One-man play 'Black Boy' centers on realizing passion
Charles Holt brought his monologue as Richard Wright to MU Wednesday.
Published Oct. 13, 2006
One man performed the entire life of another in approximately an hour on Wednesday.
"Black Boy," a one-man play starring Charles Holt, is a monologue based on the autobiography of Richard Wright, adapted by Wynn Handman. The play depicts a large portion of Wright's life, starting when he was five when his father left the family. It also portrays the racism he endured.
"I thought it was really inspirational," sophomore Robert Crosby said. "It definitely makes me want to read the book. It was phenomenal."
Although the struggles of racism still exist, "Black Boy" sends a much broader message.
"It is a story of perseverance, hope, determination and self-expression," Holt said. "It can present a story to people of all ages, all colors and all ethnic backgrounds that spans farther than the history of any color."
The main theme of the play is hunger. Wright's hunger early on was for food, but later in life it was a hunger to read and for knowledge, Holt said.
"We all have something that we are hungry for," Holt said during a question-and-answer session with the audience. "Any passion that you have inside of you is certainly worth working for."
Growing up in the South during the late 1980s, Holt faced racism first hand. In high school, a group of 10-15 white students blocked the doors to the gym because they didn't want Holt and other black students playing football. After that incident there were race riots for the next two weeks. Police monitored the high school, checking book bags at the entrance and making sure no one brought weapons inside the building, Holt said.
In the play, Holt had to play several characters, something he had experience with when he was younger. Holt said he used to impersonate his grandmother's friends when he was a child. Holt planned to debut the play in New York in October 2001 but it was almost cancelled due to the aftermath of Sept. 11, Holt said, because people were afraid to go into the city.
"What better time would there be than now to do a piece like this to present empowerment, inspiration, freedom and self-expression with a new face?" he said.
Despite concern, the show performed to sold-out crowds night after night. It is now in its sixth touring season. Holt also has many other projects nearing debut, including another one-man play, "The Smoke King," about the life of W.E.B. DeBois. His first solo R&B and jazz album, titled I Am, is scheduled for release in January 2007.
About 700 people attended the play, said Ashley Bolden, Black Programming Committee senior chairwoman. Bolden said the committee is planning for the spring semester calendar of events and is considering showing the documentary "Darfur Diaries: Message from Home."