NEW YORK (PIX11) — Diversity is stepping into the spotlight on the New York stage with the help of actors and producers calling for more representation.
“‘Black Odyssey,’ it takes this epic story, this universal story that we all know, this quest to find home and family and love, we all connect to that,” award-winning director Stevie Walker-Webb said. “And it’s filtered through the hyper specific experience of being Black in America, specifically being Black in Harlem.”
The play, written by Marcus Gardley, is a portrait of a damaged man’s returning from war. Sean Boyce-Johnson, plays the lead role of “Ulysses”.
He says the play centers around his character, who is a veteran dealing with severe PTSD.
Johnson dug into his own past to find a voice for this character.
T. Oliver Reid is the co-founder of the Black Theatre Coalition. His goal is to find a place in the room for not only actors, but also for choreographers, designers, directors, and many others behind the scenes.
At the 2022 Tony Awards, “A Strange Loop,” an irreverent work about Blackness and queerness, took home the Best Musical Tony. The show’s playwright, who previously received the Pulitzer Prize for this work, also won for best book. And Myles Frost won best actor for his performance in “MJ: The Musical.”
But Reid says more needs to be done throughout the industry to bring diversity at all levels.
“Black Odyssey” is playing at Classic Stage Company off-Broadway through March 26. For more ticket information, click here.
