The Gospel According to James and Other Plays

Free Man of Color

Free Man of Color 240 F r e e M a n o f C o l o r Production History Free Man of Color was commissioned by Ohio University,Robert Glidden, president, and originally produced by Victory Gardens Theater, Chicago, Illinois, Dennis Začek, artistic director, Marcelle McVay, managing director . This world premiere production was in association with the Ohio University Bicentennial Celebration,Athens, Ohio, January 16–February 29,2004. The production was directed by Andrea J. Dymond,with set design byTim Morrison,costume design by MichelleTesdall,lighting design by Mary McDonald Badger, and sound design/original composition by Joe Cerqua. RitaVreeland was the production stage manager. Robert Wilson Gary Houston John Newton Templeton Anthony Fleming III Jane Wilson Shelley Delaney Free Man of Color was the recipient of the 2005 Joseph Jefferson Award for Best New Work. Free Man of Color, titled Freed, was produced Off Broadway by Penguin Rep Theatre ( Joe Brancato, artistic director, and Andrew M. Horn, executive director) in association with Chase Mishkin, June 11–July 3, 2010, at 59E59 Theatres. The production was directed by Joe Brancato. Set design was by Joseph J. Egan, costume design by Patricia E. Doherty, lighting design by Martin E. Vreeland, and sound design by Chris Rummel. Zachary Spitzer was the production manager, and C. Renee Alexander was the stage manager. Robert Wilson Christopher McCann John Newton Templeton Sheldon Best Jane Wilson Emma O’Donnell F r e e M a n o f C o l o r 241 Free Man of Color was produced by the Colony Theatre Company, Burbank,California (Barbara Beckley,artistic director,andTrent Steelman, executive director), August 14–September 12, 2010. The production was directed by Dan Bonnell, with set design by David Potts, costume design by A. Jeffrey Schoenberg, lighting design by Chris Wojcieszyn, and sound design by Cricket S.Myers.Leesa Freed was the production stage manager. Robert Wilson Frank Ashmore John Newton Templeton Kareem Ferguson Jane Wilson Kathleen Mary Carthy (above) Gary Houston as Robert Wilson, Anthony Fleming III as John Newton Templeton, and Shelley Delaney as Jane Wilson in the Victory Gardens Theater production of Free Man of Color. Photo by Liz Lauren. (right) Shelley Delaney as Jane Wilson and Anthony Fleming III as John Newton Templeton in the Victory Gardens Theater production of Free Man of Color. Photo by Liz Lauren. Kareen Ferguson as John Newton Templeton, Kathleen Mary Carthy as Jane Wilson, and Frank Ashmore as Robert Wilson in the Colony Theater Company production of Free Man of Color. Photo by Michael Lamont. Sheldon Best as John Newton Templeton, Christopher McCann as Robert Wilson, and Emma O’Donnell as Jane Wilson in the Off-Broadway production of Free Man of Color. Photo by John Quilty. 244 F r e e M a n o f C o l o r Characters John Newton Templeton Twenty-year-old ex-slave. Robert Wilson Middle-aged white university president. Jane Wilson ROBERT’S somewhat younger wife. Time: 1824–1828 Place: Athens, Ohio F r e e M a n o f C o l o r 245 Free Man of Color A play in two acts A c t O n e S cene O ne On stage are two chairs left and right. ROBERT WILSON sits in one of the chairs, JOHN NEWTON TEMPLETON sits in the other. A very rustic rendition of “Amazing Grace” plays in the background. When the music ends,WILSON stands. wilson (To audience): Most distinguished assembled guests, trustees, gentlemen, at this point in the program, I present to you John Newton Templeton. The topic on which he will speak to you today is titled “The Claims of Liberia.” Mister Templeton. WILSON exits. john (To audience): Non solum verba falsa sunt mala ipsa, sed etiam malo infligunt animam. For those of you who don’t know, that was not “The Claims of Liberia.” It was Latin. Plato. Roughly translated, it means,“False words are not only evil in themselves, but they inflict the soul with evil.” That’s what I was thinking on that day in 1828 when Reverend Wilson introduced me. I was thinking about my soul. Reverend Wilson was the president of Ohio University, and judging by the look on his face, he and the seventy-five other assembled guests had fully expected to hear me speak on “The Claims of Liberia” because at one point in my life, I had been...