hey all, hey ya'll
it's been too long, but i'm still here, still standing. day before yesterday marked the opening of "Ordinary Heroes," that landmark Civil Rights play i've been grappling with over the last couple of years. through all of the unique challenges that have arisen with this work, i must say--it has been worth the struggle. if you are anywhere near or around Nashville during the month of February, come and check it out. information is available at:
www.ordinaryheroesplay.com
so, let me share some great memories from the process... i'll probably pitch a fit later on about stuff, but that's the nature of a blog, huh? stress relief. in the meantime, in between time, i'm going to pretend that it's 2 a.m. at the world premiere of the play the other night, i ran into Evans Donnell from stagecritic.com. he reminded me that late night blogging is, arguably, the most honest. when you're that tired, that late at night, and you have something on your heart, you have nothing to do BUT be honest. i love it, so E.D., thanks for the reminder.
life has been full as of late. from roughly November, 2006 through this month, i had things scheduled back to back: "Sho' 'Nuff Nativity" in December, "God's Trombones" in January, and "Ordinary Heroes" in February. March is reserved for a much needed nervous breakdown. LOL. i really do need a vacation, though. i'm going to just drive somewhere and just chill. there are a million new and old ideas swimming around in my head and i want to get them out and into the fresh air before they erode my eyelids away during the few moments of REM sleep i do get.
GREAT MEMORIES:
1. having a stellar cast and meeting great people along the way.
2. performing again in the Fisk Memorial Chapel. what history!
3. seeing what came from inside my head go from the page to the stage.
4. jeff lewis. if you ever meet him, you'll be blessed--he's HILARIOUS. see him in the play
5. charles "Ptah" huddleston's breathtaking effect for the show. u gotta check it out at the end.
6. watching the team come together and fill huge gaps effortlessly
and a few more in post-mortem. stay tuned.
PERSONAL REFLECTIONS:
my kiddie had a bout with pneumonia recently. parents, if you have a kid that's coughing a lot--TAKE THEM TO THE DOCTOR! i took mine and she had some crud in her lungs. i put her on bedrest and assumed a lot of extra, time consuming duties that divorce and distance robbed me of for more than a couple of years. now that she's back here, i've had that awesome responsibility of full time dad thrust upon me. i've done all the school pickups/dropoffs, extracurricular, medication schedules, building school projects, wrapping up, cleaning up, etc. after going through an intense, lengthy dose of this kind of meticulous planning, execution, and support, i've come to a conclusion...
I LOVE IT!!! being a parent is a huge blessing ya'll, especially for you men out there. i don't see how any cat could walk away from any life he contributed to making. sure, i see how you could consider it based on some of the drama. but you just gotta love being a pops, man. there's nothing better. well... being a husband? hmmm... you know... i'll come back to that one. maybe sooner than later. ;-)
PROFESSIONAL REFLECTIONS:
last night, after a showing of the play, THE Reverend James Lawson (one of Dr. King's top aides who launched the sit-in movement in Nashville and whose insights were a foundational principle of the play itself) was a part of a panel of real life heroes. he endorsed the play--a huge statement--and then he spoke of the need of this generation of adults to step up to the plate and teach the youth. he's right.
one of the things i've had affirmed more than ever over the course of the last few months is the need for people to push themselves to grow. sure, we stand on the shoulders of those who came before us. it's how we are able to be prepared and positioned for success. however, we can't just rest on the accomplishments of previous generations. we have to grow our own contributions and build on previous ones.
in the same vein, we can't rest on previous artistic successes as artists. sure, "Sho' 'Nuff" was a grand success; "Trombones" set the bar even higher. so "Heroes" has to be even bigger, even better, even more transformative. i say that because (rant coming) i've encountered more than my fair share of people in the craft of dream-weaving who are content with mediocrity. mediocrity in presentation; mediocrity in development; mediocrity in vision.
mediocrity sickens me to the very marrow of my bones.
let's be honest... what if Robeson had decided that it was alright to be mediocre?
what if Langston Hughes had let his pen rest after the first major publishing of a poem of his?
what if August Wilson had been happy with seeing one play produced on Broadway and then resting on its laurels?
so i've encountered people over the last few months who have been content with making excuses and tossing away responsibility, all the while being okay with "okay-ness." i say that this kind of mentality is a blow to the face of the many dream weavers who came before us and put us in a position to live our dreams in this day and time.
that said, i don't judge those with low standards, i feel sorry for them. and yes, i pray for them. you will know a tree by the fruit it bears, and all of us are God's children, more than conquerers, who have the ability within us to dream and to make those dreams real. if we strive high, we achieve high; if we strive low, well, you know the rest...
THE PRESENT FUTURE
today is Sunday, the Sunday of what's tabbed as the "Soul Bowl," where two black coaches will meet in the Super Bowl. either way, a good thing will happen.
it's sunny outside--though a little cold. i'm getting ready to eat a little breakfast, then make a stop into one of my coffee haunts for a midday cup, my one allowance for the day. later on, i'll head over to the theatre for an evening performance of the play.
maybe tonight, i can catch a movie that's groovy. i've heard good things about "Pan's Labyrinth." i like wildly creative stuff, so that might be fun. or maybe "Last King of Scotland."
food's ready. i'm out. talk to me!
in peace
obafemi
