produced by Alibé

:

01:35:51,394 --> 01:35:59,409

Hamaker and Sweet24K, and Veronica

Caicedo, of, Teatro Circular, which

:

01:35:59,409 --> 01:36:03,869

is in the east, side of New York,

in the village, right next to La

:

01:36:03,898 --> 01:36:06,023

Mama, June 12th through the 16th.

:

01:36:06,074 --> 01:36:07,144

I'll be there on the 10th.

:

01:36:07,554 --> 01:36:11,224

It's a one man show about the

rites of passage of a young man

:

01:36:11,594 --> 01:36:14,254

to, from childhood to fatherhood.

:

01:36:16,204 --> 01:36:19,914

And once we get to that bottom line,

and at the end of the story, the

:

01:36:19,914 --> 01:36:26,134

triumph of realizing the birth of

his own child, he finds the truth.

:

01:36:26,949 --> 01:36:28,739

The superhero in himself.

:

01:36:29,148 --> 01:36:29,989

It's beautiful.

:

01:36:30,109 --> 01:36:31,429

It's a beautiful story.

:

01:36:32,443 --> 01:36:32,564

Great.

:

01:36:32,844 --> 01:36:34,704

It's another part of the Byron C.

:

01:36:34,724 --> 01:36:36,704

Saunders journey and experience.

:

01:36:37,044 --> 01:36:37,924

Another chapter, huh?

:

01:36:38,314 --> 01:36:39,424

Another chapter.

:

01:36:40,124 --> 01:36:42,924

It seems like the book is still

being written, thank goodness.

:

01:36:43,184 --> 01:36:46,534

And I really appreciate

everybody who's watching.

:

01:36:46,734 --> 01:36:47,884

been a part of the journey.

:

01:36:47,994 --> 01:36:52,474

Thank you for, being a part of my

spiritual journey and my political

:

01:36:52,474 --> 01:36:54,154

and professional journey as well.

:

01:36:54,443 --> 01:36:57,103

And I'm awfully glad to be

able to share it with you,

:

01:36:57,353 --> 01:36:59,504

today and for tomorrow as well.

:

01:36:59,684 --> 01:37:00,134

So thank you.

:

01:37:00,974 --> 01:37:01,484

Speaker 7: Thank you.

:

01:37:01,494 --> 01:37:03,224

Thank you so much for being here.

:

01:37:03,773 --> 01:37:05,294

We're going to close out.

:

01:37:05,294 --> 01:37:07,294

I really appreciate you taking the time.

:

01:37:07,314 --> 01:37:07,914

I know you're busy.

:

01:37:07,914 --> 01:37:11,174

You have a lot going on, but there's

obviously a lot to talk about.

:

01:37:11,824 --> 01:37:12,154

Yes, it is.

:

01:37:12,154 --> 01:37:15,193

A lot, covered a lot of materials Winston

:

01:37:15,193 --> 01:37:20,523

Speaker 8: Salem, Winston Salem, don't

forget, July, the last week of July,

:

01:37:20,523 --> 01:37:24,214

first week of August, you know, be

there or be square because, this is an

:

01:37:24,214 --> 01:37:28,244

important year for truth to be revealed

to all of us and around the world.

:

01:37:28,714 --> 01:37:29,273

Absolutely.

:

01:37:29,284 --> 01:37:30,394

That's a big part of the story.

:

01:37:30,864 --> 01:37:31,534

Speaker 7: Absolutely.

:

01:37:31,864 --> 01:37:35,474

Thank you so much again, Byron

Saunders, and we'll see you next time.

:

01:37:36,344 --> 01:37:36,874

Speaker 8: Thank you.

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