Riveting “Black & 25” Comes to OSU Student Union Theatre

Monday, February 15, 2016

Los Angeles-based actor Jeremy Gillett will be performing his one-man show “Black & 25 in America” at OSU’s Student Union Theatre on Tuesday, February 23, at 7:30 p.m. The performance is free and open to the public, and funded by OSU’s Division of Institutional Diversity.

“Black & 25” explores issues of race, class, gender and personal identity through the life stories of several African-American characters in their mid-20s, people like Big Man, the high school football standout who couldn’t escape gang life; Joshua Thomas Northington III, a conservative, preppy black man who struggles with privilege, and Marcy, a woman of mixed black and white parentage who has to carefully navigate two clashing cultures while keeping her sanity. Through these narratives and more, Gillett gives his audience insight to what it is like to be a young, black adult in the first decades of the United States in the 21st century.

Says Gillett, “The idea for the show came to me while I was still an undergraduate theatre major at the University of Kentucky.  I had classes with excellent mentors like playwright Herman Farrell and Vershawn Young, and from a distance I admired the authenticity of the writing of Kentucky poet laureate Frank X. Walker. They’ve written about the black experience in America, but I found that my generation’s experience is different and unique. I found the voice of my generation was missing. Thus, I wrote about people I knew. My own life, yes, but also the many different people I’m close to. We live in the same towns, go to the same schools, but we struggle with vastly different issues. I wanted to capture the ambiguity, humor, and pathos of it all.”

The show took its current form when Gillett was a graduate student in Arizona State University’s M.F.A. in acting program, and where he received several scholarships and fellowships to develop the show. He graduated in 2013 and has since performed “Black & 25” in venues from coast to coast—all while pursuing a successful career in L.A. “I want to share the stories of characters in such a way that people want to care about them regardless of their station in life.  Acting is my way of helping all of us see the humanity of another person,” Gillett says.

Andrew Kimbrough, Head of OSU Theatre, has arranged for Gillett’s production to come to campus. “I saw ‘Black & 25 in America’ a few years ago and was simply stunned. The writing is poignant—both funny and tragic—and very thought-provoking, especially at a time when issues of race are hotly debated on college campuses. But Jeremy’s acting makes these very interesting and very different characters accessible and engaging. He’s a master character actor, able to transform himself completely into half a dozen other people from all walks of life. I have to thank Dr. Jason Kirksey and Craig Jackson of the Division of Institutional Diversity for making this event happen.” 

OSU’s Student Union Theatre is hosting the production Tuesday night, February 23, at 7:30 p.m., and doors open at 7:00 p.m. The show runs about 70 minutes. Mr. Gillett will be on stage afterwards for an audience talk-back. Audience members are encouraged to stay for questions and answers about the production.

Inquiries should be directed to the OSU Department of Theatre at drama@okstate.edu or by calling (405) 744-6094.