“I got a chance to put my imposter syndrome to rest by being able to see how people receive me and my work that had no ties to me whatsoever and, of course, no reason to lie,” said Bean, 30. “It was also great to find out so much more background about Baldwin, one of my favorite writers and someone I’ve put on a pedestal for so long. We share a lot of characteristics and I saw a lot of myself in his experiences, which gave me a lot of context for the journey of an artist and the things we go through. All of the artists at the conference created community as well which was magical. There was so much to take in and so much I wanted to bring back from that experience. I learned so much about my craft and where I am.”
The notes and poems Bean wrote during his month in France, an endeavor supported in part by an Artist Opportunity Grant from the Montgomery County Arts and Cultural District, provided the structural blueprint for “Baritone Hue,” which began to formulate earlier this year.
“I started to think about how can I push the boundaries of my craft, spoken word poetry, to be performed or represented in a different way?” Bean recalled. “When I was in Paris, I was experimenting with transitions between commentary or storytelling in the poems, which was something people found enjoyable and engaging. So, I knew I wanted to use that to my advantage in this new project.”
He particularly found motivation by watching numerous stand-up comedy specials in the hope of bridging sensibilities of both mediums.
“Comedians are kind of like the cousins of poets,” Bean said. “Poetry, storytelling and spoken word is a powerful experience that touches people deeply in their journey of being human. How come there are no spoken word poets with full hour-length specials? Spoken word is not rooted in comedy but it’s still an aspect of storytelling. So, using my 10 years of experience in spoken word, I began to write an hour-length story to see what it would look like.”
In order to better conceptualize “Baritone Hue,” Bean reached out to Dana Graham, founder and creative director of Scripted in Black, a local multidisciplinary creative collective rooted in Black arts, creativity, culture and community. He knew Graham would be the perfect director to bring his vision to life in a refreshing way.
“I didn’t want this to be another poetry feature where I show up, perform the poems and talk about the experience,” Bean said. “I wanted this to be bigger. I know Dana’s work and the chemistry she and I have when we collaborate. I knew I needed her to take my vision to the next level.”
Graham was happy to oblige knowing the appealing strengths of his artistry coalesced with her desire to return to the stage.
“Leroy takes us on a very intimate and intuitive journey with his vivid writing skills of his transformative experience in Paris,” Graham said. “He invites us in to a real personal and artistic process that anyone can find a moment to resonate with. I’ve had the pleasure of bringing his vision to life as I’ve had a brief hiatus from my first artistic passion – storytelling in the theatre.”
In addition to serving as a creative writing adjunct at Stivers School for the Arts, Bean is a published author and founder of Broken English: 101, a monthly live entertainment production. He has also shared stages with accomplished artists such as Sierra Leone, HBO Def poet Black Ice, Sunny Patterson, and Bing Davis, and has performed in many local venues, including Levitt Pavilion, Schuster Center and Victoria Theatre. He is also grateful to have secured the PNC Arts Annex through support from Dayton Live Chief Creative Officer Gary Minyard.
Bean hopes Dayton audiences are open and receptive to hearing his eye-opening account of artistic evolution.
“‘Baritone Hue’ speaks to the depth and visions that come from storytelling, specifically from a Black cultural experience overseas and coming back,” he said. “My whole entire trip was not just the experience of being able to witness James Baldwin in his footsteps but it was also reaffirming my journey of artistry in general. I was present with every single part of the journey from the doubt to witnessing the alignment of things happening to the point where I can share this entire story with someone and they can get an understanding of how things work when you trust in the process.”
HOW TO GO
What: “Baritone Hue: A Spoken Word Poetry Special”
Where: PNC Arts Annex, 46 W. Second St., Dayton
When: 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 17
Cost: $23 adults; $12 students
More info: 937-228-3630 or daytonlive.org
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