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Celebrating Men Saint John's 7th Annual Men's Lives Series2001-2002
Paul Robeson:
A One-Man Play of a Black Man's Odyssey
Performed by Warren C. Bowles of Mixed Blood Theatre
Sunday, 8PM, January 20, 2002
Part of the Martin Luther King Jr. Celebrations
Stephen B. Humphrey Theatre
St. John's University
(this counts as a Fine Arts Activity)
Mixed Blood’s one-man production of Paul Robeson (1898-1976) follows the life of the famous African-American Renaissance man. Robeson attended Rutgers University on full scholarship, graduated from Columbia Law School, played professional football, and was an accomplished linguist. As an actor and singer, Robeson was the first African-American to play the title role in Othello and his rendition of “Ol’ Man River” made the song legendary.
In the 1930s, Robeson traveled to Soviet Russia to perform a series of concerts showcasing African-American spirituals and supported the Socialists in the Spanish Civil War. During the Communist “witch hunts” of 1956, Robeson testified in front of the House Committee on Un-American Activities. The State Department did not re-issue his passport for several years, and his shows were blacklisted; the FBI kept a file on him for decades. Nevertheless, Robeson continued to fight for the rights of oppressed peoples through his art, scholarly work, and political action.
Mixed Blood Theatre, founded in 1976, is a multicultural theatre production company based in Minneapolis, MN. Long known for its policy of colorblind casting, the theatre is today’s leading employer of minority actors.
“Dedicated to the spirit of Dr. Martin Luther King’s dream,” Mixed Blood is famous for producing shows that provoke strong emotional responses from audiences around the nation. The company often produces multilingual shows and is well-known for drawing a “non-traditional” audience.
Warren C. Bowles, a member of Mixed Blood Theatre since 1977, stars in the company’s production of Paul Robeson. A graduate of the University of Notre Dame, Bowles received his Master’s in Theatre at the University of Minnesota. He has worked in several theatre companies and has performed in 19 states for an estimated 900,000 people. Bowles has played several famous characters, including Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Jackie Robinson. He was the first African-American actor to play the title role in Cyrano de Bergerac.
Mixed Blood’s production of Paul Robeson keeps the spirit of this great American alive, summed up when he testified before Congress in 1956: “I will not live in the Soviet Union because my father was a slave and my people died to build this country; I am going to stay here [in America] and have a part in it just like you. No fascist-minded people will drive me from it.”
This Body for Hire:
The Invincible Jock
4PM, Monday, February 11, 2002
SJU Alumni Lounge
Orthopedic surgeon Dr. Pat McKenzie, Class of '79, father of SJU sophomore basketball player Pat McKenzie, and team doctor for the Green Bay Packers, will talk about the perceived invincibility of the professional athlete and answer questions.
"If an institution is going to be single sex, a space must be created to critically discuss gender. Saint John's does this exceptionally well. Men can talk with each other in different and more meaningful gender-aware ways."
"The thing I remember [about my last visit to SJU] was a meeting with a group of men the evening after the Crimes Against Nature performance. It was the most special conversation I have ever had with a group of college men. We talked about fathers, feelings, women, masculinity - a whole range of topics. It made me cry."
Chris Kilmartin, February 1, 2002
Thursday, 8PM, March 7, 2002
Stephen B. Humphrey Theatre
St. John's University
(this counts as a Fine Arts Activity)
Crimes Against Nature is an original solo piece written and performed by Chris Kilmartin. The product of a year-long collaboration between him and Gregg Stull, Assistant Professor and Chair of the Theatre Department at Mary Washington College, Crimes Against Nature is a humorous, compelling, and very personal look at the pressures of masculinity.
Crimes Against Nature cleverly points out the absurdities and contradictions of masculinity. The piece promotes an awareness of the demands of masculinity and also provides a sense that one can choose whether or not to acquiesce to these demands. Never preachy, Kilmartin pokes fun at the experiences of his adolescence and young manhood.
Witty humor punctuates Kilmartin's heartfelt stories: the Halloween day that his mother dressed him as a girl and sent him to kindergarten, the day that he discovered pornographic magazines in his neighbor's garage, the day that he tried out for the junior high baseball team. Kilmartin recalls how he was taught the idea of masculinity. Sports, puberty, communication, homophobia, girlfriends, sex education, drag queens--Crimes Against Nature uses touching personal accounts to weave an important statement about the pressures of masculinity.
Chris Kilmartin is the author of The Masculine Self, 2nd Edition (2000) and co-author with John Lynch of The Pain Behind the Mask: The Origins, Consequences, and Remedies of Masculine Depression. Kilmartin is an Associate Professor of Psychology at Mary Washington College in Fredericksburg, VA. He has been a professional stand-up comedian since 1985, having performed as opening act for Richard Lewis, Paula Poundstone, George Miller, and Norm MacDonald.
Kilmartin and Stull's collaboration was supported by a Jepson Funds for Excellence Grant, a program that supports collaborative interdisciplinary faculty projects. Director Stull's recent directing credits include Six Characters in Search of an Author, Cloud 9 and Inspecting Carol. He consults with arts organizations throughout the country on program planning and resource development.