PAUL  ROBESON
SPEAKS  OUT!
February 5th-22nd, 2004

     To commemorate Black History Month, we once again teamed up with the Buffalo Ensemble Theatre at the New Phoenix Theatre to produce the Buffalo premiere of the biographical drama PAUL ROBESON SPEAKS OUT! by Phillip Hayes Dean.
     This empowering one-man filibuster recounts the life of the famous Black actor, singer, orator and activist Paul Robeson. Focusing on his political awakening, Dean's work breathtakingly recaptures Robeson's tours of the Soviet Union, his campaign for anti-lynching legislation in the U.S., and his opposition to the Cold War.

Read the Reviews
- Buffalo News 2/13/04 - Artvoice 2/12/04 - Online Buffalo 2/12/04 - Alt Press 2/20/04

     The play climaxes with Robeson's tenacious stand against the blacklists of the McCarthyite Era and his testimony before the House on Un-American Activities Committee.     
     Originally performed on Broadway by James Earl Jones in 1979 and revived on Broadway in 1995 by Avery Brooks, our production featured the virtuoso talent of veteran local actor Willie W. Judson, Jr. in a performance that would ultimately earn him a nomination for Outstanding Actor at the 2004 Artie Awards.
     In his four-star review, Buffalo News Drama Critic Jim Santella proclaimed our production "a whirlwind tour through decades of pioneering territory" while WBFO's Theater Talk Radio declared it "a mesmerizing tour-de-force."  Above all else, it was an honor to do our small part to help keep the legacy of this inspiring Black activist alive. 

Paul Robeson . . . . . . . . . Willie W. Judson, Jr. HUAC Chairman . . . . . . . . . . . . Tom Scahill* Director/Producer . . . . . . Kurt Schneiderman* Stage Manager . . . . . . . . . . .  Bobbi DeBose* Sound Design . . . . . . . . . . . Timothy C. White Poster Design . . . . . . . . . . . Jeffrey A. Vincent Lighting Design . . . . . . . . Kurt Schneiderman* Technical Assistance . . . . . . Franklin LaVoie* House Manager . . . . . . . . . . . . . Tom Scahill* * = members of the Subversive Theatre Collective

This event was made possible by generous contributions from the following magnanimous patrons (in no particular order):
Dr. Emanuel Fried, Daire Brian Irwin*, Robert "Hodie" Hodas*, James Holstun, James Rivard, Timothy McPeek, Jack Hunter, Dr. Robert Waterhouse, Brian Lampkin, Phyllis Smukler, Ronald Palmer, Michael Fanelli*, Edwin Hart, Tom Scahill*, Patricia Topolski, Michael Kuzma, James Whitlock, Christopher Wilson, Donna Bristol, Victor Morales, and Dr. Saul Elkin.