Excerpted from


Baldwin’s Fiction, Non-Fiction & Archival Recordings

1947-1987



Adaptation by

Karen Thorsen



To Be Performed by

A Black Actor
A White Actor
James Baldwin OnScreen


~~~~~~~~~

Live Performance
May, 2026

Select Photos to Enlarge

White Actor
Tom Croarkin

Black Actor
Frank Leon Roberts

A three-way conversation … inside James Baldwin’s mind.

All the words—the memories, the emotions, the ideas that shaped
his convictions—are Baldwin’s.  Laced with first-person urgency,
they explore identity and examine potential: an internal debate,
a search for Self, for Salvation.

Onstage, we add voices:  a Black Actor, a White Actor and
James Baldwin himself, appearing onscreen between his two
alter-egos.  In archival footage spanning multiple decades, his
presence is riveting.  As part of a threesome, his presence
validates theirs.

Why must they be interracial?  Because, as Baldwin insisted
repeatedly, we share the same journey.  “We are part of each
other. ”  “As long as you insist on thinking you’re White, I’m going
to be forced to think I’m Black.”  If we take his words to heart,
we’ll evolve past our differences, past divisive labels, and see
these three ‘Baldwins’ as brothers.

Together, their impact is amplified.  Making each phrase their
own, they become sparring partners, then allies.  They dissect
past and present.  They consider despair.  Passionate, eloquent,
sometimes sardonic, they share questions, confessions.  Hard- won conclusions.  They embrace contradictions, a mix of anguish
and anger that holds room for hope.

And what do they hope for?  At the end of the day, they speak
with one voice:  they choose love.

A lifetime of Baldwin, distilled.