I asked Al, "If you could travel into the past, what historical figure would you like to meet?"
As he was thinking of an answer, a young woman approached us, saying, "Al, we need you backstage
for a minute."
Turning to me, Letson said, "Excuse, I need to see what they need," but as he walked away with the
lady, he looked back at me thoughtfully and said, "Kennedy."
As he was thinking of an answer, a young woman approached us, saying, "Al, we need you backstage
for a minute."
Turning to me, Letson said, "Excuse, I need to see what they need," but as he walked away with the
lady, he looked back at me thoughtfully and said, "Kennedy."
| Al Letson, Page 2 |
We got a special treat before watching Russell
Simmons Def Poetry. Because of last minute
complications, the local cable company refused
to hook up HBO directly to the club (typical), so
someone had to record the show and bring it to
Henrietta's for viewing. To fill in the time delay,
Letson performed an electrifying, beat-filled
theater piece with his Griot* partners, Larry
Knight and David Girard Pugh.
My friend Levi Asher has been touting the Def
Poetry Jam on LitKicks for some time now. I don't
have HBO yet, but having watched the 2nd
episode at Henriatta's that night, I am now
making arrangements for someone to record it
for me each week.
Simmons Def Poetry. Because of last minute
complications, the local cable company refused
to hook up HBO directly to the club (typical), so
someone had to record the show and bring it to
Henrietta's for viewing. To fill in the time delay,
Letson performed an electrifying, beat-filled
theater piece with his Griot* partners, Larry
Knight and David Girard Pugh.
My friend Levi Asher has been touting the Def
Poetry Jam on LitKicks for some time now. I don't
have HBO yet, but having watched the 2nd
episode at Henriatta's that night, I am now
making arrangements for someone to record it
for me each week.
| Front to Back: Larry Knight, Al Letson, David Girard Pugh perform Griot, meaning "he who speaks the sweet word", a three-man work commissioned by an organization called Theatre Project in Baltimore, Maryland. Here is a quote from the Theatre Project web site: "This work weaves the story of the Griot from Western Africa to the urban streets of America. During his 2-week residency, Letson also worked with students from the Baltimore School for the Arts workshopping his new play Chalk, written especially for the student theater ensemble. The students performed the play at the school in spring of 2004 under the direction of Donald Hicken." |
| Above: Watching a video by Al Letson |
