Son House was an itinerant Delta blues musician whose road through life led him to making a home in Rochester for a time. He was a deeply spiritual man who was torn apart due to his beliefs conflicting with the life of a performer, in a business that was not always ethical. Or fair. Or easy. Tony Award®-winning actor Cleavant Derricks, who is currently playing House in Geva Theatre Center’s production of Revival: The Resurrection of Son House will talk about “Embodying Son House’s America,” the final installment of the Department of Theatre and Music Studies’ Stage Whispers series for the year. The talk will take place on Thursday, May 9, at 10 a.m. in The College at Brockport’s Tower Fine Arts Center Black Box Theatre, 180 Holley Street. The talk is free and open to the public.
Derricks most recently appeared at Geva in Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner. He created the role of James Thunder Early in Dreamgirls, receiving Tony and Drama Desk awards, as well as the LA Drama Circle Award for vocal arrangements. Starring in Bob Fosse’s Broadway production Big Deal, he was nominated for Tony and Drama Desk awards for Best Actor in a Musical, and he received the NAACP Theatre Award for Best Male Performance for his portrayal of Horse in the national tour of The Full Monty. Derricks has several other Broadway, film and television credits including Moscow on the Hudson and Sliders.
The “Stage Whispers” series is sponsored by The College at Brockport’s Department of Theatre and Music Studies as part of their alliance with Geva Theatre Center. The series gives community members insight into the process of professional theatre artists. For information, call 395-2787.
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