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| COLORED EXPOSURES is a rapid
succession of character skits, each following the other rapid-fire with the
changing of a wig or a single costume piece. An "Intelligent Negro Valley
Guy" riffs about Ebonics at a cocktail party. A wealthy Black yuppie, stopped
for racial profiling in his beemer, exhibits the black rage of aujours d' hui
by shooting people. A West African tour guide squires tourists through The Cape
Coast Slave Dungeons of Ghana. An elderly matron of the rural South, a Jamaican
man and a "Black Buddha" wax forth on good hair, bad hair and blonde
hair. A "100% Queen" gay club kid comically decries the popularity
of "snow queens." A horny minister discourses on how he and his young
female parishoners "heal each other." A little girl of the Projects
plays "Kinky Head and the Three Bears," a game involving painting
her Barbie dolls black and eating the Baby Bear's dinner to cure herself of
AIDS. Finally, a celebrity woman chef of soul food reveals the magic behind
the recipes. The title, "Colored
Exposures," plays with the concept of perception and what is "exposed"
when the audience witnesses snapshots into the lives of the twelve characters
in the show. Beaty says, "On the surface, I am presenting vastly different,
contradictory characters in order to discover what is universal about our inner
landscape as human beings." The show is largely about an actor's ability
to transform through the use of voice, body and internal intention: like a one-man
version of 'The Colored Museum.'" The set is minimal and simple, often
vibrant, costumes and props are incorporated. Beaty sings a wide variety of
music a capella in the play. Daniel Boyd Beaty Originally from Ohio, Beaty received his MFA from American Conservatory Theater in San Francisco where he was a full scholarship recipient. Beaty is a 1998 honors graduate of Yale University where he received a BA in English and music. At graduation he received one of three highest awards for his achievements in the creative and performing arts. As an actor, Beaty has worked in the classical and contemporary repertoire at university and regional theater. As a singer, he has sung opera in the US and Italy and performed recitals throughout the US, Europe, and Africa. His writings as a performance artist and motivational speaker have been shared in variety of venues including the NAACP National Convention, SCLC National Convention, and various service organizations. His scholarships, fellowships, and awards include the ACT Scholarship, the Louis Sudler Prize, the Ezra Stiles award, the Heinz Scholarship, the National Championship in Drama from the National Forensics League, the Hobart Fellowship, and the Saidel Fellowship.Kenneth Lee Kenneth Lee hails from Singapore. He recently received his MFA in Acting at the American Conservatory Theatre in San Francisco. This is his directorial debut. He is also a recipient of scholarships and grants from National Arts Council in Singapore, The Lee Foundation, The Public Theatre's Shakespeare Lab in New York, NYU and ACT.  |
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