I saw picks like this everywhere, especially in back pockets as a child. …The pick would go in your back pocket, and the fist could be seen just above the edge of your pocket, showing a sense of pride to anyone who saw it. Although my hair is a little shorter now, in the 1970s, I used a pick like this to comb my afro.
Read MoreI am thrilled to perform in "What Are You?", created by Nicolette Emmanuel, at 7 Stages Theater. The show previews on November 7 and opens on November 9.
This production is the third installment of this project I've enjoyed contributing to over the past several years. The opportunity to present this piece in front of a live audience at 7 Stages adds a dimension to the experience, making it feel even more impactful, and we have the opportunity to perform a longer run of the show.
Read MoreThis Summer, I’m Inspired by the Great Ones
Over the past few weeks, I've enjoyed entertaining audiences at various libraries and camps. I really enjoy doing these shows. I'm eagerly anticipating my upcoming hospital clowning performances in Columbus this autumn. In the meantime, I've been keeping busy with shows at camps and libraries this summer.
I do some comedy, music, and juggling during my summer show. It's the skills I've learned mixed with some basic performing skills. While I'm doing all of this, I also take time to talk about some of the artists who have inspired me. While the list of those who have inspired me is long, for these shows, I focus on three artists: Bert Williams, the Mills Brothers, and Josephine Baker. These performers were all Black artists who were internationally renowned when they were in their prime…
Read MoreThe topic for the panel was "How is a clowning agent of social change? Should that be the role of the clown? How can clowns help society?
I thought about this topic a lot, and I felt some extra pressure because I was expected to comment on it. Clowns can be agents of social change, and our organizations should play a role in that. That said, during the panel, I focused on how difficult change can be.
Read MoreThis past week, I've enjoyed attending and teaching at the Cool Fool School in Atlanta, Hosted by the Laughter League. It's been an artistic highlight for me. I'm particularly grateful for the artistic challenge. The
Read MoreSomeone smashed my car window. Broken glass was everywhere!
My car was parked in a public lot, and someone decided to break my window after I parked it. I don't know who did this. I was only away from my car for a few hours. It happened in a public car lot. Now, I had to spend the rest of my day addressing this problem. I had to clean up the mess to make the car drivable, and then I had to drive somewhere where I could vacuum the rest of the glass out of the vehicle.
Breaking something can be easy; repairing it will take work….
Read MoreIn my experience, there has been a stigma surrounding mental health in the Black community. Many of us feel pressure to conform to traditional notions of masculinity, making it difficult to express emotions. I grew up in a society that enforced these notions of masculinity.
Read MoreIt was an evening of Black love. Six black men on stage expressed love, joy, intimacy, masculinity, frustration, anger, longing, pride, and even juggling, yes, juggling.
Read MoreI'm always looking for new material to perform in the hospital. Usually, some of the better musical material are things right under my nose, everyday things, or songs I grew up with. It's just a matter of finding the right piece and seeing the opportunity to use it.
Read MoreThere is a vibrancy in the image heightened by an almost 3-D quality of his body in front of a pattern behind him. Each time I visited the museum and saw this image, I noticed how the young man seemed to float in front of the canvas…
Read More….Sydney Poitier and Helen Donnelly were trailblazers creating new paths, moving us forward to a new normal. Both authentically shared their work with us. We are better because of their art and their lives.
Read MoreOne of the unique challenges in the field now is that there are very few African-American clowns doing this work. When I began this work 21 years ago, I was one of eight people who were hired. I was the only black clown on the team…
Read MoreThe past election and the upcoming runoff here in Georgia has me thinking about political action and how we all participate in the process. I live in Georgia…
Read MoreThe conversation about diversity in the arts and the clowning world continues. I've been in several panel discussions about diversity and people of color in the circus world. In late September, The Play the Fool Festival hosted a talk called "Culture, Identity, and Clowning: A BIPoC Artist Conversation"…
Read MoreThe words were familiar if not identical to comments I've seen before. They talk about the purpose of art in our world, how artists' work can serve a greater good in our society. Too often, we think that the artist's primary goal is to entertain…
Read MoreI recently had a conversation with Ampie Alblas. They are a blogger from Belgium who writes a blog called Collecting Clowns. Ampie was working on a story about a film made in 1916 called “Natural Born Gambler.” This film is unique because it is considered one of the first films directed by a black man, Bert Williams…
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