The Black That I Am on NY run
AS part of Black History Month, The Black That I Am is having a limited New York run from February 25 to March 8. The production, which began as a poem in 2003, was created by Jamaican actor and playwright Karl O’Brian Williams.
The play is currently at The Jamaica Center for Arts and Learning in Queens, until March 1. It then moves to the Roy Arias Studio Theater in Manhattan from March 4 to 8.
The Black That I Am is a dramatic exploration of black identity seen from a Caribbean perspective. The 90-minute production unfolds through a series of monologues, woven together with movement and music, and addresses issues such as race, gender, sexuality, and nationalism. Williams explained his reason for the Caribbean perspective.
“Caribbean immigrants to the USA have an additional hurdle in fitting into this society, because we are often treated by some as part of the African-American community, while in reality, the African Americans themselves do not regard us as such.
The Black That I Am addresses these feelings of confusion, hurt and yearning to belong. It is a terrific addition to the New York cultural landscape for Black History Month, but will generate conversations that will hopefully go on for a long time after that,” he said.
The cast includes Andrew Clarke, Shayne Powell, Ilana Warner, Jovaun Black, Shykia Fields, Christopher Bazemore, and Alana Barrett Adkins. A former student of University of the West Indies, Mona campus, Williams’ other works include Random and Not About Eve.