Broadway is Back: ”Thoughts of a Colored Man” & Bryan Terrell Clark Meet & Greet
Brooklyn is in the (Broadway) house! Reel Works hosted its first-ever night at the theater with students and friends of the organization for a very special evening.
This season eight black playwrights are on Broadway. Keenan Scott II wrote the new hit, “Thoughts of a Colored Man,” which follows seven black men during a single day in Brooklyn as they discover what it means to live in America together. The performance blends spoken word, slam poetry, rhythm and humor to create a daring new play.
In a Broadway Direct interview, Scott says, “I didn’t see myself represented in plays that I had studied in college, so I decided to write one.” He chose Brooklyn, New York to be the focal point of the story. Reel Works is located in Brooklyn - and this is one of the multitude of reasons that Reel Works wanted to watch this new show!
“As a young man of color, ”Thoughts of a Colored Man” was truly a fascinating experience to watch,” remarked David Middleton, Reel Works Documentary Lab student.
Charles Reynoso, Reel Works Education Director, reflected on the play: “I saw pieces of me in every character on that stage, not because they were colored, but because they were people... diverse, complicated, uncategorizable people, deserving of that acknowledgment."
Another one of our participants, Joseph Duran, stated that “‘Thoughts of a Colored Man’ shared a perspective that seemed so silent and concealed to the public, open for all communities to understand the struggles of a colored person.”
We even had one of our Reel Works Fellows in the audience, Daphne Castro, offer her reaction: “‘Thoughts of a Colored Man’ was very comedic and insightful on the lives of black men in the U.S. Yet the themes were universal enough to relate to as a person of color and a New Yorker.”
After the show, our guests were in store for a special treat to celebrate a friend of the Reel Works community, Bryan Terrell Clark, acclaimed actor, philanthropist and star of “Thoughts of a Colored Man.” The Broadway star served as a host for the Reel Works 20th Anniversary Gala and performed at a virtual Living Room Concert last spring to benefit the organization. Reel Works guests were able to shake hands, take a photo and interact with this esteemed talent. Some students even had the opportunity to ask him questions about his role and gain insights on his career in media and entertainment.
Gerson Legend, an intern for The Studio at Reel Works Productions, was moved by the evening. “My experience attending the play and networking event was amazing! Finally, a play that tells my story and many others like me. In many ways, the play gave me the confidence to be myself at the networking event. I was proud to be with a community so diverse and committed to changing the narrative. I can honestly say that I made real connections and walked away that night with many gems.”
It was a night that will be remembered by many. Kim L., a Reel Works Documentary Lab student, certainly will. “This was my first Broadway show and I loved it,” she remarked. And so did all of us at Reel Works!