“I’ve learned not to be cliquish, because it tends to put a negative on what we do here in Roanoke. The unity needs to be shown in the community. That means you include as many people who are willing to serve.” – BJ Brown
The spirit of Christmas is upon us. Adding to the essence of Christmas is the musical, Black Nativity. It is the one most popular musical worldwide during the Christmas season. As the opening night approaches, it will mark the third anniversary of Black Nativity performed in Roanoke, VA. This time last year I found a flyer advertising the musical floating around on Facebook. I was familiar with many works by poet Langston Hughes, but it was the first time recognizing the timelessness of his work. After traveling with Justice Theater Project in Raleigh, NC, BJ checked around the Roanoke community to see if anyone was putting together a production of Hughes’s Black Nativity. It is no secret BJ is huge advocate for promoting unity and working together to serve her community and allowing people to choose how they want to serve. I had the pleasure of catching up with producer and director, BJ Brown, to get the inside scoop on Black Nativity and why it is important to our community.
Ashley: What is Black Nativity?
BJ: It was play written by Langston Hughes in 1961, during a time where his character was being ostracized for who he was and [yet, he] still put love in the forefront of his works. He wrote [Black Nativity] to be spiritual because everyone has a soul. His goal is to stir the soul, not force a religion. He highlights love and sacrifice. It’s about sharing the love for people and when we focus on that, the divide begins to remove because love is at the core.
Ashley: Why bring Black Nativity to Roanoke and its surrounding community?
BJ: This opportunity enlightened me. It changed me and I’m able to share that spirit with my cast and community. Langston Hughes is a very non-religious man, he actually denounces religion because it causes division. In order to be a producer or director of a Langston Hughes piece it is required of you to research the history of who he is. It is impossible to redo someone’s work without knowing about them and their excellence. When those come to receive, we have packaged a gift with purpose, thought, and care; then hope they receive it. In this production I lean toward a soul stirring rendition versus a religious story of Christ, because it doesn’t matter who made the sacrifice. The only thing that matter is that the sacrifice of love was made.
Ashley: What will the audience receive or take from the play?
BJ: Not everyone has the same practice and some people don’t celebrate the “Christmas” holiday and what Langston Hughes did was talk about the music and story; we bring the soul.
Ashley: Where do you find talent?
BJ: I reach back out to people I have worked with in the community who give their best self and uplifted my soul. They do the work as if we are getting checks for millions of dollars, never shortcutting the community, so I take referrals from people who communicate with me. When we show up for rehearsal, I may have heard from five people, then twenty-five to forty people show up. When you relinquish control, it’s so that love will lead throughout the process, it’s a miracle to have array of people from the age of four on up to sixty-six learning at the same pace.
Ashley: What are some advantages of performing arts for people of color?
BJ: The imagination coupled with your voice and the power of being able to improv. It’s a root foundation of theatre, you first have to be able to improvise while on stage. Imagination and learning to hold on to memorization and realizing [that one’s] voice is the most powerful thing in theatre. Most people think when I say voice that I mean sound, [but] you can communicate from the tip of your head to the souls of your feet, meaning your voice is everything you are. Performing arts gives you the tools and power to communicate [one’s] feelings honestly.
You should come and experience one the most powerful stories of love told to man this weekend at St. Paul United Methodist Church in Roanoke. Support your local community and performing arts scene because it’s not only entertainment, it stirs the soul. The Christmas season is centered around love and you will experience the love and hard work as the cast unwraps their gifts for you. According to BJ, over 90% of students are on full scholarships. It is because people abundantly give to her, that allows her in return to abundantly give to her community.
All donations will go towards the commUNITY ARTSreach summer program for students in performing arts. This rendition of Langston Hughes’s Black Nativity by BJ Brown will not fail to move your spirit.
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