“Children of the Last Days” sounds like a science fiction tale. That could be true in the hands of some artists, but with Thandiwe Thomas De Shazor, it’s actually a semi-autobiographical one man show about growing up religious, black and gay. “Last Days” is part of the Afro Solo Festival’s Black Voices Performance Series to be held Aug. 21-23, 2009 at San Francisco’s African American Art and Culture Complex at 762 Fulton Street.
Thandiwe (TAN-DEE-WAY), or Tommy to some of his friends, says the title came from hearing from his parents and grandparents that the children of the time – children like him – are part of the last days on earth before the coming of Christ.
This stuck with Thandiwe even though his show is not a religious one. It does have elements of his religion but it also mixes in other “semi” facts about his life including growing up black and gay. Thandiwe even sprinkles in a little about gay black men living on the “DL – down low – as in many strong black families, being gay isn’t very accepted.”
Whatever the facts of his show are and what is real for him or just “semi” autobiographical are blended together in this satirical show.
Thandiwe has been working on “Last Days” since 2007 when it started out really as a poem which got him a grant from The Queer Arts Festival. Over the passed two years, he has developed it into a show with the hopes to adding more content so that perhaps one day it can find a home off-Broadway or as a full theatre production.
His developing the piece over the years and knowing what to add, delete or hone is greatly helped by director Norman Gee, who has worked with and encouraged Thandiwe to develop this project. “As a director of a solo piece,” Gee says, “I have to know when to advise the writer and the actor with what works and what doesn’t.” He adds that the artist needs to learn how to keep all of their hats separate so that when he talks to the writer, the performer doesn’t get involved even though they are the same person.
Gee is also a multi-talented artist. Besides directing, he performs himself and is very involved in the Oakland Public Theatre and is the Program Director at the East Bay’s performance space, the Noodle Factory.
After finishing in the Bay Area, Thandiwe’s piece will be heading to Washington DC in late October.
To learn more, go to www.afrosolo.org.
To buy tickets, go to www.tixbayarea.org or call 415/433-1235.
To keep up with Thandiwe, go to www.myspace.com/thandiwethomas or you can search for him on YouTube.
Information on the Noodle Factory can be found here: www.nclt.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=103&Itemid=177
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