" Mitch I think we're going to jail tonight"
We both looked at the crowd filing into the Cedar Cultural Center as the place was rapidly filling up. Our escape plan which we had spent considerable time developing was based on a half full Cedar. We were instead looking at a near capacity crowd making it nearly impossible to run to the back of the Cedar where we had placed a box in order to jump the fence should the cops show up.
If you had asked me 3 or 4 years prior to the opening of my first play Malcolm X meet Peter Tosh that I'd be preparing to stage a play I would have laughed. Creative writing was not my forte..or so I thought. The only writing I had done prior to writing that piece were columns in the college newspaper and a piece on foreign policy in the now defunct Odyssey West magazine,a black owned publication that billed itself as the Ebony Magazine of the Rocky Mountain West.
In college I had been asked to play a part in Song of the Great Land a play dealing with Alaska history, written and produced by the Dean of Anchorage Theater Professor Frank Brink. Because the part he wanted me to play involved a kissing scene and I had not kissed a woman to date,I turned the role down. Song of the Great Land won an award and toured the country. From that time on,doing anything related to the stage was something completely out of my mind till my friend Carla Vogel somehow persuaded me to participate in a community theater project being produced in the Whittier Neighborhood of Minneapolis. The play Flying Crooked was based on the 1934 Minneapolis Truckers Strike. Originally I was only slated for a bit role however thanks to cast changes,I found myself with a lead role and played the part of Billy Williams a brash and fiery union organizer. As reluctant as I was to participate in the Whittier Community Play, I was shocked as to the degree I loved playing the role. For the first time since I left college and dreams of a political career behind, I was involved with something I felt passion for. Furthermore, the audiences attending seemed to enjoy my role. I needed and wanted to do more of this however the reality was there were going to be few opportunities for a black dreadlocked actor. This reality seemed to be confirmed through a conversation I had with Tony Paul. Tony was the host of the KFAI Radio program "Shake and Bake" featuring reggae and world music,he also worked with several local reggae bands but also served as a musician in some Penumbra Theater productions. I figured if Tony couldn't get acting roles at one of the nation's top black theaters, there was little hope for me.
It was a result of Flying Crooked that I ended up as a participant in the Playwright Center's Many Voices Workshop for aspiring African American Playwrights. The Playwrights Center was known to have played a role in the launching of Pulitizer Prize winning playwright August Wilson,a man whose plays I enjoyed and after seeing a feature on his life came to admire him. Writing a play was not on my my mind when I joined the workshop. I was in the midst of a 7 year writer's block where I couldn't even write the essays and columns I had written previously. I figured that perhaps by being around other writers,I'd find my way back to essay writing. I was wrong: Malcolm X meet Peter Tosh was the first thing that came out of my pen during that workshop. At the end of the workshop, the Many Voices writers were scheduled to present readings of their work at the Walker Art Center as part of a tribute to Malcolm X during Black History Month. Prior to the Walker reading,there was to be a reading of the works at the Playwrights Center.
What I was going to bring to the workshop through Malcolm X meet Peter Tosh was a concept I called "Reggae Theater" It's intent was while it was going to contain dialogue and stage actions more akin to more mainstream theater,its themes and concepts were going to line up more heavily with what one heard in reggae music. In reggae music,one wasnt going to receive an entire history lesson,but its lyrics,whether it was referring to Marcus Garvey or the slave trade would create a curiosity causing one to explore those subjects. My idea with reggae theater was to do the same thing. With this particular play, dialogue had to align with the Peter Tosh music playing underneath. While not attempting to emulate the Jamaican patois,some of the lines had to be read with a reggae like rhythm and there were some lines that had to be read behind Nyahbingi drums..the heartbeat of reggae music.
Malcolm X meet Peter Tosh almost never made it to the workshop reading. While I was excited to be writing again and I liked the concept I was working with,I knew there were going to be other excellent writers reading their works and other highly renowned writers in attendance. Would they like this work?? Will it be laughed at and ridiculed?? or Would it be hated?? At this juncture, I wasn't ready to deal with another failure in life. I felt like I had failed by dropping out of college, failed by not seeing the signs and getting out of the church group, failed in marriage and at times seemed like I was on my way to failing as a parent. At this point I could be grateful for the writing exercise but I could easily throw it in the garbage can if I was on the road to embarrassing myself. I asked Mitch Olson to read the piece and to give me his honest opinion..does it go to the Playwrights Center or the garbage can?? I first met Mitch while working at the New Riverside Cafe,a worker owned worker run vegetarian restaurant located on the West Bank neighborhood of Minneapolis. The West Bank was noted as a countercultural magnet for years. Its folk music scene in the 60's spawned the likes of Koerner,Ray and Glover and played a role in the development of a young Bob Dylan. The New Riverside Cafe was known as "The Biomagnetic Center of the Universe" Mitch was crashing often at my place at the Holtztermann apartments on the West Bank across the street from the "Riv". Mitch knew I had been writing the piece but I never showed it to him till just prior to its reading. To paraphase Mitch "This is awesome! You gotta bring it to the Playwrights Center" I brought it to the Playwrights Center where the audience appreciated the vibe and expressed their appreciation. There was not one negative word spoken about the piece so the next stop was the Walker Art Center or so we thought. With about a week before the scheduled event was to take place,the Many Voices readings were cancelled.
Can you say pissed off?
What made me angrier was the explanation given for the cancellation by the facilitator of the workshop Dwight Hobbes. According to Hobbes,the cancellation was due to pieces presented at the workshop not meeting "standard theatrical fare". Standard Theatrical Fare?? What is that?? And since when did the Walker Art Center demand "standard fare" Seemed to me the Walker presented many exhibitions and performances that leaned towards the avant garde. In creating my play,I wasnt aiming for "standard" but rather to bring reggae onto the theater stage. I found the excuse given for the cancellation to be lame and so did the other writers in the Many Voices workshop.
Sometimes life backs one into a corner to where a person has no other choice but to take radical action in order to salvage it. Writing and preparing for the reading was about all that was going right in life at that juncture. Signs were very evident that the New Riverside Cafe would be failing soon and I had no clue what to do next should it fail. At one of the many smoke sessions Mitch and I would conduct in my Holtztermann loft, I found myself conducting an inventory of my skills. I concluded that writing was one skill and Mitch piped in saying "We both know how to smoke plenty of weed!" The cancellation was a blow but something within was pushing for this piece not to die with the cancellation. I call it JAH (Rasta term for the Creator) Guidance.
One of the reasons the New Riverside Cafe was dubbed the "Biomagnetic Center of the Universe" was it served as a community hub of sorts. Through its eclectic blend of co workers and customers one could find out about a whole range of activities from the site of the next protest, to what musicians were playing where and who had the best marijuana. Lots of West Bank neighborhood news could be learned while working a shift. Working one shift,I learned the nearby Cedar Cultural Center was undergoing an overhaul and had new management. One of the things the Cedar wanted to do was to bring some community based events on its stage. Upon hearing this news,I presented an idea to the members of the Many Voices workshop: Let's present our work the way we see fit. standard theatrical fare be damned and let's present it at the Cedar Cultural Center!
All agreed and I signed a contract to present "A Tribute to Malcolm X" on May 19th- Malcolm X's birthday. Gate receipts were going to cover the expense of the Cedar. I showed the contract to Mitch. He figured we'd need at least 30 paying patrons in order to cover the cost. I was going to need at least 30 people to show up. I didnt know how I was going to cover the cost otherwise.
Once the event was set,I knew I was going to present a full blown production of the play.A full blown production was going to require much more than a reading thus I had my work cut out for me. First, there was work to do with the script. One participant in the Many Voices Workshop who showed an interest in the work was Terry Bellamy. Terry was a well respected actor in the Twin Cities mostly known for his work at Penumbra Theater. Terry acted in many August Wilson's plays and it is said that the character Levee in the Wilson play Ma Rainey's Black Bottom was based on Terry. Terry also portrayed Malcolm X in the Jeff Stetson piece The Meeting dealing around a fictional meeting between Martin Luther King and Malcolm X. Terry's approval of my portrayal of Malcolm X was important to me. In writing the play Malcolm X's lines were created primarily by listening to recordings of his speeches and had to be written completely sober. In contrast Peter Tosh's lines were created primarily by listening to recordings of his songs and had to be written completely stoned. Terry had a passion for Black Theater and he took the time to listen to my rants over the Playwrights Center/Walker cancellation. Terry's curiosity increased when I told him of my intention of staging the play and agreed to meet with me as an unofficial dramaturg. Those meetings took place at the Biomagnetic Center of the Universe.
Terry admitted in our meetings that he knew little about reggae music and learned from me quickly that with my concept of Reggae Theater,the emphasis was to be on REGGAE and its major emphasis on peace, harmony, history and herb .Terry however argued that there had to be a way of bringing some basic theatrical concepts of tension conflict and resolution without changing what I wanted to do with the piece. In the script scheduled for the Walker reading both characters railed against the corrupt racist system (Babylon in Rasta terms) both from their perspectives but there was no conflict with each other. This was to change and I knew immediately where to go with it. Rastafarian Peter Tosh viewed marijuana as a sacred plant and would militantly smoke it regardless as to where he was or who he was with. Muslim Malcolm X used and dealt marijuana during his days as Detroit Red but upon his conversion to Islam gave up his usage and viewed it as a street drug and harmful vice.
As the piece was being rewritten, I needed to recruit actors willing to participate. We couldn't offer any money but an opportunity to showcase skills,but rehearsals were going to need to start soon as the rewrites were complete. I knew in order to keep the rhythm of this reggae piece flowing, I was going to portray Peter Tosh initially. I wasnt going to offer a Jamaican patois but I knew the pace at which the piece needed to go. I was able to bring an Island sensibility to the play when KFAI's Tony Paul from Trinidad and Tobago agreed to play the role of "The Reporter" Tony had agreed to be part of the reading that was to occur at the Walker. It was important in casting where it was most important for the people playing certain roles had a feel for reggae music.
I didn't need the person portraying Malcolm X to have a feel for reggae music. A host of a midday R&B and Euro Disco program on KFAI, Dwight Thompson did not have that feel,however he had the strong voice that was most important in casting that role. I met Dwight as he would drop into the New Riverside Cafe prior to doing his show. He saw playing the role would help draw attention to his radio program.
Terry liked the conflict I brought into the piece and loved the dialogue I brought to the conflict,but he still challenged me with this statement and question. Terry said something to the effect of now that he can see what I was doing with regard to the reggae element of the piece but then his challenge to me became paraphasing "Do something that would act as a bridge between reggae lovers and regular theater goers"
I liked the concept of audience involvement in theater work. Flying Crooked involved multiple stages inside a circus like tent. Performers and audiences regularly interacted throughout the piece. After performing in Flying Crooked I was an actor in a piece produced at the Heart of the Beast Puppet Theater that involved audience interaction. Living on the West Bank gave me countless opportunities to catch the local reggae bands in a vibrant local music scene. In addition, the major international reggae artists would make regular appearances in Minneapolis. I love many genres of music and have attended many types of concerts. There is a particular type of energy that flows from the band to the audience back to the band in reggae unlike any other..
The "Bridge" became the character of "The Man on the Couch" Man on the Couch would begin in the audience before slowly ascending onto the stage. He'd then turn on a "Magic Radio" and through the radio he would tune into this fictional meeting. The stage action would be what he was picturing in his head as he's listening to this meeting.. The Man on the Couch has no dialogue. He merely reacts to what he's hearing and imagining in his mind. Symbolically it was important for the Man on the Couch to be casted as a white hippie as in America,while roots reggae,symbolized by the likes of Bob Marley and Peter Tosh would be full of lyrics concerning Black Liberation and History,it was originally adopted and supported by America's counterculture, mostly white. I asked Mitch Olson to play the part. Mitch had flowing long hair, was extremely easy going and had a deep love for marijuana. Mitch who was by now practically my roommate agreed.
At this point Terry felt his work was done. He was curious as to how it would turn out but nevertheless by my casting it and with plans to stage it, he was glad that in a sense I was giving the middle finger to the Playwrights Center. He wished me the best with it and asked me to keep him up to date with developments.
The "Biomagnetic Center of the Universe" was going to open the door for another outside voice to review and give critique to the play. One of its regular customers was Kevin Cole, a popular DJ at the famed nightclub First Avenue and soon to be Program Director at the alternative radio station REV 105.Kevin knew about this piece from the time its reading was scheduled at the Walker. Kevin too showed a curiosity regarding the piece and I'd share with him updates regarding its progress. Thanks to Kevin, a meeting was arranged with myself and Andrew Tosh son of Peter who was scheduled to perform at First Avenue. Our meeting took place the day before Andrew's show. He carefully and slowly read each page of the script. He never asked questions or said a word while reading it but after he was finished he jumped up and proclaimed "This piece captures the spirit of my father! "
At the same time I was putting this piece together, there was a Holtztermann neighbor putting together a new reggae band. I felt this couldn't have come at a better time so I thought.. we could help each other out with our new projects. This hope quickly came to an end after I saw them at a couple gigs..they were constantly late, there was constant drama both onstage and off surrounding members of the band and overall there was a sense of the band that just felt off to me. I had written in a segment in the play that allowed for a live band but I was afraid I going to have to eliminate that part.
I shared my fears and frustrations over coffee at the New Riverside Cafe one afternoon with Van Nixon, lead singer for the popular Twin Cities band The Maroons. While many were aware that the Twin Cities had a music scene that spawned the likes of Dylan, Prince, Replacements and Babes in Toyland,it was mostly the locals who were aware of a vibrant reggae and world music scene as well. On any given night one could hear the sounds of the soca/reggae band Shangoya, Ipso Facto,World Citizens or Les Exodus of all of them,the band with the most dedicated following was the Maroons. Begun as a band founded by drummer Mick LaBriola that would travel to schools around the state teaching on Caribbean Culture,The Maroons expanded to playing at various events around town as well as at various bars and nightclubs. Their blend of classic reggae covers as well as reggae covers of popular American artists such as Dylan along with their originals was cause of their popularity. From the time I first saw the Maroons at a Mayday Festival at Powderhorn Park,attending Maroons shows became like attending church where one just had to go and by attending almost any and every Maroons show I could attend,I got to know Van. Van also showed an interest in the piece when I'd share its progress but nothing could have prepared me for the response Van gave me when I shared with him my concerns about this one particular band doing my show. Van offered the services of the Maroons! I now had a complete cast to go along with how the play was rewritten and with word that the Maroons would be a part of this play brought another layer of credibility as well as interest in the production that was to take place in May. In addition it came to me in a dream that Van's original song "The System" be included in the piece. Though it was the only non Peter Tosh tune involved in the play,the song fit the spirit of the piece. The West Bank was like a little village where people got to know the goings on of others. There was already interest generated from the scheduled reading, interest and curiosity increased upon folks observing the likes of Terry Bellamy being seen on the West Bank regularly but word of the Maroons taking part was serving to really generate interest. On top of things rehearsals were being held on the deck of the Holtzermann.
Peter Tosh's militancy on legalizing marijuana equaled his militancy on world and cultural affairs. In fact his militancy around marijuana (ganja) was the thread surrounding his world view of the "shitstem" as he called it. In the play, Peter Tosh's militancy became clearer when the conflict between he and Malcolm X was rewritten and included in it. In the reading scheduled for the Walker, while Tosh's diatribes attacking Babylon were certainly colored by his beliefs on marijuana, I felt in some ways I was holding back on the subject in order to gain acceptance at the Walker. The cancellation served as a reminder of the ills of compromising to gain acceptance from one that is likely to reject you in the long run anyhow. Now that this was being staged and produced on our own,there was to be no holding back regarding Tosh's depiction. Now the script called for several spliffs to be smoked including one that was scripted to go into the audience.
"I'm like a Stepping Razor
Don't you watch my size
I'm dangerous, dangerous" - Peter Tosh from his song Stepping Razor
“The most dangerous creation of any society is the man who has nothing to lose.”- James Baldwin from the Fire Next Time
Given where life was at the moment,there was little to lose in going all out in staging it on our own. The same conditions that existed when faced with a choice of bringing the script to the Playwrights Center in the first place were still very much alive now. There was always the possibility like with any stage work that it could turn out to be an epic failure. There were already some associated with the Playwrights Center saying that I'll never see another stage again after the the Cedar Cultural Center.
Was the mention of marijuana the reason the reason it was stated that the piece didnt meet "Standard Theatrical Fare"? If that was the reason,and if everything else in life is going down,why not go out Blazing?
I spoke with Mitch with the following thoughts..if all documented and ancedotal stories stories about Peter Tosh spoke of him being unafraid and unconcerned about where he smoked marijuana to the point to where he was arrested and beaten by cops because of it, AND as we are presenting a REGGAE theater piece where marijuana plays a significant role in virtually every aspect of reggae music and Rasta spirituality AND with the case being at most reggae shows,the aroma of marijuana is very present,why not be completely real and smoke marijuana on stage? Mitch seemed to vibe with where I was coming from and agreed. His approval was important as the rewritten script called for the Man on the Couch to smoke a joint in the last scene. We are the only ones in the play scripted to smoke herb.
The worst that could happen to us we felt was maybe we'd a few days in jail for public smoking and given the fact that our lives seemed to be spiraling there were worst outcomes than that.
I had rehearsed lines for performances before and I had smoked plenty of weed in my day but I had never combined the two but I was not going to find out how the two worked together till I hit the stage at the Cedar. For one,my daughter Rose was attending many of our rehearsals on the Holtztermann deck. From a young age,she took a liking to plays and was enjoying getting to know the actors. We werent about to take that experience away from her and also we needed weed to smoke on our own! It was a tall enough task to save enough money for the marijuana we needed to smoke for the show.
The only ones to know that real marijuana was to be smoked was Mitch and myself. We figured we were saving a lot of trouble for ourselves by keeping it that way. The closest thing we did to reveal our intentions was to reserve seats at the front of the stage for friends of ours that we knew would not turn down a chance to smoke a joint even if it was in public. Perhaps there were subtle hints with the marijuana leaf that was included in our flyers promoting Malcolm X meet Peter Tosh as part of the Tribute to Malcolm X.
The Tribute to Malcolm X was garnering quite a bit of local publicity. Tony Paul was promoting it on his show at KFAI as was Dwight Thompson on his. There were at least two other shows on KFAI publicizing the event. Each participant in the program was tasked with promoting it within their own circles of influence. For myself along with Mitch,working at the New Riverside "Biomagnetic Center",Maroons shows,rehearsals on the Holtzermann deck served as its own advertisement in addition to the flyers which were making its way to various West Bank spots.
Malcolm X meet Peter Tosh was scheduled at the end of the first half at the Cedar tribute. That was because the full production of the piece was the longest of those being presented from the workshop. Also time was needed to set up the incense that needed to be burned prior to the beginning of the play.
Mitch's role as the Man served his purpose as a bridge as before he reached the stage he was the recipient of every reaction from laughter from those who knew him to those getting upset thinking he was holding up the action that was to take place onstage.
I smoked 5 joints onstage that night, didn't drop a line and the timing that had to go along with the music was perfect. People got up and danced during the Maroons scene. The play received a large ovation. The Cedar's Director asked whether there would be anymore "Pyrotechnics" in the second half of the Tribute. I assured him there would not be. I jumped on Mitch's shoulders when it was over. We didnt need the box to jump the fence.
In the words of Peter Tosh "Said me Nah Goa Jail Fe ganja no more"
