Transforming Theater: 'Citizen James' Goes From Stage to Screen Amidst a Pandemic

What happens when a live theater production meets the challenges of a global pandemic? Join us as we uncover the journey of 'Citizen James, or the Young Man Without a Country' with playwright Kyle Bass and director Joanne Maria Yarrow. Discover how a play commissioned by Syracuse Stage transformed from a traditional stage performance to a dynamic filmed version, allowing audiences to experience the magic of theater from their homes. Kyle and Joanne share their passion for new theatrical works, emphasizing the irreplaceable energy of live performances and the thrill of presenting this world premiere.

We also explore the incredible collaboration behind 'Citizen James.' Listen in as we discuss how Syracuse Stage partnered with 100 Black Men of Syracuse and other community organizations to celebrate James Baldwin's legacy. Get an inside look at the creative process, last-minute changes, and the overwhelming community response that led to additional showings. Finally, enjoy a touching personal anecdote about the tradition of attending Syracuse Stage, highlighting the deep emotional and communal impact of theater. Don't miss this inspiring conversation about the power of storytelling and community in the world of theater.

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:00

Hello everybody and welcome to the Inner Harbor cast. My name is Skip Clark. I'm going to be your host here this morning. We're going to be talking with some of my new friends here from Syracuse Stage and I'll tell you what this is all about here in just a moment. But Syracuse Stage, in partnership with 100 Black Men of Syracuse, they have announced that their 24 and 25 season will officially begin with Citizen James, or the Young man Without a Country, which is a powerful and illuminating live world premiere. This is huge World premiere and we're going to see it first here in Syracuse. It's a production from, of course, Kyle Bass, who's sitting on my left You're right as you look at your monitor and of course, I have the director, Joanne Maria Yarrow, and every time I think of Yarrow, I think of Peter Paul and Mary because of the Yarrow. But welcome, Welcome to the show. Thank you.

Speaker 1: 0:58

It's a pleasure having you. First of all, let's talk about this world premiere. You're the director, yes, and then let's talk to you. First, tell me a little bit about the world premiere and Syracuse Stage.

Speaker 3: 1:11

Okay, well, this premiere, this particular play, was a play that Syracuse Stage commissioned. Meaning Kyle Bass at the time was the associate artistic director, and I had already seen a play that Kyle had written on Baldwin, called Baldwin Buckley, about a debate. And I approached Kyle and I said Kyle, you know we have this program called Backstory and I'd really like to see if you'd be interested in doing a one man show on Baldwin. And Kyle went away and came back and said okay, something like that, yeah, something like that, and.

Speaker 3: 1:48

I think that you know, one of the joys of doing these things at Syracuse Stage is to be able to kind of promote new plays. We always want to know, we always want to kind of revere the classics but also bring new work and new life, you know, into our community. And so we did this and we started this in 2020?

Speaker 2: 2:10

2020., 2020.

Speaker 3: 2:14

So, it's pretty much right after the one thing we don't want to talk about is the pandemic.

Speaker 2: 2:20

I think I was commissioned in 2019. Right, and then I was sort of deep in my work as the pandemic. Hit Of writing yes, of writing a play.

Speaker 1: 2:31

Kyle, let me ask you real quick when you say commissioned, tell everybody. What do you mean by that?

Speaker 2: 2:36

Sure A commission is. When a theater, such as Syracuse Stage or another entity, essentially pays a playwright to write a play, another entity essentially pays a playwright to write a play. But what they're really doing is investing in that playwright's process because the play that the playwright produces belongs to the playwright. That's exactly right. But if it's a theater, they have first right of refusal if they want to produce the play. So it's a kind of artistic patronage that theaters give to playwrights.

Speaker 1: 3:07

So, in other words, somebody in some other theater group somewhere cannot just take the play and say you know, this is what we're going to do they? Have to go through you and you have to give them a yes or no, and probably you want to get something out of it, then probably you want to get something out of it.

Speaker 2: 3:25

Yeah, there is that you don't become a playwright to get rich. You go to Hollywood for that, but there, in fact, if you're a screenwriter, you are a writer for hire because the studio owns the work. So they are actually hiring you to write a screenplay that becomes theirs, to do whatever they wish to do, which is why screenwriters get paid a lot more than playwrights get paid, and they're being paid to go away after they finish the work. But as a playwright, the play belongs to me, and then, when the play is produced, it has to go through my agent. They get to do it and then, you know, playwrights earn royalties on their.

Speaker 3: 4:07

yeah, and then I was just going to say, because of the pandemic coming, we ended up filming the first version and actually, but we filmed the stage production of it and this actually kind of opened the door. We worked with a company here locally called Black Cup Productions and they ended up filming all the shows of Syracuse stage during the pandemic, so we were able to stream our shows into people's living rooms so that they could still have access to theater. And this particular show was, you know, particularly for students, you know, middle school, high school, college, and it kind of opened up a dialogue online to be able to do these things. And then we said, well, it's really meant to be performed live, because there's nothing like a live experience.

Speaker 1: 4:56

And we were talking, before we went out with the lights and the cameras, about a live experience that I know. Kyle mentioned that every single show is different.

Speaker 2: 5:05

It's the same but it's different.

Speaker 1: 5:07

You know, you said you get 500 people in the audience and every show somebody's breathing different, somebody's standing different, somebody is turning different. There's always something different.

Speaker 2: 5:16

That's exactly right. That's exactly right and that's what I think makes theater so special. And it was great to have the show streamed. But it became not, but it became a blend of kind of theater and cinema, and so it did something that theater doesn't do, but it also did something, um, that cinema doesn't always do and that we sort of had captured a performance as it was happening, um, and the setting of the theatrical, the sort of cinematic experience was a theater. So that was interesting here. You know, on Friday next week when we open, it'll be the first live, fully produced performance of the piece, which I have never seen and that's what I wrote it for initially and that's what it was meant to be, but I've only ever seen it in its fullness as a sort of cinematic experience. So I'm really excited to see what Joanne's work will be like live on stage with our actor, james Alton will be like live in front of a packed house. So we're really excited about it.

Speaker 1: 6:20

Tell us a little bit about James he's going to be. You know he's the lead actor.

Speaker 2: 6:24

Oh, he's great. First of all, his name is James. He's playing James Baldwin. He also shares James Baldwin's birthday, no kidding.

Speaker 3: 6:33

Yeah, we're going to be celebrating the both of them on that day. So, yeah, we'll have cake for everybody.

Speaker 1: 6:38

I was going to ask you you know I may ask you for a ticket. No, I'm just kidding. I would love to see it all. So you're celebrating his birthday. He's going to be here. Tell us a little bit more.

Speaker 2: 6:50

So he's from New York originally.

Speaker 3: 6:53

Well, he's living in New York and the funny part is that when we were casting we were looking at all of these different actors and we released the fact that the actor had to look like James Baldwin. So James actually doesn't look like the actual, you know, james Baldwin figure, but he has that essence, that rhythm and we kind of connected. And it was funny because we'd seen all these actors and I called a friend of mine, vernice, and she said I think I have a person for you, and that morning he had found a copy of James Baldwin's book in the subway in New York City and he picked it up and then he got a phone call from Vernice and then he's auditioning for us. Wow, and it was just very much this constellations kismet, as they say right that he ended up doing this performance with us. So he doesn't look like James Baldwin, but that's actually there's a there's in the show. He explains that.

Speaker 2: 7:50

Yeah yeah, there's a device I use in the play that sort of addresses it. Doesn't address it head on, but it makes sense that that that's not an issue.

Speaker 1: 7:59

It kind of makes you think it was meant to be. Oh no I mean, he found the book in the subway. Next thing you know he's getting a phone call. Next thing you know he's auditioning. Next thing you know he's got the car. Yeah, I mean, that's pretty cool now you as join as the director. You do all that right.

Speaker 3: 8:15

You do the auditioning and all that yeah, in this particular case, working with a playwright who's living, because you're not always living yeah, yes, I'm alive.

Speaker 3: 8:26

You know Shakespeare is. You know we have to do something different to get him to come up. But and because, again, this is the first iteration, this is really the playwright's play the first time you do it, and so my job is to make sure that whatever Kyle's envisioning, he gets that in his first production, and so we're very much kind of collaborators on this. I want to make sure that. Oh, what do you think of this actor, what do you think of this audition? Because Kyle writes, and especially Baldwin speaks very musically. It's like you're listening to a concert, like a jazz concert, and it's really wonderful way and he's very musical. So I want to make sure that the person who's going to be reading Kyle's words and he is good understands how to play that instrument right. You want to make sure that they can kind of navigate that, and so it's very much a collaboration. The play is changing all the time. I think it changes every time. It's like and we'll arm wrestle over a word.

Speaker 2: 9:34

Yeah.

Speaker 3: 9:34

I always win.

Speaker 1: 9:45

That's pretty cool and as the writer, I mean, you know, like I think what Joanne was saying was you know how you want it done, you know how you want it said, you know how you want that actor to more or less move or act. You have something already in your mind and I think that's what you're looking for.

Speaker 2: 10:03

You know it's funny, you have something in your mind and I think that's what you're looking for. You know it's funny, you have something in your mind as a playwright. But, as playwrights, the thing that we write, the thing that I write, I'm writing to give away and I'm giving it away to Joanne, I'm giving it away to James, ultimately giving it away to the audience, and so what I envision really is less important than what the artists that I have entrusted the script to, what they envision. Right, because that's the way in which my work becomes new to me, because now it's going through the brilliance of Joanne and it's going through the brilliance of James, right, and I'm seeing it. And so you watch your play and it's a little bit like your soul coming back at you, but it's sort of fractured and it's familiar and it's not and it's highly addictive.

Speaker 3: 10:46

Well, we say in the theater it's like having kids. We call them our babies. Right, and you know you, you have kids. You have no idea how they're going to turn out. Right, they, you know they come, you know what they come from you, but they don't belong to you. Right, there's this, there's this. There's a thing you don't know they look like you, but they don't act like you, and it's, it's, it's. There's just something really wonderful when it takes, they take a life of their own.

Speaker 3: 11:12

The production takes a life of its own once designers get involved and everything else, and all of a sudden, it becomes it's really magical the process, and that it is. It becomes highly addictive. It's it the process, and that it is. It becomes highly addictive. It's. It's something that you want to see and be a part of more than anything else. And I mean we I was up last night till two, three in the morning like going over which which sound cue goes here and when does this video go here, and does it come before this line or after this line? And then I'll get into the space and go okay, well, now let's erase all of that right, so so you know, so you know you it's, it's part of the process.

Speaker 1: 11:46

I totally get that. Now you've you have a team effort or you collaborated with 100 Black Men of Syracuse for this, Can we tell everybody how that came about?

Speaker 3: 11:57

Sure, we've been, you know. So 100 Black Men of Syracuse have been partners with Syracuse Stage for a long time this isn't just a new relationship and they also supported the film. They made sure that the film was screened in certain middle schools and so when it was coming back again, they said let's see what we can do as a partnership. They applied for a grant so that we could offer this show for free, and that's a big deal because we really wanted to make it accessible to the whole community.

Speaker 3: 12:29

Then I went ahead and partnered with people like Community Folk Arts Center, the SU Library, black Citizens Brigade, black Cub Productions and really saying, ok, let's get the whole community involved, let's get a DJ, dj Bella J, you know. So let's make it a party, because it's a birthday and a celebration. Let's find a way to, like you know, explode the season, because we have a really awesome season of plays at Syracuse stage. But I think the most important thing is that it's you know how can we bring everybody together around this figure, which I think is really important, because he's also, you know, he's not necessarily taught anymore in schools, and so it's really important that young people get access to him.

Speaker 1: 13:19

One hundred percent. It's very educational, just in a different way, and I think it's the culture of everybody that you just got to understand.

Speaker 2: 13:27

What was interesting when I was asked to write the play, one of the things I said is, in addition to yes, I will, was that I didn't want to write the play quote unquote down to young people Right that they had to come up to meet it where it is Right. But I have revised it since it was originally filmed. That's one of the things I do a lot is rewrite my work and have really worked on it to make it not feel educational, but that you are meeting somebody for the first time. And we do meet James Baldwin, but we meet James Baldwin as a young man before he becomes James Baldwin. Capital J, capital B, right.

Speaker 1: 14:12

I have to admit I got a little nervous when Steve was telling me about the 100 men that I thought I was going to have 100 men in here doing this podcast.

Speaker 1: 14:21

I'm going, Steve, we only have room for maybe three. We're not best friends, let me put it that way. This is so very exciting that you're able to do this, it being the world premiere. I'm very excited to be sitting next to the writer and, of course, the director, and no stranger to Syracuse Stage. You guys have been doing this for quite some time and kudos to Syracuse Stage for all the great shows coming up. Steve came to me and says look at these shows. And he knows that I'm a big baseball family.

Speaker 1: 14:53

So, in one of the shows he goes. This is for you, he says you're going to love this and I go. Steve, that's going to be awesome.

Speaker 2: 15:00

One of the things we pride ourselves on in programming is that we have a really high artistic standard and we also try to do work that has wide appeal and also do work that's a little more challenging. We've had a record now of doing premiering a new play, I think, in the last five seasons, so it's exciting what's happening, what's been happening at Syracuse Stage, and how the community has reacted.

Speaker 1: 15:31

You know one thing I did mention that we'll get back to talking about Citizen James here in a moment. But one of the things I did mention, my wife. Every year, my mother-in-law is 96 years young and every year come the holidays it's a Syracuse stage performance that's why she's still young yeah, yeah, probably I drive them up, drop them off, I go back and I pick them up you made a good point, I should just park and come in, we gotta see, we gotta see.

Speaker 1: 15:58

I know I know, you know I'd love to, I'd love to do something like this sometimes. So that is just really, really awesome. So we're talking about August 2nd and we're talking about three nights. What do we mean? Two nights.

Speaker 2: 16:13

Originally one. It was originally going to be one.

Speaker 3: 16:16

We added the second. We kind of sold out in 48 hours.

Speaker 2: 16:20

So it was wonderful.

Speaker 3: 16:22

It was the best feeling in the world.

Speaker 1: 16:24

So you sold out in 48 hours we did what did you say when that happened? Did you kind of go, holy crap?

Speaker 2: 16:30

I think we did a dance I love it well, you know, it was really exciting because what it sort of said to me was that people are interested in james baldwin, people do want to commemorate this man on his 100th birthday, and I think it's the event of it right.

Speaker 3: 16:49

Yeah, there are events happening nationwide. I just looked at the National Portrait Gallery is doing something on James Baldwin. There's stuff happening all across the country because it's his centennial year. So we need to. You know, I thought this is so perfect. I think we always say, oh why? You know, I thought this is so perfect. I think we always say, oh, why? You know the pandemic and readings and workshops. But actually we've been building up until this moment to be able to share this with the community.

Speaker 3: 17:12

So we added a second night, which is August 2nd. So August 2nd and 3rd and all you have to do is register and come as you wish. Okay, how do you register? Go right online. You just go right online, syracusesageorg. Look at where it says Shows, citizen James and hit register and, you know, get some tickets. And if you want to make a fabulous donation, you can, but you don't have to.

Speaker 3: 17:39

I think the idea is Well, I think they should, yeah, they can. I think, again, it's something Syracuse has such a. It's so special in terms of the theater community and just the community supporting the arts. You know, we talked about the pandemic, but many theaters shut down during the pandemic. Syracuse Stage didn't, and it's because of this incredible community that not only the people in the theater but the people surrounding the theater, everybody from medical professionals to people that worked in parks, to people that worked in the city really supported what they felt was important in the city. So we're actually doing great compared to the rest of the country and again, I think that we can continue to grow and shine and do all of those wonderful things.

Speaker 1: 18:24

You definitely did the right thing and I have to give you a lot of kudos for taking the pandemic by the horn, so to speak, because you pivoted, you made it work, you put these on stream. You know the plays online and stuff where people could still watch them. As you say, so many other groups shut down. So, you know, you guys did not let that happen.

Speaker 1: 18:47

So that's to say something, right there it's like no, we got to get the word out, and watching it on a screen whether it's a television or a computer or whatever is one thing, but now being there in person is a whole different ballgame.

Speaker 2: 19:03

I see that because.

Speaker 1: 19:04

Producer producer Steve sitting over there but, it's just because he knows I love baseball.

Speaker 2: 19:09

Well, and speaking of the pandemic, because I was commissioned to write it in 2019, and I really began my work in earnest just at the turn of the year, and so the play was it really does. Although it's about set in 1948, you know, it holds the DNA of when I was writing it, and when I was writing it, we were in a pandemic. When I was writing it, we were having a failure of leadership all over the place, and when I was writing it also was the police murder of George Floyd, and so the DNA of all of that is in the play.

Speaker 1: 19:43

Oh, wow, all the more reason to go see that.

Speaker 3: 19:46

And there's also this you know there is a component because it's a solo actor that they're having a conversation with the audience. It's not like I'm going to perform at you. I'm perform, I'm I'm inviting you into a different world and we're still keeping the screen and the and the projections which are they're designed by Dean Lyon, who is local here and who's also worked on Lord of the Rings and he's just an incredible person and the immersiveness of being able to use kind of technology in order to go backwards, in order to go back in time. We're going to use really wonderful technology, which is really this fantastic thing. Wonderful technology, which is really this fantastic thing. But in the same way that the actor doesn't look like James Baldwin and the technology is taking us back to 1948, it's really defined ourselves in what resonates for us, what's going to light a fire for us, and I think we need I mean, james Baldwin was uncompromising and I think when we do the backstory program is that who are the heroes we don't know about, that are not like prominent, and so these, and sometimes they're just heroes.

Speaker 3: 20:58

And there's a moment where he says what are you going to do way across that country? And he's like I'm going to. I have this, I have my pen and the power of the pen and what the pen can do. Sometimes we don't have to get up and wear a cape or whatever, but sometimes just being able to use your skills to make a change is really important.

Speaker 1: 21:16

I love the idea. You know it's a one man show, so to speak, but that's almost like what we do here in radio, where we have to communicate with our listeners and we have to talk to them, not about you know, you talk to them one-on-one and essentially that's what that's what's going on here. He's making that connection, he's engaging, which I think even makes it more. You're going to remember everything. It's not just you know a full I'm not dissing the full productions at all.

Speaker 1: 21:43

That's not what I'm trying to say, but when you see so much going on on stage, you kind of lose track of one thing or another. But here you've got the direct contact, the eye contact, the conversation between you and the actor going.

Speaker 3: 22:00

Yeah, it's really powerful and, as I said, you know, I'm just so grateful for everyone who helped us sell out in 48 hours. I thought that was really great. Oh my gosh, that's great.

Speaker 1: 22:10

You know, kyle, is there anything you'd like to add? I mean, I thank you for you know your hard work and being commissioned to write this because this needs to get out there. It's entertaining as well as educational.

Speaker 2: 22:22

Yeah, I mean, I think it is, I think it's a. I mean it's an honor to have done it. It's an honor to write about James Baldwin. I've done two plays now with James Baldwin as a character. And then something interesting you say Skip was about this one man show, and that is true, and most plays are written by one person and so, even if they have multiple characters, on some level it's a one person show because it's all coming from. It's all coming from the writer.

Speaker 3: 22:52

Yeah, yeah, and I think it's. I think it's really special that you have shows that you know come in, they rehearse for six weeks, they go up and then you have. We're very lucky to be able to we've been working on this now for three years and to be able to have the time to produce something, and my first show that I saw of Kyle was Possessing Harriet. I saw almost every single production and hung on every word. It was so fantastic, but you could tell that that play also had been given the time to find itself, to mature, and this is just a gift that I don't think a lot of people have. So we're really excited to share this with everybody.

Speaker 1: 23:33

Well, you both have a gift that a lot of people don't have you being the writer, you being the director. Not everybody can do that, and that's talent in itself. Right there, Syracustageorg is the website correct, you get a full listing of all the plays, whether you can buy tickets, you can donate. This is August 2nd and the 3rd, if I'm wrong. It's free. You just got to make sure there's availability and you can do that by going to the website Syracuse stageorg. I want to take a moment to thank you all.

Speaker 2: 24:04

Thank you for having us.

Speaker 1: 24:06

You know, for me it was very educational. I was a little bit like okay, I do a lot of music interviews and artists, but this, this is pretty cool and thank you for being patient with me.

Speaker 2: 24:18

My questions were okay, but your questions were fantastic.

Speaker 1: 24:21

I'd love to see you guys get out and check out Syracuse Stage and, like I said before, my wife is a regular customer, so that's pretty cool with her mother-in-law, her mother, my mother-in-law and it's one thing she looks forward to every year and we're so lucky to have that right here in Syracuse.

Speaker 1: 24:36

So I just want to say thank you both for coming in on the Inner Harbor cast and thank you for listening. Thank you for viewing. Thank you for viewing and give us a like on YouTube too. It's innerharbormediacom. Thanks for coming in, both of you.

Speaker 2: 24:49

Thank you very much.

Speaker 1: 24:50

All right, I'll stop this edit out the end. Is that okay?

Speaker 3: 24:55

I thought it was great.

Speaker 1: 24:58

Everyone almost a half hour.

Speaker 3: 24:59

It was very good, it was nice.