William H. Kelly III
Associate Editor
The Speech & Theatre Department at Jackson State University grants students, including those who are non-majors, the opportunity to express themselves through performing arts, as well as exposing them to figures in the world of dance, singing, speech, and acting. On Feb. 11 at 7 p.m. in the Jacob L. Reddix Hall General Purpose Room (GPR), students and guests from all over, experienced the talents of Daniel Beaty and his award winning play production “Emergency.”
Beaty exemplified the art of performance, movement, and singing while engaging with the audience throughout this production. “Emergency” is a one-man production that features over ten unique characters as they all share their experience surrounding a mysterious slave ship that has appeared in front of the Statue of Liberty.
While the production was composed of numerous humorous moments that drew laughter from the audience, each character also had a more serious, sentimental story to share that tackled common stereotypes and touched the hearts of the viewers. The characters included a young girl who has HIV, a homosexual male, a homeless man, and a college educated African American male who are all yearning for acceptance in their own unique way, just to name a few.
“I was starting to notice that so many people in my life were dealing with not feeling free, they were dealing being bound in some way. In my own life and for the people I love and then for all of the tests I’ve become more interested in the question in ‘how can we be more free?’ So I wanted a metaphor, because I’m a poet first probably, that expressed that conflict of bondage and freedom,” said Beaty as he answered questions from the audience.
“So for me the greatest symbol of freedom of this country is the Statue of Liberty. The greatest time of bondage in our nation’s history is slavery. So a slave ship in front of the Statue of Liberty is a metaphor asking a question, what stands in front of freedom.”
Jackson State University was Beaty’s first time ever performing in the state of Mississippi and he enjoyed every second of the Magnolia State.
“I loved being here in particular because I have not performed in Mississippi before and I loved being here at an HBCU and seeing so many black students,” said Beaty.
Intertwined with his production was “Knock Knock,” a monologue based on the relationship between Beaty, as a child, and his father, that is often performed by the Speech & Theatre Department and MADDRAMA Performance Troupe.
With performances by on-campus organizations such as Outspoken Arts Collective, it was an experience that made the audience laugh and cry, while ultimately encouraging them to live life regardless of your hardships.
“There were enough tough things in my life that has happened in too many of our lives, that I had to make a choice to choose life as the character says at the end of the play, ‘I choose life,’” said Beaty.
Photos by William H. Kelly III
Be First to Comment