By Mike Davis, Libby Denkmann, Noel Gasca
The communities we’re a part of in our youth often have a tremendous impact in influencing the people we become.
For writer James Baldwin, the time he spent in the Black church as he grew up in Harlem played a big role in shaping his identity, and the work he would go on to produce as an adult.
That influence led Baldwin to write the play “The Amen Corner” back in 1954.
And for the first time, the show is being professionally staged here in Seattle, at the Langston Hughes Performing Arts Institute in the Central District.
KUOW Arts & Culture reporter Mike Davis sat down with the the production’s director, Reggie D. White, to talk about the lasting relevance of Baldwin’s work, and the groundbreaking theatre company behind the production.
“The Amen Corner” runs through Nov. 20 at the Langston Hughes Performing Arts Institute. Tickets are available at langstonseattle.org and thewilliamsproject.org