Festival volunteers get the star treatment I
BYT. KEVIN WALKER
THE CHRONICLE
You probably won't see peo
ple scrambling to take pictures of
Olyer Martin and Lauren Butch
this week during the National
. Black Theatre Festival. The
women aren't the stars of plays
( or even supporting players, but
without them and hundreds like
them the glitz and excitement of
the festival would not possible.
In fact, there would be no festi
val.
Martin and Burch joined fel
low festival volunteers July 31 at
Stevens Center for a pre-festival
pep rally. For more than an hour
the nearly 700 volunteers were
patted on the back, entertained by
local talent and given their for
mal charge for the week by festi
val chief Larry Leon Hamlin.
Martin is expected to man
one of the informational desks
this week. She has been a volun
? teer since the 1995 festival.
* "I love it," she said as she
J stood in line to pick up her purple
J and black volunteer T-shirt. "You
? get to see people from out of
t town and tell them wonderful
f things about Winston-Salem."
Burch will serve as an usher,
J helping people who attend shows
I at the Adam's Mark Hotel to their
*? seats. She first volunteered at the
festival six years ago. Her initial
experience as a volunteer has
kept her coming back festival
after festival.
"1 like being able to partici
Photo by Kevin Walker I
Olyer Martin, left, gets help choosing a volunteer T-shirt.
pale and help out with this festi
val," she said. "It is great to meet
and greet with some of our peo
ple and meet some of the stars."
Volunteers are an invaluable
part of the NBTF machine. With
out them, none of the other parts
would run. Hamlin said that if the
festival had to pay 700 people to
do the jobs that volunteers per
form, the price tag would be too
great for the festival to absorb.
The thousands who come to
the city for the festival also rely
on volunteers, Hamlin said.
"When they come here, (vol
unteers) treat them with such
respect, such kindness, such
love. It makes them not want to
leave," he said.
Sylvia Sprinkle-Hamlin.
Larcy Leon Hamlin's wife, is the
volunteers coordinator. She has
been working with some of the
volunteers since March. Sprin
kle-Hamlin said she is impressed
with the cross section of volun
teers who will perform such tasks
as transporting actors, helping
with stage set-ups and providing
security.
"We have a group of young
people and seniors who are real-.
ly working very, very hard." said'
Sprinkle-Hamlin, who also
pointed out that people of every
age in between have decided to
donate their time as well.
So although Kim Fields, Dia
hann Carroll and Malcolm-Jamal
Warner are bound to get a lot of
attention this week, there are
other stars whose names may not
ring a bell but whose deeds are
priceless.
"There will be many stars
here...but you are our stars. Let
your lights shine," Annie John
son. Hamlin's mother, told the
crowd as she kicked off last
week's rally.
: Malcolm-Jamal Warner expresses himself |
BY COURTNEY GAILLARD
THE CHRONICLE
f Malcolm-Jamal Warner is
best known for his work as an
actor on television, but he's
quickly garnering acclaim for his
, work in the underground poetry
movement. Warner, this year's
National Black Theatre Festival
honorary
co-chair,
said poet
ry affords
him an
opportu
nity for
unlimited
self
expres
sion.
"I'm
not just an
Warner
actor who decided to do poetry. I
am a poet, and I have been seri
ously in the trenches for 10 years
now," said Warner, who is debut
' ing a play at the festival, "Love &
Other Social Issues," which he
co-wrote with his mother,
Pamela Warner. Denise Dowse
directs the play.
The play deals with love and
life from this poet's perspective,
and Warner hopes festival audi
ences will find its message to be
universally appealing.
"It's very freeing when you
have something to say and when
you have something to say that
everyone can relate to," Mai
colm-Jamal Warner said.
Since appearing on "The
Cosby Show," where Warner
became a household name, he
has gone on to make a name for
himself in film, theater and
music. He has appeared on stage
in "Cryin" Shame," "Freefall"
and "A Midsummer Night's
Dream"; in feature films such as
"Drop Zone" and "Restaurant";
and in television films such as
"The Tuskegee Airmen" and
"The Father Clements Story."
Warner, who also plays bass
in the jazz-funk band Miles
Long, has numerous directing
credits under his multi-talented
belt, including episodes of "Mal
colm and Eddie" (a series in
which he starred). The Fresh
Prince of Bel-Air" and "Sesame
Street."
"I love the collaborative
effort of acting, directing and
being in a band," Warner said.
Although the entertainment
industry can be lucrative for
some actors. Warner said it's still
important for performers to love
and improve their respective
crafts and not become preoccu
pied with money.
"If you are an artist and
you've chosen a craft, you have
to do it because you love
it....When money comes into the
picture, then you start doing
things to compromise your art.
and artists don't do it for the
money." Warner said.
Warner can currently be seen
on "Jeremiah." a new weekly sci
fi series on Showtime.
"Love and Other Social
Issues " will be performed tomor
row and Saturday at 3 and 8 p.m.
at the N.C. School of the Arts
Arena. Tickets are $35 and can
be purchased by calling 723
7907.
Festival
. from page A1
Some worked with one another
on projects years ago, and the
festival is providing an opportu
nity for them to see one another
again.
) Maurice Hines was thrilled to
see Diahann Carroll, for whom
he and brother Gregory opened
; for at the Apollo Theatre when
' the Hineses were tots.
J "My mother kept a scrapbook
; of Greg and I, and the three pic
? lures she kept in the scrapbook
i (were) Sammy Davis Jr., Eartha
Kitt and Diahann Carroll," said
; Hines, an accomplished dancer
and Broadway actor.
Actress RaeVen Larrymore
Kelly, an 18-year-old who has
been coming to the festival since
she was 10, pointed out that sev
! eral actresses at this year's festi
| val have played her mother on
? television or on the big screen.
Among them was Tonea Stew
art. who played Kelly's mother in
; "A Time to Kill."
i I have three mothers at this
festival," Kelly joked.
! One of the highlights of this
; and every festival was Monday's
? Opening Night Gala. The gala,
which sold out quickly this year,
brought about 1.000 people to a
swankily decorated M.C. Benton
Convention Center. Local
African drum and dance troupe
Otesha Creative Arts Ensemble
got the party jumping by energet
ically leading a procession that
included countless celebrities and
special guests such as Mayor
Allen Joines and Mayor Pro
Tempore Vivian Burke.
Hamlin, Melba Moore and
her fellow honorary co-chair.
Malcolm-Jamal Warner, oversaw
an awards ceremony that hon
Pho<o by Kevin Walker
Andre De Shields leads celebrities in "Lift Every Voice and Sing."
ored some of entertainment's best
and most enduring. Carroll and
Broadway producer Philip Rose
received the highest honor, the
Sidney Poitier Lifelong Achieve
ment Award. Lynn Hamilton.
Novella Nelson. Adam Wade and
Gloria Van Scott were on hand to
pick up Living Legend Awards.
Hamilton, whose face is bound to
be familiar if her name does not
ring a bell, played on "Roots,"
"The Waltons" and as Fred San
ford's lady friend. Donna, on
"Sanford and Son." In her
acceptance speech she talked
about being deemed a "legend."
"There is something scary
and awesome about that word,"
she said.
Actors Ben Vereen and Sher
man Hemsley also received Liv
ing Legend Awards, but neither
man was in attendance. Vereen
sent his sister to accept his award,
while Hemsley's television son.
Damon Evans from "The Jeffer
sons." accepted on Hemsley's
behalf. Evans gave a reason why
Hemsley possibly stayed away
for the festival.
"He is one of the shyest.and
most unassuming people I
know," Evans said.
In accepting the Larry Leon
Hamlin Producer's Award, Carl
Clay urged the crowd to support
events such as the National Black
Theatre Festival and black the
ater in general. It is one of the
few institutions that blacks can
still call sacred, he said.
"We offer truth ...We offer
our shoulders for young people to
stand on." Clay said.
Hamlin has found wide
acceptance for the festival. Thou
sands from other cities are
expected to attend this year's fes
tival. Local officials predict that
they could pump as much as $10
million into the staggering local
economy. The NBTF has man
aged to carve a niche for itself in
the somewhat crowded wona of
arts festivals.
Jennifer Sanders is among
those visiting the city for the first
time as a result of the festival.
She and her mother came from
Evanstown, 111., after hearing
great word-of-mouth about the
festival.
"(My mother) said that if it is
going on this year, she wants to
go. We looked on the Internet and
found out it was this summer and
we drove down." she said.
Sanders was only in Winston
Salem for a few hours Monday
when she decided that the festival
was definitely something she will
return to.
"1 get excited when black
people have something positive
that we can get together and do,"
she said.
The NBTF will wrap up Sat
urday night. There are still tickets
left for many plays. Log onto
www.nhtf.org for a schedule and
ticket information.
Shaft in Winston
mou> oy ivevin wamer
Actor Richard Roundtree took time to pose with fans in
the lobby of the Adam's Mark Hotel. Roundtree is per
haps most famous for his role as crime fighter Shaft.
I NBTF Bits I
Surprise!
Forsyth County Commissioner Walter Marshall got a
surprise that he won't soon forget on Monday.
Marshall, whose distinguished public career stretches
back for decades and includes stints as president of the local
NAACP and a
seat on the city
county School
Board, received
a standing ova
tion from
dozens of
celebrities dur
ing the first
news confer
ence of the
2003 National
Black Theatre
Festival.
Marshall
also was pre
sented with a
carved wooden
elephant from
the celebrities
for his years of
work with the
transportation
wing of the fes
tival.
"I was very
surprised. I had
no idea it was
going to hap
?
pen." Marshall said. The county commissioner has being
volunteering with the festival since it started in 1989. Dur
ing recent festivals, he has helped to make sure that celebri
ty guests are picked up from the airport and arrive on time
to venues for their shows. His deeds have obviously not
gone unappreciated.
Marshall said he volunteers because he loves the work,
the festival and this city.
"1 believe in this city and this county. This festival is
really helping to promote our town," he said.
Back to his roots
Malik Yoba is best known for the wildly successful
1990s series "New York Undercover." but his love of acting
began by watching theater, not television.
As a child he was an usher at the Negro Ensemble Com
pany in New York.
"I used to sit in the
back of the theater and
meet the likes of people
like Sam Jackson."
Yoba said. He eventual
ly made his way onto
the stage himself and
recently has returned to
his first love, working
the "chitlin' circuit."
Yoba said the stage pro
vides more freedom for;
black actors
"New York Under
cover" was yanked
from the air during the
height of its success,
reportedly over salary
disputes between actors
and producers. Yoba
said there is a blatant
"lack of regard" for
blacks in Hollywood.
He said black actors
should determine their
Malik Yoba
I own destinies by creating their own projects.
"We have to build our own generators," he said. "So
when they turn off the power, we still have lights."
Yoba is scheduled to host a session of the NBTF Inter
national Colloquium this morning from 10 until 12:30 p.m.
at the Adam's Mark Hotel. The session is titled "Creating
(Your) Own Place and Own Idiom of Existence."
Roarin' Success
Greensboro native Horace Rogers is among the many
N.C. Black Repertory Company alumni who have returned
to Winston-Salem this week for the National Black Theatre
Festival.
It was at the very first festival in 1989 that Rogers got his
big break in the play "Don't Bother Me. I Can't Cope."
Rogers felt back then that the festival had staying power.
"I had a feeling that something special was going on.
There was such a
buzz." he said.
Rogers, a proud
graduate of N.C.
A&T State Universi
ty, has flexed his act
ing ability and vocal
cords in a number of
productions since
then. including
"Rent" and his cur
rent role as Mufasa in
"The Lion King" at
Toronto's Princess of
Wales Theatre.
Rogers has done
his part over the years
to make the NBTF a
success. He was the
media liaison for the
2001 festival and this
year he lent his voice,
without warning, to
pay tribute to friends
Horace Rogers as Mufasa.
I of the festival who
have recently passed away. Festival founder Larry Leon
Hamlin asked Rogers on Monday to sing a song while the
names of the deceased were called out Rogers chose "If I
Can Help Somebody" and delivered a powerful a cappella
performance.
Rogers is pleased that a number of young people are
involved with this year's festival. He thinks the event will
have the same effect on them that it hgd on him 14 years ago.
"I know there are other young people who will be out
there watching the shows and are going to be (taken in) by
the whole spirit of the festival." he said.