Friday, April 23: 8:30 pm
Saturday, April 24: 8:30 pm
Sunday, April 25: 3 pm
In 1965 James Baldwin and William F. Buckley, Jr. were invited to The Cambridge University Union to debate the resolution “The American Dream is at the Expense of The American Negro.” New York’s provocative and award-winning theater ensemble Elevator Repair Service (ERS) returns to REDCAT to re-create their profoundly relevant confrontation in this work-in-progress showing of Baldwin and Buckley at Cambridge. As a more intimate and personal counterpoint to the debate, the final scene features a brief, imagined reunion between Baldwin and his close friend and confidante Lorraine Hansberry, who died only weeks before the debate.
The piece was conceived in late 2019 by long-time ERS company member Greig Sargeant. In the many months since those early conversations, the subject of the debate has only become more urgent. With both 1965 and 2021 in mind, Baldwin and Buckley at Cambridge—through a starkly simple design and an acting style that favors intimacy over impersonation—presents the debate as real, immediate, and of this moment.
Conceived by Greig Sargeant with ERS
Directed by John Collins
ENSEMBLE: April Matthis, Gavin Price, Greig Sargeant, Christopher Rashee Stevenson, and Ben Williams
Director: John Collins; Stage Manager: Maurina Lioce
Zoom conversation post Sunday event.
Tickets