At the height of the Civil Rights Movement in 1965, the progressive queer Black writer and activist James Baldwin met the “Father of American Conservatism” William F. Buckley, Jr., onstage at the Cambridge University Union to debate the resolution “The American Dream is at the expense of the American Negro.” This confrontation is dramatized in a new production by Elevator Repair Service, a New York troupe that specializes in adaptations of literary and historic texts. Greig Sargeant portrays Baldwin as a verbal virtuoso. Buckley, played by Ben Jalosa Williams, provides a counterpoint to the poet’s impassioned assertions.
Join us for a post-performance moderated discussion on Fri 3/1 and post-performance community conversations on Sat evening 3/2 & Sun afternoon, 3/3.
An Illuminations: “Individual & Community” event.