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There are times when an actor makes opportunities happen and times when opportunities happen on their own. Robin Scott Peters says that his one-man docudrama, "The African Tragedian," benefited from both processes. Guts, determination
brought forth ‘Tragedian’By John Berger
Star-BulletinPeters was working on his doctorate at UCLA when he realized he'd probably have to make his own opportunities as an actor. It was about then that a class on the history of African-American theater introduced him to Ira Fredrick Aldridge, a 19th century African-American actor who made a career for himself as a Shakespearean actor in the African Grove Theatre Company while still in his teens and became a success in London as well.
Opportunity came when someone at the University of Santa Clara asked Peters if he had something in his repertoire involving Shakespeare that could be staged during Black History Month.
"I said 'Yes, of course,' and I had absolutely nothing at the time. I got off the phone and thought 'Oh, my God, what am I going to do?,' " Peters recalled during a telephone interview from his home in southern California.
Peters' one-man "docudrama" took him six months to write and has been a hit ever since. For the last six years or so, Peters has toured the country sharing the story of how Aldridge set off for England at the age of 17 to follow his dream of performing Shakespeare's works in London.
Peters, who has a wife and four children to support, says that one of the themes of the show is the sense of fulfillment that comes with daring to make dreams real.
"Ira went out there and he dreamed and he risked and he did it. That's what I'm doing in my life. The show has been a life-changing experience for me personally and I just hope that people see this piece they get inspired to go out and do what they dream."
Peters brings "The African Tragedian" to Kennedy Theatre on Saturday. He'll be talking to several University of Hawaii classes between now and then and will conduct a Sunday afternoon workshop on how to research, write and perform a one-person show.
"It's up to us to take control of our own career. I got to a point in my career when I decided I can't wait for anybody else to see that I'm talented. I have to take to my own career in my own hands and shape it. That's the bottom line.
"This show started off as an acting exercise for myself. I felt that directing was my strongest skill, and I have a baritone-tenor voice so I've done a lot of lead roles as a musical theater artist, but in terms of dramatic roles my pickings were slim and I felt that acting was the piece that was sort of weak. "What I hope to teach first and foremost is not to be afraid of facing challenges and also that it's a great way to sort of get your name out there and to begin to get exposure and to begin to get experience."
Peters will use his experiences in researching and writing "The African Tragedian" in his workshop.
"After a number of weeks of research I began to see sort of thematic lines in Ira's life and so I began to work with those themes and then I went into the theater by myself and began to do a series of improvisational work. I'll be talking about how you take the information you find and find the pieces you want to work with, and what do you do if you're not a writer.
"This was the first full-length piece I've ever completed that I felt was a good piece so I'm going to talk about how do you take it from the paper onto the stage, refining it, the rehearsal process, and bringing in outside resources such as other directors to look at your work."
Peters will also talk about getting your project funded and then promoting it.
It certainly helps to have a fascinating subject. Aldridge proved himself as a Shakespearean actor on the London stage, overcame the racism he encountered, and went on to perform to critical and popular acclaim in France, Germany and Russia. He died a landed property owner in Lodz (then part of Russia) in 1867.
"The beautiful thing about this piece is that it really isn't about race. It's about having guts and determination and taking risks. Ira didn't leave the United States because of race per se. Theater was such a part of his life that he needed to go to London. Folks that I've talked to over the years find it interesting that not only was he doing Othello but he was also doing Lear and Macbeth and Shylock and all these different characters."
Peters says he first experienced the potential impact of a good story as a 7th grader when he and his family spent seven nights watching "Roots," which he said showed him the importance of his culture and race.
"I hope Ira does that to people. One of the more rewarding aspects of doing this show is seeing how it opens people's eyes to different possibilities. That's what it did to me. I never saw myself as a strong actor six years ago and it opened my eyes toward the possibilities of growth. that's what it comes down to."
Peters is also helping others visualize and achieve new possibilities as the artistic director or the Cathartic Art Center, a multi-media production company that provides former gang members and other "at risk" youth with an opportunity to learn about film, video and Internet production to pursue jobs in the industry.
For more information on "The African Tragedian" contact Robin Scott Peters at filmrobin@aol.com; for more information on the Cathartic Art Center go online to www.catharticartcenter.org)
On stage
What: "The African Tragedian," featuring Robin Scott Peters
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