"Mr. Soul!" by Laura A. Thomas
part of the The Bronze Collective Theatre Fest: 2022 Rising From The Muck and Mire proof of vaccination and a mask are required
Time & Location
Feb 17, 2022, 7:30 PM
Rochester, 142 Atlantic Ave, Rochester, NY 14607, USA
About The Event
Thur., February 17, 7:30 PM – "Mr. Soul!" by Laura A. Thomas, a full-length play reading, based upon some events surrounding a black television show called Mr. Soul! which ran on public television from 1968-1973 and the producer and host of the show, Ellis Haizlip, a gay black man. A talkback and inquiry about the play will follow the play.
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MUST SEE TV: Long before the NBC network coined the phrase, PBS had a Thursday night show that embraced it.
At 7:30 pm Thur, Feb. 17 take a trip back in time when Ellis Haizlip is host and producer of the very popular "Soul" television show at WNET in the Big Apple.
The Black Arts Movement -- poetry by Nikki Giovanni, theater by Amiri Baraka, and dance by Alvin Ailey-- is flowering.
So Haizlip makes it a point to have artists like each of them on his show regularly.
Even as the nation mourns over mounting Vietnam War casualties while also finding itself at odds over the Civil, Gay, and Women's rights movements, Haizlip doesn't flinch from having controversial guests -- like Muhammad Ali - who have opposing views on hot issues of the day.
No wonder Haizlip's show draws praise from its viewers, many of whom don't see themselves reflected on the airwaves, and the ire of critics who feel his show is way too far to the left for their tastes.
Arts supporter? Radical ? Communist ?Just who IS Ellis Haizlip, 'Mr. Soul"?
Join playwright Laura A. Thomas st 7:30 pm next Thursday, Feb. 17 at the MuCCC , as she and her cast explore that question while shining a light on a largely forgotten but key figure in Black & LGBT history.
After the stage play reading, there will be a talk-back with the audience.
Admission is $5. For tickets and more information, go to muccc .org.
"Mr. Soul" is part of the 8th annual Bronze Collective Theatre Fest, Feb. 16 to 19 at the Mult-use Community Cultural Center (MuCCC) in Rochester, New York.
Performances are 7:30 pm nightly with a different show each date of the week.
tickets available at https://www.muccc.org/events/8th-bronze-collective-theatre-fest