“Let’s just do this ourselves! Let’s form our own theater company so that we are always continuously working!”
With those words—peppered, I’m sure, by some pretty colorful expletives—I basically informed my former business partner that it was time to stop complaining about the lack of good roles for black and Latino actors and just do something about it.
That conversation was some nine years ago and was the catalyst for the founding of the Construct Theater Company, with a mission to write, direct and produce works that were relevant to us and our times. Our strategy was to create an ensemble of actors and writers who would collectively bring to the stage the raw and real stories about our people that we passionately wanted to share.
Our first performance was in a tiny art gallery in the Bronx that was given to us for free. Two months later, we premiered “Pre-fixed,” an evening of poetry and spoken word items from our eclectic band of company members.
Buoyed by the positive response to our first venture, I kept us working on our craft, meeting weekly, and developing what would eventually become our monthly SLAM! open mic showcases.
Creative differences would eventually
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