I am an American born there. My father's slave there upon the backs of my people was developed. The primary wealth of America, the primary wealth. You have to have accumulated wealth to start, you know, to build. You did it another way here in Australia. You know, you had to build your accumulated wealth too. You just came and took it. You know what I mean? And that's what they did in most of the countries. That's what you West, that's what the Europeans did. You just took it. We got to catch up with you. So in America. So there's a lot of America that belongs to me yet. You understand? But just like a Scottish American is proud of being from Scotland, I'm proud for being African. Now in our school books, they tried to tell me that all Africans were savages until I got to London and found most of the Africans I knew were going to Oxford and Cambridge and doing very well and learned their culture. And even once somebody had the temerity, after one had conquered the Chinese people and imposed upon them the opium trade and everything else to suggest that they were... They were a backward people, just the people who had been civilized so long over the rest of you folks didn't make any sense at all. So somewhere, it was wonderful to find about the colored peoples of the world that they were very advanced. So I would say today that I'm an American who is infinitely prouder to be of African descent. No question about it. No question about it. I'm an Afro-American, and I don't use the word American ever loosely again. Paul Robeson talking about proud to be an African American. He's an African American. Welcome to the Qumran Report. May the peace and blessings of the life-giving creative spirit be upon you and upon your family. My name is Melvin Ishmael Johnson, coming at you live from Skid Row Studios, and I'm in the studio with my co-host, Earlene Anthony. Our call-in number is 1-800-893-9562. Now, this week on the Qumran Report, we will have a reading of the short play, The Agreement, written by... about the meeting between Paul Robeson and President Harry Truman. And I'm delighted to have with us in the studio playwright, Kurt Maxey, actor Sean Fuller and Anthony Pellegrino, Dylan Southern, dramaturg for the Robey Theatre Company and the director of The Agreement, and the development director of the Robey Theatre Company and host of her own podcast, Drama Queen, Judy Bowman. Judy Bowman, welcome to... Welcome to the Qumran Report. Thank you. Thank you. Now, in speaking of the Robey Theatre Company, I would like to extend a special thanks to the production team of the magnificent Dunbar Hotel and to the director, Ben Guillory, and playwright, Libby Lee Simon, and to the incredible cast of actors for allowing me to be part of their creation. Thank you very much. And now I would like to turn it over to Judy Bowman, and she will tell us about her podcast, Drama Queen, and also the upcoming... and her upcoming broadcast, and about the magnificent Dunbar Hotel trip to the National Black Theatre Festival. Well, thanks so much, Melvin, for sharing the Qumran Report tonight and, you know, putting literature out there on the Qumran Report. And thanks, Kurt, for allowing us to get a chance to hear this play one more time. It was produced and performed last year at the festival, the Short Play Festival at the Robey Theatre Company. And next year we're set again for another Short Play Festival, so I hope everybody's got a sharp pencil ready when that open call goes out for short plays. Melvin, you've inspired another form of storytelling, and I'm just happy to be here at Skid Row Studios and to be part of that experiment. So thanks again. Thank you. So a little bit about my show, Drama Queen, with Judith Bowman is promoting short stories. We're doing radio plays, and we'll soon have a play up from South Africa, a modern play from South Africa, talking about the class system and post-apartheid South Africa. So I urge everybody to look forward to that. We'll be doing a short story that you allowed me to read on the Qumran Report, maybe a year or so ago, and that's the empty space on the page. I think you told me that it went over well with your audience, and so I'm looking forward to being able to do that again. And we're here to hear the play, so we'll talk more about the Dunbar trip back east maybe later. Mm-hmm. Okay, and now I would like to turn to Kirk Maxey, who's the writer of The Agreement, and also he has a podcast at Skid Row Studios, your words and things. And can you tell us a little about your podcast, and also what was your motivation for writing The Agreement? Okay, words and things basically focuses on short stories, scenes from plays, and short plays, poetry, and in the title we have things and other things. So we've had one broadcast so far, and that had Dorian Bakum here, and he was singing, and we might have more entertainment. It's open, but basically it's going to focus on the written word. Mm-hmm. And then you got something coming up on August the 16th. August the 16th, we'll have a short story and a scene from a play called The Daughters of Kush. Mm-hmm. By? By George Cush. Corbin, one of the writers in the Robie writing program. Mm-hmm. Beautiful, beautiful. Okay. Thank you, Kirk. And now I would like to turn to the director of The Agreement and also the dramaturg of my play, the Infra's Last Performance, dramaturg Dylan Southern. Hi. Hey, hello, hello. So glad to have you in the studio. Thanks for having me. Can you define dramaturg for our listening audience? What is that? Well, I could certainly try, I don't know. It's a, yeah, dramaturg is sort of an obscure kind of, yeah, shadowy part of theater. And sometimes it is hard to define and a lot of the reasons why it's hard to define is because it does really depend on the situation that you're in and the kind of theater you're doing, the kind of company that you're with. But in the context of what I do for the Robie Theater Company and have done for several years now is just sort of work as sort of an editorial voice. And so I think that's a really good way to kind of kind of define the role of the playwright and the role of the playwright as a voice for playwrights, especially the Robie is, you know, dealing with playwrights who are starting out, they're developing, they're finding their voice. And so having somebody there who can act as sort of an objective observer, somebody who's offering critical insight, but is also aware of sort of where the playwright is going, what they want to eventually achieve, and they can sort of help them along the way. So it's in parts a writing teacher, in parts being sort of an editor. And, you know, and then a lot of times, once a production is, you know, written and it's going into production, a dramaturg handles a lot of the research and a lot of the sort of historical context that comes with a play. And that is important for an audience to know about. And so you'll see dramaturgs do the, you know, write the little articles in the program sometimes, or they'll lead the Q&As after a play, just to sort of help broaden the conversation about whatever it is the play's about. Mm-hmm, mm-hmm. You know, one question I always had about the dramaturg, I mean, you have to read the play, you have to read a lot of plays. Mm-hmm. And can you just talk a little about your, the weekly workshop? I hear it's moved from the Robey, now you guys have a new location? Yeah, yeah. So the Playwrights Program has been around for a long time. I've been with it coming up on like nine years now, eight, nine years. And for the most part, we had been at the Robey Theatre Company, which is at LATC, the Los Angeles Theatre Center, on Spring Street here downtown. We've just recently sort of partnered up with Cal State Los Angeles to sort of be kind of a company in residence, I suppose. The particulars of the agreement are still sort of evolving, but at the moment, you know, the classes that I lead, the workshops that I lead are now being conducted at Cal State LA, and we have sort of an ongoing working relationship with that university. And hopefully we'll be able to use their facilities, and they have a really beautiful campus there, so it would be really great if we can. Okay. And let's turn to the two actors, Sean Fuller, who's reading Paul Robeson, and Anthony Pellegrino, who's reading President Harry Truman. Can you tell our listening audience a little about your artistic background and your thoughts about the role that you're reading? My name is Sean Fuller, and I am excited, first of all, to be here. Thank you for having me. I'm an actor, and I've been in the acting game probably for the last 15 years. And if you want to know more about me, I'm Sean Fuller. If you want to hear me again, I have a reading coming up for Bunk at the Atwater Village Theater coming up this weekend on Saturday. Really excited about that. You've got to tell us about that. Written, I must say, by a playwright who's in the Robey Playwrights program. Exactly. Just a little cross Julie. As well, I'm excited to be standing once again in the shoes of Paul Robeson because as an activist as well as an artist, I can only hope to amount up to what he did. And all of that is in the hands of Paul Robeson. And I also wonder what would he say today. Would he be wearing a Black Lives Matter T-shirt? And what would he say to the president today, being that it's a black president this time? Wow. I'm an actor as well. I happen to be from St. Louis, Missouri, and did some formal training at the Stella Adler Conservatory here in Los Angeles about, gosh, almost 20 years ago now. I can recommend to any actor, if you get the chance, play a president. It's been a blast. And that's about all I want to say. It's been a blast. I worked with the Robey Theatre Company for the first time last year, and it was a lot of fun. It was a lot of fun and just reminded me of why I do what I do. Now, President Troma, he was from Missouri also, right? He was. He was from the west side of the state, on the west side of the state. Did you know a lot about him when he was growing up? You know, it's funny. I really, I mean, I'd heard always, but it wasn't really until this play that it kind of became personal. Or not personal, but I don't know, just more, things kind of opened up a little. I started to understand a little bit more about where he came from, how he got to where he was. Okay. Now I'm going to ask Dylan to set the beginning for the reading of the agreement by Curt Maxey. Certainly. This is the agreement by Curt W. Maxey. The year is September 1946. 33rd President Harry S. Truman is escorting Paul Robeson, age 48, into a tiny office underneath the west wing of the White House. There is a desk, two chairs, a small table with two glasses, and a bottle of liquor. Truman is carrying a briefcase and has his Stetson hat on. Where are we, Mr. Truman? Not purgatorial, I hope. We're down in the basement of the West Wing. How about that? President. What? I prefer to be called Mr. President. But Mr. Truman, aren't we all equal under the eyes of God? Yes and no. Yes and no. When you are the leader of the free Western world, when you are in charge of the most powerful entity on the face of this earth, sometimes I get carried away. You're larger than I am. You're larger than I thought. Should I take that as a compliment? Just an observation. Meticulously noted. We're starting on the wrong foot here. It was you who extended the invitation and it was I who changed my schedule to be more accommodating. I know that. Now don't start nagging me. Don't want you sounding like my wife. Let's just stop the wagon train. Stop the wagon train? Just stop it. That's all. No need to circle the wagons. I'm listening. Okay. Call me Harry. How's that? Harry. I had no choice in the choosing of my name. Truman offers his hand. I'm not going to bite. You may call me Paul, Harry. They shake hands. Good. Good. It's always good to get some of the formalities over and done with as soon as possible. Please have a seat. Is it after 4 p.m.? You know what time it is. How about you and I have a little aperitif before we attend our dinner engagements? I don't drink much whiskey, Harry. That's not what I have here. No? I had this brought over from the wine cellar just for you. Harvey's Bristol Cream. One of the finest elixirs created by man. Shall we? How can I refuse? I grew a fondest for Harvey's while I lived those exciting and significant years in London. Ah, the gaiety, the richness, the creaminess of this ambrosia seems to be unappreciated by the unsophisticated palates of most Americans. How did you know that I had an appreciation for Harvey's? I spent some time in London during the Great War. Learned to like the stuff myself. That's right. You were an artillery officer. World War I. The one we just finished was way worse than the one I was in. We're not going to toast a war, are we? Hell no. Oh, here? I stuck my head in the kitchen for a brief moment. Ah, yes. The acidity of the lemon helps to ward off the sweetness of the sherry just the way I prefer it. Here's to a better America. To a better America. You know, when Bess and I are in Independence, Missouri, she'll occasionally have a sherry with me at the dinner table. What about when you are in Washington? Well, that's a horse of a different color. Hence you have this office. A horse of seclusion. Better believe it. A man should always have a private place where he can think and drink. Exactly. How was your day? Busy. I had to attend several committee meetings on the crusade against lynching, of which I am the founder and leader of. I'm aware of that, Paul. Thank you. Sounds like you're some sort of president. Hm. Well. I had a slightly... nerve-wracking breakfast this morning over in Alexandria, Virginia. So I heard. Just what did you hear? That some folks wanted to tar and feather you. You know, the daughters of the American Revolution need to realize that times are changing. How did you know I was there? Were the servants and kitchen staff colored? I see, said the blind man. You know, most days when I get out of bed, I wish I was still a Missouri judge. Not even a senator. That damn Roosevelt had me on one hell of a short chain. I'm sure he did. Why's that? Well, Mr. Roosevelt, President Roosevelt, or should I say Franklin... Say whatever you want. Mr. Roosevelt struck me as a man who had to have control over things. Sort of like Tom Pendergast. Leave my old boss out of this. The ex-boss of the Kansas City political machine. A convicted felon. He was my friend and I his. Hell, I didn't even know about the A-bomb until after Roosevelt was dead. His wife and mistress knew more about what was going on than I did. One day I'm a nobody, then 82 days later, President of the United States. The man with the answers and the power to solve all our problems. What a crock of crap. Everyone with a smile, a hand, and a pen for you to sign something. Are you aware of how much we hoodwinked the British? Or how badly this country needs jobs for all the GIs who have come home or will be returning home soon? Then there's the warfare that's occurring between business and labor. Let me let you in on a little secret, Paul. There's not too many secrets that I'm not aware of. Well, keep this one under your hat. If you end up being Vice President, get a flashlight because you're definitely going to be left out in the dark. Can't you depend on friends to help you? You want a friend in Washington? Get a dog. I mean, look what happened here in the Oval Office a few days ago. I beg your pardon? I felt like I was at Pearl Harbor. Aren't you being a little dramatic? Hell no! You and your people were trying to set me up. My race has been set up for over 300 years. Look, Paul, I need to clarify some things. Would you care to clue me in? That's easy enough to do. On July 29th, July 29th, July 29th, you send me a telegram under the auspices of the Council on African Affairs, of which you are its chairman. That is correct. In said telegram, you demanded that the federal government intercede in the immediate apprehension and punishment of the perpetrators in the recent lynchings of four Negroes in the state of Georgia. I would have made the same demand if it were Negroes who had lynched four white men. To make matters worse, the general contents of this telegram shows up in an article sent out by the Daily Worker. The last I heard, this was still the United States of America. What does that mean? That I have the right to say and write what I want. And that also holds true for the Daily Worker. The Daily Worker is a communist publication! The Daily Worker could be a Ku Klux Klan, Quaker, American, Nazi, or Dixie Krat publication for all that I care. I am sure that you have heard of the freedom of speech and of the press. What makes you think I haven't looked into the Georgia Journal? I haven't looked into the Georgia Journal. I haven't looked into the Georgia situation. Let's just say that from my angle, it certainly doesn't appear so. I called the governor of Georgia. You know what he said to me? You keep your damn nose out of Georgia's business. And what did you say? Well, I certainly didn't threaten him with the FBI or the use of federal troops. But that's not what I have stuck in my gut today. What's stuck in your gut is the meeting we had in the Oval Office on the 23rd of September. A waste of time if there ever was one. I know I have a temper. Please hear me out. You didn't hear me or the delegation out. Hell, man, you threw us out. For that, I apologize. Have some more Harveys. Well, get on with it. On September 19, you sent my advisor, David Niles... A very long and detailed telegram. Which was totally uncalled for. Totally uncalled for. A simple phone call would have been enough. Oh, no, Mr. Truman. It's not. It would not have been enough. Did you have to show up with John Sengstack of the Chicago Defender? Mrs. Harper Sibley, United Council of Church Women? Rabbi Irving Miller of the American Jewish Congress? Dr. Joseph Johnson, Dean of Medicine, representing the Southern Conference of Human Welfare? Dr. Max Yergman? Dr. William Jernigan? Dr. Charlotte Brown? And Congressman William Lawson of Chicago? Here's the kicker in the telegram. Quote, unquote, brief statement containing main points the committee wished to discuss will follow Paul Robeson. That's not the way we do things around here, Paul. I'm not your boy, Mr. Truman. I don't take marching orders from you or anyone else. Wouldn't it have been better if you and a few committee members could have met with me within the context of a little more privacy? Like the Blair House? Yes, sir. I'm not your boy. I'm not your boy. I'm not your boy. I'm not your boy. I'm not your boy. I'm not your boy. I'm not your boy. I'm not your boy. I'm not your boy. I'm not your boy. I'm not your boy. I'm not your boy. I'm not your boy. I'm not your boy. I'm not your boy. I'm not your boy. I'm not your boy. I'm not your boy. I'm not your boy. I'm not your boy. I'm not your boy. I'm not your boy. I'm not your boy. I'm not your boy. I'm not your boy. I'm not your boy. I'm not your boy. I'm not your boy. I'm not your boy. I'm not your boy. I'm not your boy. or morals? Morals and principles does not get legislation passed. Votes do. What are you saying? Do you think the Senate and the House are really capable of passing an anti-lynching bill? That in the name of all that's good and holy, this Congress would pass such a bill? I don't believe that God has let me go this far only to leave me. Ah. I want to hear the Gospels. I go to church on Sunday. Damned is the man that runs away from himself. Oh, that's not what I want from you. What is it, then? Tone it down a little. You're making a big spectacle of yourself, a big attraction. Activist, actor, singer, potential politician. You forgot linguist, all-American athlete in college football, Phi Beta Kappa, oh, and also one of the first Negroes to play and star in professional football. My memory isn't as good as yours. I have no interest in running for public office. That's fine with me, but you and Henry Wallace and the Progressive Party seem to be a little chummier these days. Are you trying to intimidate me? I don't need to, Mr. Robeson, but it does amaze me you're spending so much energy to support a political party that has a snowball chance in hell of taking over the White House. Our political system is corrupt to the core and needs to be changed. Maybe, but splitting up the Democratic Party isn't the solution. The wolves are lurking out there in the woods. You have no idea how much the Dixiecrats want to disenfranchise the American Negro. And there's a crop of newly minted conservative Republicans out there truly bent on changing the political foundation of this great democracy. They will turn brother against brother to get a vote. You paint a very moving and bleak picture, but I am not impressed. The American Negro has given this country his loyalty and blood only to receive empty and broken promises. As for me, I intend to be critical of your administration, but I am not going to be silent by you or anyone else in this country. Don't count on it. As I said in the Oval Office, if the government doesn't address the problems of lynching, the Negroes will. Do you know who came down here the next day, genu... What's that fancy word for kneeling? Do you mean genuflecting? That's it. They do it all the time in those Shakespeare plays. Who do you think was down here with sweat? Sweat on his brow and slightly out of breath. He's your number one fan. It matters not to me. J. Edgar Hoover. He shows me this file that must have been ten inches thick. Photos, articles, interviews. The works. And he says, don't you think we should do something about this? When he says we, that means he really wants to nail you. Put your head up on his trophy wall. He had a lot of photos of you with white English, and American actresses. That doesn't surprise me one bit. He has persecuted Negroes for way too long. You should fire him. The man has more power than you think. You know, old Tom Pendergrass once told me that sometimes it's better to keep some of your enemies closer to hand than banish them to an island. Easier to keep an eye on them. Back in 1943, a few congressmen made accusations that David Niles was a communist. It was rumored that Hoover might have had his finger in the pie. That was before I became vice president. But when you became vice president, you started to keep a file on Jay Edgerton. Now what you just said makes sense. I can't, as you say, tone it down a little. I must use my voice and stature as a clarion call to show that injustices and discriminating practices rained out upon my people as if they were Noah on the ark. That's right. Your father was a minister. And so is my brother. What does the ark have to do, have anything to do with this? I'm talking about you giving me a little more room to maneuver in the political landscape. It can't be done. It can't be done. Or do you mean that you won't do it? Take the even, take the odd. We are not going to bend to your wishes, Mr. President. Sit tight for a minute. Just give me a moment. I can't tell you how many folks in my family are for the Confederacy. Hell, all of them. My mother visited here. She refused to sleep in Lincoln's bed, let alone look at the room. Before I was shipped over to France, one of my commanding officers had me come into his office for a little chat. Harry says things over in France aren't like the way they are in the States when it comes to the Negroes. You know that, don't you? I said I had heard some things, like the Negro troops were treated as equals by the French people. How many times has the American Negro been dragged into the white man's wars? How many? I would imagine all of them. You're damn straight. And once a war is over, we're treated worse than ever. Well, I've seen black soldiers killed in France and black farmers lynched in my home state. I've spilled my guts after I heard how badly returning Afro-American G.I.s were being treated once they got back home. And what have you done about it? It takes time. Unfortunately, Mr. President, time is running out. I know it is. I'm in the process of forming a committee on civil rights. And the committee will come out with a report in several years, which in turn will be tabled for future adjudication. I'm sure you've heard of executive orders. Don't tell me how to do my job. Then step up and do it. You know, I remember old Tom once gave me another word of advice. You sound like he's Socrates. He told me, Harry, don't piss all your piss in one bucket because you don't know how many fires you might have to put out. I'm sitting here listening to the president of the United States extrapolate about urine. I can't shove executive orders down the public's throat just because they might be some stupid ignorant jackass. How dare you speak about lynching so lightly? I know and you know that this country is going to be in another war sooner than we might think. World War Three. If there is a war, then we're going to have to fight. We're going to have to fight. We're going to have to fight. We're going to have to fight. We're going to have to fight. We're going to have to fight. We're going to have to fight. We're going to have to fight. We're going to have to fight. If there is another war, it won't be started by our brothers in Russia. The point I'm trying to make is there, if there is going to be another war, not World War Three, a little war, okay? I plan on having all branches of our armed service integrated with all servicemen being treated equally. And how do you plan on doing that? I'm the goddamn commander-in-chief. It's going to be done by executive order. But not lynchings. How poor are they that have not patience? What wound did not heal, did ever, what wound did ever heal but by degrees? You quote Shakespeare and Iago at that. I thought it would catch your attention. I'm impressed. But you can't schedule a series of concerts without extended interviews and political commentary? I haven't seen any pigs flying as of late. Have you? You know, many people think New Jersey has good racial relationships with its Negroes. But like Sporting Life says in Porgy and Bess, it ain't necessarily so. It isn't like Alabama or Mississippi, but there's always need for improvement. Wouldn't you agree? Fairness is difficult to achieve, therefore always leaving room for improvement. When I went to Somerville High School, I lettered in baseball, basketball, football, and track. Whenever I competed, no matter the sport, I could hear the word coon echoing from the stands. I sang in the chorus. I performed in Julius Caesar and Othello. I got along with most of the kids at the school, but the principal, he had it out for me. Although I was at the top of my high school senior class, no one told me about the competitive examinations to receive a four-year scholarship to Rutgers University. The bastard. I do hold myself as of some importance because I am a proud man. You must have found out. Why is that? You did go to Rutgers on a four-year scholarship. A maid who worked for some rich white folks told me. I can't tell you what some of my fellow Rutgers students tried to do to me, from dog and human feces in my gym locker to false accusations regarding my character. Oh, believe me when I say that college was much worse than high school. It's time to leave. I guess you would like me to go out to California and sing monthly concerts at the Hollywood Bowl, do a few movies, play a sharecropper or a butler. They do still like you out there. San Francisco, Honolulu, Starlet's Wine and Sunshine. Doesn't that sound appealing? Let me tell you about California. There's a godforsaken town out there named Fresno. It's in the middle of nowhere. My friends and I walk into a restaurant to get some food. This white man comes up to me. I'm assuming he's the manager and says, sorry, we're not serving. And I say, but you are serving. It's 4 o'clock in the afternoon. He makes a step. Step towards me and I to him. One of my companions say we need to watch ourselves. This town is bad news. While I walk back to the car, I realize how deeply racism truly plagues our country. I might as well have been in South Carolina. I'm going to stick on you like a fly on fly paper. So be it. An itch I can't scratch? Something like that. Do we have an understanding, Paul? Yes, Harry. To agree, to disagree. Yes, sir. Yes, sir. Yes, sir. Yes, sir. Yes, sir. Yes, sir. Yes, sir. Yes, sir. Yes, sir. Yes, sir. Yes, sir. rally and celebration. There will be guest speakers. One of the guest speakers will be actor formerly of MASH, Mike Farrell. You probably know him. There will be music and media presentation and much, much more. The location will be the L.A. Trade Tech, 400 West Washington Boulevard here in Los Angeles on the South Campus Squad South 10th. For more information, please call 800-745-3090 or info at healthycaliforniacampaign.org. Save this date, Saturday, August 30th, 2015 from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. Industrial Green will be holding its first annual summer fundraising event. The location is Lot 613 Imperial. This is a family-friendly event. There will be food, drinks, music, display of current and future projects, and much, much more. For more information, contact industrialbiscuitgreen.org. And this is a Katherine McMillan project. Now, Judith Bowman will tell us more about the magnificent Dunbar trip to the National Black Creator Festival. At this time, Judith Bowman. I've seen the torch. Thank you, Earline. Well, I really want to thank everybody that has gotten behind the Roby Theatre Company and its invitation to Winston-Salem, North Carolina, for the National Black Theatre Festival. That theatre festival happens every other year, and so this is the year for the festival. The magnificent Dunbar Hotel really tells a story about Los Angeles. Levy Lee Simon did the research for that, wrote the play, and now 20 actors are making it real. And so, I really appreciate Melvin's chance to come on the Qumran report and thank the people that have given on the GoFundMe page to make sure that those 20 actors can get back there. They've got to give up their jobs for a week. They've got to find airfare. They've got to stand for their work. They've got to find their work. They've got to find their work. They've got to find their work. They've got to find their work. They've got to find their work. They've got to find their work. a hotel for a week and all the things that go along with just even getting to the airport in a city like la and then getting from the airport to the campus so melvin you know all this you're part of that cast a significant part of the cast everybody loves linux see your character and so i appreciate being able to come on here and thank people that have given to that gofundme campaign i see around the table that people have given i know the people that have given and we put one last little blurb up at the beginning of the weekend saying 10 lousy bucks and surprisingly about maybe 500 came in over the weekend and the reason that's so important is because there are 20 actors we have an intern this summer thanks to the la arts commission that young man gregory graduated from uh uc san diego in theater and um he would love to be able to go and be the road manager i mean 20 actors need a road manager to corral them and do all the things that you have to do um for the actors so they can you know stay a little bit focused um so the money that came in over the weekend and whatever else we can get into that gofundme campaign is going to go to that young man his his name is tamar um so um um um um um um um um um um um um um um um we Anthony Pellegrino, great, great reading. Thank you so much. Thank you. Had a good time. Yes. Dylan Sonson, dramaturg for the Robey Theatre Company and the director of The Agreement. And you just heard the development director of the Robey Theatre Company and the host of her own podcast, Drama Queen, Judy Bowman. Now, I'd like to open up the roundtable and just your thoughts on Paul Robeson and President Harry Truman. You can start anywhere they want to pick it up. Let's start with the director. Oh, thanks. Oh, yeah. I mean, I guess in talking about, you know, what my impressions were of this play and of these two guys, neither of whom I had a tremendous amount of sort of knowledge about prior to this. I mean, you know, I work for the Robey Theatre Company, so I know. Paul Robeson is. But, you know, even just sort of having the opportunity, this is obviously, it's based on an actual event, but this obviously is fictionalized in some way. And just having the opportunity to watch these two, you know, these two historical figures in the form of these two very talented actors, sort of just seeing sort of the interpersonal dynamics between two guys who are, you know, very important historical figures and have sort of transcended being actual people, into being, you know, pieces of history. And so sometimes when that happens, you lose sight a little bit of who these people actually were, you know, and what they were like on a day-to-day basis, what they were like moment to moment. And I think that's what I enjoy the most about this play, is that in this conversation, and it starts with the fact that, you know, it's very deliberately set in a private place, in a place in the West Wing that not many people know about, in a place that Truman goes to specifically so that he doesn't have to be the president. Right. Right. Right. He can just be Harry Truman and he can have a drink and he can talk candidly and he can just be a guy. And that's where he brings Robeson to have this sort of like heart-to-heart, all right, mano y mano, let's figure this out, apart from the politics and the media and everybody's group of handlers that comes with everyone, just you and me, let's have this out. And in so doing, you know, you really get a sense of who these people actually were and how, you know, actual conversations, you know, like what was it like to actually have a conversation with President Harry Truman? What, you know, what kind of person was he? You know, what kind of person was Paul Robeson? And you really do get a sense of that here, how they play off of one another and just the shifting in the dynamics. You know, that's another thing that I think is really interesting about this play is that, you know, there are times when Robeson is really sort of leading the conversation and it doesn't matter that this is the president he's talking to. You know, he's going to take the, he's going to be the authority and he's going to make sure that what he wants to have happen gets, you know, gets done. And there are times when it becomes more about Truman and his power and the way that those two things shift, I think is really, really interesting. So those are my impressions. Thanks. You guys did, you guys did a fantastic job. It was just, you're just wonderful. Thank you, Melvin. Thank you, Judy. Thank you, Dylan, Erlene. Melvin's been bugging him saying, I want to do this. I want to do this play. He's been telling me for a year. It's beautiful performances. Like Dylan said, this is based on fact. This is not reality. This is not a docudrama, a docuplay. And I did it. I've never written a short play before. And I said, okay, let me try to do a short play for the Robeson, for the Roby Theater Festival. And the biggest problem. And that, you know, I've got books on Paul Robeson. And I knew a little bit about Harry Truman because my mother's family was from Missouri. So they would talk in the kitchen about Harry Truman and Tom Pendergast and everything else. And when you have a celebrity, an artist, an athlete like Paul Robeson, I tried. And the first idea was, well, let me deal with him doing Othello. And that just kind of messed me up a little bit because he was a lethargio. So he was always getting involved with his Desdemonas. And I just didn't want to be dealing with that. So I had to sit and think about it. I said, who is there out there in this landscape? Who is there in this country of America that could stand toe to toe with Paul Robeson? I mean, he was at his height. This is like 1946. Before he started being eaten up by the committees. And like I said, I've always knew about Truman. I mean, Truman fired Douglas MacArthur, you know, the head general of the United States. And I said, hey, he fired him in about 10 minutes. Truman was an artillery captain. He was served under George Patton. I mean, this guy did not take any mess. And I saw, you know, like he always said, if the kitchen is too hot, get out. Get out the kitchen. So I switched it and I tried to imagine what they would do if they had a private conversation. And I had to infuse my imagination into, I mean, Robeson comes to this meeting with everybody. Doctors here, so-and-so senator here, you know, and Truman was a lamed up president. Roosevelt died. Truman hadn't been elected president yet. So, you know, and he's got a temper. They had to. They had to. They had to. They had this meeting. They really actually had a meeting. And in 10 minutes, he did tell them to get out. And so I said, well, what, you know, what if he said, maybe, you know, maybe I overreacted on this. I need to talk to Paul Robeson. Let's set up a meeting. So I didn't take, I just took facts. You know, I didn't care about chronological order. So I just squished it. I put it together and I wanted to hear it. You know, I wanted to. I wanted to see a conflict of drama between two guys. And these actors do it wonderfully. Great. What strikes me is I can only read about what happened in 1946 and imagine the lynchings and things that Paul Robeson fought for. But what it makes me cognizant of is him as an artist. And he was a gifted artist. And he chose to take his responsibility and push and get behind something that really meant something to him. And it makes me, it challenges me to think about, you know, well, what we do with your artistry today is not just for me, but it's for advancing something public good, some kind of public good. So I think that's, it sells that to me. I appreciated that in the story. Yeah. And another thing I found out, Truman really wasn't a prejudicial. You know, he made a, he made, he made a speech when he was running for a Senate Senator in the 19, about 1940. And he, it's sort of like Lincoln. He laid out how he felt about race relations and everything else. And he did believe in the equality of people, protection of everybody under the laws of the constitution. But again, you know, you got to look at all these things that were happening to this man. And then I've read about. You know, the, okay, he has to make the decision to drop the A-bomb. I mean, you know, God, and he wasn't, he didn't even know about the A-bomb. And he wasn't a college graduate. And the man did read Shakespeare and he did, you know, and he read Hamlet. And then he decided, okay, maybe, you know, that influenced him to, I got to make this decision. I got to look, look ahead. And I'm not going to say he made the right decision or not. But the guy just. He came on the scene and there was just so much happening. I mean, I can't, you know, I can't believe how he got through it. You know, and he says, and there was one book. I stopped researching after a while. And there was one book I read. And it was called Plain Speaking. I bounced through it. And there's no mention of Paul Robeson in this book. I haven't found it yet. But there is a mention. They talk about. The interviewer asked him about Hiroshima. And he was trying to CBS. This is in 1960. They were trying to get him to go to Japan. And he hemmed and hawed, you know. And he was. They were surprising him. You know, they didn't mention, you know, his people, Truman's people didn't tell him. CBS is going to ask you to go to Japan and visit Hiroshima. And he didn't. So he sat and thought about it. You know, he said, okay, I'll go there, but I'm not going to kiss any ass. Okay. So this guy, you know, was a straight shooter. And you see that and this, but, you know, he has to hem and haw. He has to bob and weave because like I said, he's a lame duck president. It's almost like you take the flip now and Obama can say what he wants. He's a lame duck president. He can say what he feels. And he is. He is. About this ridiculous race going on for president, you know. So that was the thought line in writing this. This was probably one of the easiest for me. For me, it was a fun, it was a fun experience. It was one of the easiest things I've ever done in playwriting. I think writing is just part of it. I think writing is just, playwriting is hard. It's difficult. Okay. You know, what can you say? I'm, you know, 25 years younger than he was when this was taking place. And so I just try to take it in small bites. But two things kind of struck me about playing him. One that, you know, I'm not a big fan of. I'm not a big fan of the A lot of people say he was a straight shooter. He told the truth. He, you know, give him hell hairy and stuff like that. Being from Missouri, you know, a lot of people just speak very plainly. They're not, they really don't have an agenda. They don't put, you know, they're not trying to couch things. They just say what they need to say. It is what it is. And I could see as someone like him was rising through the, you know, the political ranks. How that could be very honest. How that could be very off-putting. You know, he wasn't, he didn't. It makes you wonder how he succeeded as a politician. Exactly. Exactly. And I think that maybe he did succeed. If you, I don't know if it was, but you know, he, he wanted to be of service. He was of service. But he, when he got into politics, from what I understand, it was to put a road through for the farmers, the local farmers in Missouri. It was all about that. And I think he did it well. And people like Tom Pendergast knew and they took note that this guy would do, that would, he would, he was, he was, he was a good worker. And so they just kept loading him up. I always had this picture when I was doing the play of a mule. Him being, Truman is a mule. Yeah. And people just loading stuff on more and more and more. He's not going to complain. He's going to, you might see him, you know, waver every once in a while or maybe give a kick every once in a while. But he's going to stay strong. He's going to stay steady and keep that boat. I remember the one quote too, when you talk about give him hell hairy and maybe a reporter asked him about that or something. And he says, no, I just tell the truth and it just feels like hell. Yeah, exactly. Exactly. Which is everyone's experience. Exactly. And Robeson, I mean, he was my idol, you know, growing up. You know, I wish I, you know, I saw his movies on TV and stuff. Yeah. And I see him sing as a coal miner in Ireland and all that stuff. And, you know, the Emperor Jones and I mean, I mean, he was really at the top of the society here. Maybe A. Philip Randolph might have, you know, had a little bit of a role. Yeah. Maybe he had, you know, had more influence and power. But again, we were in a country where celebrity, you know, we were all attracted to celebrity first. And, you know, somebody perhaps like A. Philip Randolph. Hard to boy. Yeah. And so, but Paul Robeson took the ball and ran with it. But it is amazing that, you know, even today, like, you know, you're in a country where you're not going to be a celebrity. Yeah. But even today, like, since then, our culture has become even more celebrity driven. Yeah. And yet, I can't think of anyone who encompassed as much as he did. Like, I think of, like, boy, he covered all the bases. Like, he was like the Ur-celebrity. You know what I mean? Like, politics, movies, stage, sports. Like, you couldn't, you know, like, he checked every single box. And I can't think of anyone else. No. Who has sort of, like, achieved, particularly given how important he became politically. You know, which I don't think anyone would dare to do these days because it would risk their reputation and their brand and all that. And it just makes him, you know, that much more sort of astounding as a human being that somebody like this, you know, existed. Yeah, that's why. Danny Glover has a pretty good shot at it. That's true. I'm not sure that he sings. That's true. I wouldn't dare to impugn my sort of boss. So, yes, I'm sure he's a... Can he dunk? V 모두 está de suerte de suerte de suerte de suerte de suerte de suerte de suerte de suerte de suerte de suerte de suerte de suerte de suerte de suerte de suerte de suerte de suerte de suerte de suerte de suerte de suerte de suerte de suerte de suerte de suerte de suerte de suerte de suerte de suerte de suerte de suerte de suerte de suerte de suerte de suerte de suerte de suerte de suerte de suerte de suerte de suerte de suerte de suerte de suerte de suerte de suerte de suerte de suerte de suerte de suerte de suerte de suerte de suerte de suerte de suerte de suerte de suerte de suerte de suerte de suerte de suerte de suerte de suerte de suerte de suerte de suerte de suerte de suerte de suerte de suerte de suerte de suerte de su circumstances. We only have a few minutes, so I don't know how deep we can go into that. But, you know, I think with people, you know, just dying for no particular reason, we don't call them lynchings anymore. Taser malfunctions. Yeah, it's just, it's a wonder, you know, 69 years have gone by and we, not that we laugh at these characters, these were fine men, you know what I mean? But we sometimes think of people in the past as being quaint in some way, you know what I mean? But yeah, what will they think of us and, you know, the collective us, you know, whether we're black or brown or white or police, non-police, you know, innocent people just trying to live in everything that society brings to us. You know, it just, it seems like we don't need these kinds of parallels, but yet, you know, some of the- There's a dialogue in there about the times that, you know, were occurring, the things that were occurring then. Seems sad, you know, that there were, you know, just hundreds of lynchings, but what will people say, you know, about the times that we live in now and who will be our Harry Truman or our Paul Robeson, you know, bringing light to it. And I know that there are plenty of people bringing light to it. We live in, you know, different times where we have different ways to communicate. But it does seem like there are too many parallels. We need to go a different way, you know. Okay. Okay. Thank you very much. I'd also like to mention a little section that we started a few weeks ago. It's called the Lazarus Book Club, where we try to recommend a book really to wake up the dead like Lazarus. So this week, I'm going to recommend, it's two books. It's called The Crisis of the Negro Intellectual and another book by the same author, Plural but Equal. And the author is Harold Cruz. Two excellent books. Now, I'd like to extend a special thanks to Kirk Maxey, Sean Fuller, Anthony Pellegrino, Dylan Sutton, Judy Bowman. Please listen to past shows of the Qumran Report by Googling in Qumran Report. Our next broadcast Qumran Report will be August the 17th, which is Marcus Garvey's birthday. We have a special show. It's entitled Marcus Garvey and J. Edgar Hooper. Yes. So thank you for tuning in to the Qumran Report. From your host, Melvin Ishmael Johnson, my co-host, Earlene Anthony, may the peace and blessings of the life-giving creative spirit be upon you and upon your family. I leave you with Paul Robinson. Talking about proud to be an African-American. I am an American. My father's slave there. Upon the backs of my people was developed the primary wealth of America. The primary wealth. You have to have accumulated wealth to start, you know, to build. You did it another way here in Australia. You had to build your accumulated wealth. You know what I mean? And that's what they did in most of the countries. That's what you were. That's what the Europeans did. You just took it. We got to catch up with you. So in America, so there's a lot of America that belongs to me yet. You understand? But just like a Scottish-American is proud of being from Scotland, I'm proud for being African. Now in our school books, they tried to tell me that all Africans were savages until I got to London and found most of the Africans I knew were going to Oxford and Cambridge and doing very well and learned their culture. And even once somebody had the temerity after one had conquered the Chinese. 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