WHAT: Two special events tied to the Philadelphia Theatre Company production of “The Scottsboro Boys,” the final collaboration of Broadway musical legends John Kander and Fred Ebb:

A discussion of the musical, the event on which it is based, and the issues raised by both, inaugurating the VOICES series of community discussions

The Brothers’ Network’s special evening of theater, including a post-performance conversation with members of the cast

WHERE: Suzanne Roberts Theatre, 480 South Broad Street, Philadelphia

WHEN: Discussion: Sunday, Jan. 8, 2012, at 1 p.m. Performance: Friday, Feb. 10, 2012, at 8 p.m.

The Brothers’ Network’s partnership with the Philadelphia Theatre Company begins its fifth year with a discussion of a singular theatrical and historical event – a musical that revisits one of the most notorious miscarriages of justice in American history.

The musical is “The Scottsboro Boys,” the last work by Broadway legends John Kander and Fred Ebb. The duo chose a 19th-century musical form associated with negative stereotypes of blacks – the minstrel show – to highlight the issues that made the Scottsboro Boys trial an international outrage.

The story of the Scottsboro Boys is one of the most shameful examples of injustice in our nation’s history. It makes clear that in the Deep South of the 1930’s, jurors were not willing to accord a black charged with raping a white woman the usual presumption of innocence. In fact, one may argue that the presumption seemed reversed: a black was presumed guilty unless he could establish his innocence beyond a reasonable doubt. The cases show that to jurors, black lives didn’t count for much. The jurors that in April, 1933 had just voted to sentence Haywood Patterson to death were seen laughing as they emerged from the juryroom. Hannah Arendt wrote of “the banality of evil.” Evil rarely comes in the form of monsters, but rather in the form of relatively normal people who, for reasons of careers, ideology, or a desire for society’s approval, are indifferent to the human consequences of their actions. Because of indifferent jurors and career-motivated prosecutors, the self-serving and groundless accusations of a single woman were allowed to change forever the lives of nine black teenagers who found themselves in the wrong place at the wrong time.

We chose to partner with PTC on the launch of its “Voices” series of community discussions because “The Scottsboro Boys” uniquely addresses issues of race, justice, crime and stereotyping in an attention-grabbing manner.

Our discussion on Sunday, Jan. 8, will be led by two Ph.D. candidates in Temple University’s African American Studies program, Andrew D. Brown and Brandon Stanford. Our discussion will focus on a number of issues, including

• the dynamics that lead some disenfranchised people to use other, more disenfranchised people as a means of gaining status and security
• how stereotypes of blacks have more power than stereotypes of whites
• how African Americans absorb portrayals of their own history and why comedic treatments of it are better received than dramatic ones

The Brothers’ Network is sponsoring this discussion in order to advance the dialogue on racial justice issues and broaden and deepen our engagement with history and ideas that can be used to better understand the American racial dynamic.

The discussion will take place at 1 p.m. on Sunday. Jan. 8, at the Suzanne Roberts Theatre, 480 South Broad Street, Philadelphia. Please RSVP for this event by email to comments@thebrothersnetwork.org.

Then join us on Feb. 10 for our special evening of theater, with a performance of “The Scottsboro Boys” and a post-performance discussion featuring members of the cast.

WHAT: A Brothers’ Network special event – a performance and discussion of “Joe Turner’s Come and Gone” by August Wilson

WHEN: Sunday, Jan. 22, 2012, at 3 p.m.

WHERE: Plays and Players Theater, 1714 Delancey Place, Philadelphia

The Brothers Network introduces its newest community partner, Plays & Players Theater, celebrating its 100th anniversary with August Wilson’s “Joe Turner’s Come and Gone,” the first of two plays this season to look back at life 100 years ago.

In the same beautiful historic theater at 1714 Delancey Place lives a newly reinvented professional theater company dedicated to Philadelphia’s talented emerging artists. Don’t miss this opportunity to see some of the most talented African-American local actors tackle one of the greatest plays by one of the greatest story tellers of the 20th century!

It’s 1911, and as emancipated slaves flood north in search of employment and a chance to start over, Seth and Bertha Holly’s boarding house in Pittsburgh offers a new place to call home in this drama by the multiple Pulitzer Prize-winning author of “The Piano Lesson,” “Seven Guitars” and “Fences.” When an angry and lost man arrives looking for his wife, forcibly removed from him years ago when he was captured and put in a chain gang by a man named Joe Turner, these once strangers are forced to confront their own demons and to come together to help him find his way.

Starring Kash Goins, Damien Wallace, James Tolbert, Cherie Jazmyn, Jamal Douglas, Candace Thomas, Mlé Chester, Bob Weick, Lauryn Jones, Brett Gray, and Erin Stewart.

Directed by Daniel Student

TWO CHANCES TO SAVE!

Join us January 22 for a Brothers’ Network Special Event. See “Joe Turner’s Come and Gone” at 3 p.m. and stay for a talkback with the show’s cast, led by local actor Johnny Hobbs, Jr. and local playwright Quinn D. Eli, as they discuss the play, the continued relevance of August Wilson’s work, and the challenges and opportunities for African-American theater in Philadelphia today.

Tickets only $18 (a savings of $7 off the regular price!) when you use the code BroNet to order tickets for this performance only.

Can’t make the 22nd? Use the code BROTHERS to save $5 off a regular price ticket for the run of the show (Jan. 19-Feb. 4) when purchasing at www.playsandplayers.org or by calling 800-595-4TIX .

About the Guest Speakers

Johnnie Hobbs, Jr. is a product of the School District of Philadelphia. He is proud of his thirty-plus-years’ affiliation with the nationally recognized Freedom Theatre and played key roles in many of its most critically acclaimed productions. Most notably he has appeared in “Black Nativity” and “Black Picture Show.” The three-time Barrymore nominee has also starred in “Simply Heavenly” with Melba Moore and Zooman and the Los Angeles premiere of “The Sign” with Virginia Capers. Mr. Hobbs has enjoyed much critical success with the works of August Wilson. He distinguished himself in such plays as “Fences,” “Joe Turner’s Come and Gone” and “Two Trains Running,” with the last under the direction of Walter Dallas, setting box office records for attendance at the Philadelphia Drama Guild. Noteworthy film credits include principal roles in “The In Crowd,” “Twelve Monkeys,” “Snipes,” “Up Close and Personal,” “Rocky Balboa” and most recently “Cover,” directed by Bill Duke. Entering his 29th year, Mr. Hobbs is a tenured associate professor in the theater department at the University of the Arts in Philadelphia, where he received the Mary Lou Beitzel Award for Distinguished Teaching in 1996. He is also the chairman of the Advisory Board for the University of the Arts’ Academic Achievement Program and the advisor to the African-American Student Union and the African Diaspora Collective.

Quinn D. Eli teaches English, creative writing, and theater at the Community College of Philadelphia. He is also a former PDC Playwright-in-Residence at Plays & Players Theatre. Two of his short plays, “Small Portions” and “Running Amok,” appear in the 2010 and 2011 editions of Best American Ten-Minute Plays. Longer plays include “Hazardous,” produced last year at Society Hill Playhouse; “The Sex Tape Play,” developed by Philadelphia Theatre Workshop; and “Hot Black/Asian Action,” a satire about sexual and racial stereotypes that premiered at the New York International Fringe Festival. He is a member of Philadelphia Dramatists Center and InterAct Theatre’s Playwrights Forum.

View this video here: Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr

Congratulations to The Brothers’ Network’s own Gerry Christopher Johnson for his recent award of a Fellowship for their Arts Journalism Institute. Read here!

Tongues are untied and our brother, Gerry Christopher Johnson, is able to capture the nuanced voices of our discourse!

From Gerry:

I have covered Black themes in arts and culture, including TBN events, as a correspondent for publications including AOL, the Philadelphia Tribune and Philadelphia Weekly, where my 2010 article on segregation in queer nightlife was recently awarded Second Place for Best Feature Story by the Pennsylvania Newspaper Association.

I am especially proud to have been selected for this prestigious honor, considering the current media climate: A recent study shows that the number of minority journalists in newsrooms has declined for the third year in a row. In addition, there has been a precipitous decline in arts coverage by newspapers and magazines around the country. I see this is an excellent opportunity to bolster my ability to bring my diverse perspective to news publications as well as advocate for the arts.

People can follow my experience at the the Arts Journalist Institute–as well as my writings on arts and current events–at my new blog.

The Brothers’ Network held a provocative book discussion in Center City recently that ran an hour overtime before the Black male participants splintered off into surrounding bars and coffee shops to continue the conversation they didn’t want to end.

It was the group’s latest event attracting educated Black men who vary in age, profession and sexual orientation, but share a common complaint about being overlooked in Philadelphia and the larger society.

Co-founded three years ago by Executive Director Gregory Walker and Temple African American studies scholar Tony Monteiro, TBN started as a small book club and has since developed into a national men’s cultural group.

Read more here!

Transcending Disadvantage Lecture Series

April 18: Reimagining Black Male Identities and Expectancy, David Wall Rice, Ph.D.

April 19: A Discussion of “Against the Wall: Poor, Young, Black, and Male,” Elijah Anderson, Ph.D.

April 20: Beyond Pathological Media Misrepresentation, Mark Anthony Neal, Ph.D.

6:00 – 7:30 PM

Huntsman Hall

3730 Walnut Street, Room 250.

WHAT: A discussion of “Disintegration” by Eugene Robinson

WHEN: Saturday, March 26, 2011, 2:00 p.m.

WHERE: The Arts Condominium community room, 1324 Locust Street, Philadelphia

The days when a single “black leader” could speak for “black America” are long gone, if indeed they ever existed, says Pulitzer Prize-winning Washington Post columnist Eugene Robinson in his new book “Disintegration: The Splintering of Black America.”

Our March book discussion will focus on Robinson’s new book, in which he describes four distinct black Americas: the middle-class Mainstream, which has an ownership stake in American society; the Abandoned, the poor minority whose chances of escaping poverty and dysfunction are worse than at any time since Reconstruction’s end; the Transcendent, the small elite whose wealth, power and influence is so great that even white people must bow before them; and two types of Emergent groups – the multiracial children of integration and recent black immigrants from abroad, both of whom challenge our very notions of what it means to be black in America.

The discussion will be facilitated by Leo Jones, J.D., a lawyer-turned-educator living in Greenbelt, Md. An avid reader, Jones has led numerous book discussions and founded a literary fiction book group in Baltimore in 2005. An expert on school reform, Jones currently serves as Turnaround Director at the William C. March Middle School in Baltimore, where he provides daily on-site technical assistance and support to teachers and administrators.

Thabiti Lewis teaches English and Black studies at Washington State University Vancouver.  The former editor, radio show host, columnist, and freelance writer for The Source. The St. Louis American and News One lectures on topics ranging from images of African Americans in popular culture (sports and hip hop) to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and the responsibility of youth. His book Ballers of the New School: Race and Sport in America challenges to alter the landscape of race and sport culture.

Thabiti Lewis is an emerging, fresh, studied voice.  Dr. Lewis has been sought to do lecture at Vancouver University, Princeton University, University of Virginia, Lenoir-Rhyne, Evergreen State University, and Northern Arizona University, among others.  He has served as a community member on the editorial board of The Statesman Journal newspaper.  His work has also appeared in anthologies, journals, and newspapers such as Mosaic Literary Magazine, Oregon Humanities, and The St. Louis Post-Dispatch, AmeriQuests and book chapters.

In addition to teaching courses about African American literature and culture he teaches courses on hip-hop and film, black masculinity, and race and sport in America.

Ballers of the New School

Dr. Lewis’s book Ballers of the New School: Race and Sports in America challenges the notion that sports culture has been and is now a pioneer for racial progress.  He contends that American sport has not contributed to racial progress as much as it is mythologized to have done.  This is more media spin than truth he contends; a figment of imagination aided by a modern technology armed with 24hour sports reporting, unlimited sports television channels, and a culture that cultivates anti-intellectualism.

Robin’s Bookstore

110 S. 13th Street

Saturday, December 11, 2010

5 P.M.

The Wall Remixed Project

What: Carl Pope, Mari Hulick and the Mural Arts Associations’ Advertising Campaign

When: On permeant display throughout Philadelphia

Where: A map has been provided showing all of the art sites

The Bad Air Smells of Roses

What: Carl Pope’s 1993 Print Collection. Part of the Medium Resistance Exhibit

When: Now through April 4th

Where: Crane Arts 1400 American Street (map)

It is easy to dismiss conceptual art as something divorced from real life. Asking a layman, black or otherwise, what conceptual art is, let alone what it is suppose to accomplish, and you will often get

blank stares and rolling eyes. For many, museum grade art has long sense past it’s ability to make really statements about the world.

For three decades now, conceptual artist Carl Pope has sought to change that perception. Initially inspired by the power of photography to change the course of the Vietnam war, his art forces viewers to think about blackness, masculinity and sexual orientation in ways that we often prefer not to think about. Early pieces included a video project at the Whitney where Carl burned affirmations directly into this skin in response to the stories of violence he collected from the youth of Hartford Connecticut. In another he collected a controversial list documenting police brutality from the 40s through the 80s and created a row of trophies “celebrating” each act of violence.  It was called New York’s Greatest Hits. Funny, heartbreaking and leading, in Carl’s words, to some both laughing and crying at the same time.

We sat down with Carl to discuss his two new exhibits here in Philadelphia as well as his general thoughts and feelings about race, the art world and life in the illadelph. The first exhibit, as part of the Philagrafica, has him interacting with local students and business owner to create advertisements. In the other, The Bad Air Smelled of Roses, Carl dives inside of himself to answer one hundred times the question: “What does blackness mean to me?”

Carl on the Philagrafica Festival:

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On the Wall Remixed Proposal:

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Early shows and Exhibits:

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The story behind New York Greatest Hits:

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The Critical Response:

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Many thanks to Carl for sitting down with us. We look forward to the next time.

What: Brothers Network night at the Arden Theatre Company: Blue Door

When: Saturday, Febuary 27th, 2010, 7:30 pm

Where: Arden Theatre, 40 N. 2nd St., Philadelphia, PA

As part of our ongoing theatre series, the Brothers’ Network has partnered with the Arden Theatre Company for a special evening during their production of “Blue Door” by playwright Tanya Barfield.

Director Walter Dallas returns to the Arden after helming the notable production The Piano Lesson. Philadelphia’s own Johnnie Hobbs, Jr. stars as Lewis, a successful mathematics professor whose wife has just left him. So begins his sleepless night where a series of ancestors visit him and reveal the hardships and victories of their lives. Lyrical, funny and poignant, Lewis’ journey is a thought-provoking window into the soul of one African American man grappling at the intersection of his own identity and his cultural history. Tanya Barfield’s The Blue Door is an exuberantly theatrical work about the black male experience in America and will resonate with anyone who has ever struggled to live with – or escape – the past.

Please join us Saturday, Feburary 27, 2010, for the play and post-performance reception. Brothers’ Network members are able to recieve a special price of $30.00 per ticket for the evening’s performance. Please call or visit the Arden Theatre Web site to purchase your tickets. Use the special code bronet to receive the discount. Regular price tickets are $48.00. Brothers’ Network members will all be seated together for the performance.