50,000 viewers see Karamu artists channel black sentiment in response to public health crises of race and COVID
Mariama Whyte, center, sings with cast members in an opening scene in Karamu House's "Freedom on Juneteenth."
I’m not a theater critic. This is not a review. But it is a hearty and unqualified recommendation of Karamu’s tight, professional, educational and emotionally thrilling production of Freedom on Juneteenth that debuted last Friday across a variety of platforms.
The sixty minute production, brilliantly conceived and extraordinarily well-executed, used the arts to yoke the long and complicated history of black people in America to the unprecedented times our nation and the world are experiencing today. 'Freedom' employed music, dance, and the spoken word in a seamless march across centuries before an aggregated audience of more than 50,000 people, who saw the program from a variety of modern day platforms — including Roku, YouTube, Vimeo, Fire TV and Facebook — projecting images and sounds from the small but mighty historic Karamu stage.
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| Gabrielle Shipley, center, and Soursop dance company perform in "Freedom on Juneteenth." |
The unique production — conceived, written and produced within 10 days as a response to the murder of George Floyd — gained pre-performance attention from the New York Times, the Washington Post, and the Boston Globe, which no doubt contributed to the nationwide audience that made this Karamu’s most successful production from a viewership standpoint.
The show was taken down from its original platforms after 24 hours. It will be re-broadcast, along with the pre-recorded panel discussion that followed, on Monday, June 29 at 8PM EST/5PM PST and Sunday, July 5 at 3PM EST / 12PM PST. The entire 90 minutes will be available on Vimeo, YouTube, Facebook, Fire TV and Roku.
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| Prophet Seay performs as a griot, or storyteller, in Karamu House's "Freedom on Juneteenth." |
Karamu president, CEO and artistic director Tony Sias and his entire team deserve major kudos for this effort. Remarkably, the production was filmed over two days and produced within the following two days to air on Friday, June 19.
One of the many high points for this viewer was the recitation of Claude McKay’s defiant poem, If We Must Die, by Karamu veteran Ananias Dixon. Other poetic works were from Karamu pioneer and Harlem Renaissance wunderkind Langston Hughes, the playwright Mary E. Weems, and the multi-talented Daniel Gray-Kontar of Twelve Literary Arts.
The show will be re-broadcast on Monday, June 29 and Sunday, July 5.
The performance was produced at breakneck pace under the press not only of the calendar but also an ongoing health pandemic. Karamu’s management implemented numerous measures to ensure compliance with CDC regulations and recommendations. All individuals were double-screened with symptom questionnaires and temperature checks. Masks were worn at all times when social distancing was not completely guaranteed. Only certain numbers of people were allowed in the theatre at any given time. Additionally, the entire facility was used for dressing rooms to ensure that every performer could maintain ample distance.
The production was followed by a panel of community leaders who reacted to the production. Panelists included Edward M. Barksdale, Jr., Surgeon-in-Chief, University Hospitals Rainbow Babies & Children's Hospital; Judge Patricia Ann Blackmon, Ohio Eighth District Court of Appeals; and Chenoa Miller, Youth Activist/Organizer, and Brand Ambassador, EmpowerCLE. Each brought unique insights to bear in responding to the production.
Dr. Barksdale, for example, noted that "it does not take a halo or a set of wings to move things forward. It takes resolve."
Judge Blackmon expressed her love for General Order No. 3, the declaration that informed the slaves in Galveston Texas, that they were free, two and a half years after the Emancipation Proclamation. She observed that the order didn't speak merely of freedom; it spoke of equality. "That's what Black Lives Matter is saying!"
The judge had an excellent suggestion about how technology could operate to counter police officers who turn off their police cameras; central police headquarters should turn them back on automatically.
It was especially welcome to have Ms Miller's voice; too often we give lip service to the next generation in lieu of having them participate and speak their own truth.
The program was the first in Karamu's new monthly Social Justice series. The next program will be July 23, 2020 at 7PM and will focus on policing and criminal justice.
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Photo Credit: Kayla Lupean
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