on this edition of "our world with black enterprise" blacks on broadway, two of the stars from the current smash hit "race" kerry washington and david alan greer are our headliners, plus will we see more black actors on broadway, that's our roundtable, all that up next. ♪ our world, our world >> african-americans have always been on broadway, but there seems to be a new community of color taking the stage, and it's

beginning with a new crop of plays showcasing talents of black actors and actresses "the color purple" "strange" and "cat on a hot tin roof" all found their way to the big stage. joining me today are two actors winning rave reviews in the play "race" at issue we're going to explore with them in a moment, kerry washington and david alan greer joining us welcome. >> it is your birthday, ed. a little birdie told me that. happy 55th birthday, i know how old you are brother! >> i'm real close, proud to get to the mid century mark. >> i see you cut the camera off. go to break. >> all right, kerry, bring some sanity. talk to me for you what it has been to star not only in a broadway play but one that deals with an issue that this country doesn't deal with very well. >> well i think it's actually one of the things that drew me

to the project. i've been missing theater and wanting to do theater for a long time but reading the play it was obvious that david mamitt was willing to put on page and then on the stage thoughts and ideas that people have all the time about "race" and aren't necessarily willing to say. >> and you think black people of fragile. >> i know they are. >> why? >> because you deal with change. >> change? >> that's correct. >> more than other people in. >> all people deal with change, guilt, jews deal with guilt, blacks deal with chains, two of the wonderful ways we have of metabolizing feelings of inferiority. >> kerry and my relationship is so multilayered and complicated and something you rarely see on stage, written by a black or white writer is that dichotomy that exists within the race, within sexes, between the sexes and the politics and all that stuff, and we mix it up.

>> without giving the play away to a degree, the dynamic between the two of you is interesting, but also as one who said and watched the dynamic, for me, was to watch a play done from all of these perspectives, written by a white male. so when you looked at the role, were there tweaks that you wanted to make, needed to make, talked to david about, in terms of making sure that the dynamic was right? >> well, that was an ongoing process, you know, david wrote it and directed it, so for about the first two weeks we sat around the table and read and stopped and talked, and it was a very open collaborative process. >> absolutely. >> what did you think? >> absolutely, yeah, and he was very open to feedback, but again, i mean when we read the play we all felt like there was enough honesty and newness on the page that we all were comfortable to jump in. >> has it brought to light the idea of maybe trying to bring up race in real life with other friends to really kind of get and engage in this conversation

that none of us do well? >> well, one of the things that i find is important or interesting for me about the project is that people leave the theater immediately engaged in dialogue on the issue. i mean, people don't kind of watch and go that was fun, let's go get something to eat. they are immediately thrown into what does this mean and why did she do that and why did he do that, did they do that? people are really inspired to jump into the topic of race. >> i didn't do anything. >> you're white. [ laughter ] >> is that a crime? >> in this instance. >> you're kidding. >> sadly, i am >> do you care that i'm white? >> do i hate white folks, is that your question? do all black people hate whites? let me put your mind at rest, you bet we do. >> the human condition is such, we as human beings are most comfortable, black men get together and say you know how women are. black women get together you know how the men are so it's usually one race or one sex of one race talking about the other

but the interdialogue is what's so difficult. what do you think, what do you believe about me, tell me and let's discuss that. that's the difficulty. >> let me take a break, we'll be back with more right after this. >> you don't see people going, you pass that like a black man. no, he passed it like a president 37. ña

back with david alan grier and kerry washington. i want to talk a little bit about race and politics and where we find ourselves right now. in the sense of obama-mania waning as we knew it would to a great degree and now to live the life of, what do you think black america is in the political spectrum? >> well, you know what? right now to me, this is the next phase of enlightenment. i look forward to the mundane piece of his presidency. there's nothing black about his presidency. he's just a president. you don't see people he passed that law like a black man. no, he passed it like a president. so to me i'm reveling in that and enjoying it and also it's interesting to watch we, as people of color, trying to negotiate well how do you criticize, cajole, and voice your dissent from this president, his policies and not compromise what you feel your cultural or racial obligation is. >> kerry, to a great degree that's a real balancing act that african-americans have had to

find with this white house, because with all presidents, there comes a time where you want to criticize, and there is this emotional upheaval that you have in not wanting to give him any more criticism he's going to get certainly sometimes unfounded simply because he's an african-american in that seat. >> right. i agree with david. i think one of the things that's so amazing about the election of barack obama is because he really empowered the american people to put him there. he;vvo really talked about demoy coming from the bottom up, not from the top down, and i think it's one of the things that we are being forced to grapple with now, to kind of keep showing up for our responsibilities. >> what about the politics of hollywood, if you will, we'll use hollywood as an umbrella term for entertainment if you will. >> right. >> and african-americans. there is this sense of whether or not we've crossed a particular threshold, whether we've cracked a particular sealing, can a black be looked upon as just an actor without seeing color first? what do you find? >> well i, you know, i think it's a balance, because in some

ways i agree that part of the goal is to be able to be seen just as an are theist, but i also am a black woman, and i bring that to my work, i mean if i wasn't a black woman i wouldn't have played ray charles' wife, i wouldn't have played idei amin's wife. those are roles my cultural context, my identity as a black woman is important to the telling of that story. i also want to be able to do shakespeare and have it not be an issue. i think it's a little bit tricky because there's value on both sides of the argument. i do think that we have more opportunities now than we ever have before, absolutely but i think like everything else there's still room to grow, there's still ways to move. >> in terms of my career and where we are going, there was, you know, when i started in this business, there was usually one black star, it was richard pryor who got every role, then it was eddie in your fee who got every role and there are several men and women of color doing several different roles and this year the oscar ways, we have an

african-american director, best actress nominee. >> best supporting actress. >> sam jackson, i could name a bunch of people that are doing wonderful work and being acknowledged and paid for it so it's gotten much better. it's changing. >> for you, we should note, you are also an ivy league educated gentleman. >> um-hum. >> with what you have picked often, david t seems you look for smart material. >> i try. >> is that fair? >> i try, but i also, you know, like things, material things, art, fast motorcycles, and they have to be paid for so it's a variety of work but i mean, this was a welcome respite from a lot of comedy, to do a dramatic role by a preeminent writer on broadway with that cast. i jumped at it, and i was available to do it so this is definitely a high point in my career for me. >> kerry, what about for you, one who has been introduced to all of us on the big screen, what has it been for you? >> you know, i fell in love with

acting on the stage, as a young person, so i'm thrilled to be back home in a lot of ways, back home in new york, back home in the theater, and i love how humbling the theater is, because i think we fall into this illusion, somewhere in television we go that's perfect, great, let's move on we got that. theater no matter how good you think it went the play is not done with you. you got to get up and do it tomorrow so it's very -- it really is, it grows you as an are thei i artist >> before we go, we should note mr. grier you've written a book, it's here we'll put it on the screen in a moment "barack like me: the chocolate covered truth" you in a powdered wig on the cover. talk to me about what's inside this book. >> it's a memoir, i talk a lot about growing up in detroit and in my family, my relationship to this country, the politics, the race, the culture, and living through as an african-american man the election and

inauguration of barack obama, it it's funny but in an earthy and organic way, that it was an incredible experience and i really wanted to write it down. in a lot of ways it's a love letter to my daughter. so there you go. >> you, miss lady, what's up next for you once this run is done? >> i have a few films coming out this year "mother and child" with naomi watts and sam jackson and another film "night catches us" it was just actually appointed to the obama administration in the president's council for arts and humanity so we're both, you know, doing our barack thing in different ways. >> i thank you both. good luck with the remainder of the run of the play. it's a great play, i encourage anybody who wants to really see how different perspectives come to this to go see it. >> thank you. >> thank you very much. >> appreciate it. take a break. when we return, more on "race" and broadway, are producers doing enough to get african-american artists a broadway break? that's our roundtable after this. >> the business of broadway is

not just to have talented people, but it's also having somebody that has name and face recognition that's going to help with the audience.

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be the solution. visit actagainstaids.org. learn. know. act. closed captioning for "our world" is brought to you by -- for a long time, broadway has been a place that few actors of color could break into, but productions like "ain't

misbehave inn" and "dream girls" led to new opportunities for african-americans. still too many african-american artists believe very little is available for them that's non-race specific. today we're joined by three talented individuals who have, in fact, found their way to the stage. lavon rucker, star of "why did i get maried" headlining the off broadway "black angels over tuskeg tuskegee" and kevin and stephanie umo who finished a hit "ragtime." i appreciate you being here. what's the difference in the way hollywood views a black actor and the way broadway views a black actor? >> that's a challenging question because the two of them are often being, they're overlapping so much nowadays. the business of broadway is not just to have talented people but it's also having somebody that

has name and face recognize nichl that will help with the audience development. i've seen some incredibly talented people be passed over just because another actor or actress is more recognizable. >> kevin, here's what's interesting in the play you're in now, "phila." the interest thing about broadway, when a buzz happens for a play it really runs through and pulls everybody in. that is happening with your performance here. so congratulations first and foremost. >> thank you. >> what's interesting to me is broadway also is one of those if they see something as exotic, if this had been an african-american musition versus a south african musician i wonder if they would see it in the same way. do you see that in some sflpts. >> respects? >> in ways being to pull this far away makes it universal. coming to "phila" now i had been doing a run of ruin about the

war in the congo off broadway for over a year before doing this, it's the same audiences you'll see off broadway and the same audiences you see on broadway and it's really just been about the story of people overcoming, as opposed to tying it in so closely to perhaps an american perspective or a particular historical perspective. "phila" is an iconic musician. his story is universal. >> to a degree, stephanie, stage has often been a more of a leveling playing field for female actresses than holly wood or even television has been. give me a sense of what you, as an african-american female, have faced in trying to make sure that people see you in the same status that they see others who come for an audition. >> i don't necessarily look at it as a race thing, and i think that as soon as i acknowledge

that and i recognize that it's not, i'm not here -- i am a black woman, obviously, but i don't like to sort of like pigeon hold myself and as soon as i acknowledge that i think -- >> you know others will. >> you're right, others will, but i think it also depends on who you have backing you up. for example i happen to have amazing agents who go out on my side and completely agree with me and i signed with them with the mind-set of we're not going to just go to typical roles. we're going to go for, we're going to step outside of the box together and so you know, we've been pushing for that and that may mean less roles but i'm willing to fight for that. >> lamon what's interesting to me what, our friend, tyler perry, has been able to do with his model is he has given a new muscle, if you will, to what used to be called the chipman circle. >> right. >> there is through his plays and others a new sense of attention that these plays are

receiving. how do we keep the "khitland circuit" plays alive, give them credence. we don't want them to fade away. how do you keep the balance of the two you think? >> well, i think acknowledge that everybody has a voice, and i think as a black man, and as african-americans that's a balance and duality that we struggle with all the time. all cho the chitland circuit got a lot of, has a negative connotation to it, i think tyler is one of the many people, he's not the only producer -- >> not by any means. >> -- successful producer in the genre identified a valuable audience and business opportunity. >> it's terminology really. these are audiences that have wants, needs, desires and they want to be addressed as well, they have spending power, they want to see some of their stories on the screen.

>> that's right. >> as well as going to see some of the other things so i don't, as you state it's not even a separate debate. to me it's about addressing a larger audience. >> let me ask this question and stephanie, go to you. when you looked out and the lights were down enough for to you see the audience. >> yes. >> the makeup of the audience, pr broadway is traditionally white, a lot of it is economics, we as a community have not found our way to make it a normalcy to go see a play on broadway. >> um-hum. >> was that, in fact, the case at "ragtime" and was it ever disappointing to you not to see more faces of color? >> actually, yes, i have to agree with you, there weren't many people of color that came to see our show, and i don't know if it was because we weren't open for very long so we weren't able to get the message out soon enough, but you know, i don't know if there were plans for groups to come in the

future, but yeah, the audience wasn't that diverse. >> and conversely, let me ask you before we go, with your play "black angels over tuskegee" obviously that is written spececec t t t t t t t t t t t e sense of the context of it but what is the audience makeup for your play? >> it's been a very nice balance, racially and culturally the diverse sit very, very nice, the legacy of the tuskegee airmen is well-known but you'd be surprised how many people don't know about it, so also who we are as a theater country, most of the stuff we do comes from that perspective and sharing the legacy and the excellence and traditions of self-determination and self-discipline of the black male, you know, experience. we've gotten boundless appreciation from a variety of different people and we're very satisfied. >> i thank you all for coming in today and certainly continued

success, and hopefully our next conversation we'll be talking about the dearth of black actors and actresses who find their way to that harbor. >> so much work. >> i know. >> i thank you all. take a commercial break, we'll be back right after this. >> i'm david alan grier wishing black enterprise happy birthday. you're 40! where are you, boo? ♪ boy, i found something new new? ♪ i wanna share my sweet ♪ ♪ chili sauce with you your mcnuggets too? i'm not sharing my crispy, juicy chicken mcnuggets. i got you your own. ♪ you got me a 10-piece ♪ guess you're not so stin-jay ♪ ♪ yeah... and the sauce is sweet and spicy ♪ won't be around for long. ♪ no, no-no-no, baby, please don't go! ♪ not me, boo, the sauce. ♪ ba da ba ba ba

that does it for this edition of "our world with black enterprise." visit us at blackenterprise.com and give us your feedback. until next time i'm ed gordon and thanks for making "our world" your world. >> promotional considerations for "our world" are praut to you by -- morning class. unisom. good night. good morning.