Original article by Lia Chang

Knock Me a Kiss is a fictional account inspired by the actual events surrounding the 1928 marriage of W.E.B. Du Bois’ daughter Yolande to one of Harlem’s great poets, Countee Cullen. The marriage marked the height of the Harlem Renaissance and was viewed as the perfect union of Negro talent & beauty. It united the daughter of America’s foremost Black intellectual, cofounder of the NAACP and publisher of Crisis Magazine, with a young poet whose work was considered to be one of the flagships for the New Negro movement.

See below Lia Chang's photographic slide shows of the February 2010 performance of:
MINE EYES HAVE SEEN THE GLORY:
From Douglass to Deliverance

created & performed by		directed by
ANDRÉ DE SHIELDS		ALFRED PREISSER
Presented by:		Presented at:
The Working Theater		Abingdon Theater Arts Complex, June Havoc Theatre

In celebration of Black History Month 2010, two-time Tony nominee André De Shields performed his solo work-in-progress, entitled MINE EYES SEEN THE GLORY: From Douglass to Deliverance, for 12 performances beginning February 4th, 2010 at the Abingdon Theater, 312 West 36 St. in New York.

..photo by Sally Cohn

Mr. De Shields notes that the months of January and February host the following historic events: Dr. Martin Luther King’s birthday (Jan 19); the first anniversary of the inauguration of our first African-American President, Barack Obama (Jan 20); Abraham Lincoln’s birthday (Feb 12) & the anniversary of Frederick Douglass’ birth (Feb 1818).

“In my performance, I explore the life and achievements of the Great Emancipator, Frederick Douglass. Douglass began his life as a slave, through heroic efforts, became one of America’s most important and historically influential African American leaders.” . — .André De Shields

View André De Shields' February 2009 performance in
MINE EYES HAVE SEEN THE GLORY: From Douglas to Deliverance
at The Martin Luther King Jr. Labor Center SEIU District 1199 in NYC.
Video available in page's Side Bar Gallery.

THE ANATOMY OF A DREAM

MINE EYES HAVE SEEN THE GLORY: From Douglass to Deliverance was inspired by a dream I had in 2003, when—while working in our nation's capital--I visited Cedar Hill, the fourteen-acre estate of Frederick Douglass. While waiting for the scheduled tour to begin, I sat in an ancient rocking chair on the porch of the Victorian house and took in the panoramic view of the District of Columbia, imagining how compelling that same perspective must have been for Douglass more than a century earlier. For several days afterwards my nightly dreams were of Frederick Douglass. In 2006 I returned to Washington, DC and repeated the visit to Cedar Hill. This time, by tour's end, I was sufficiently intrigued to begin a journey of research that continues to this day.

The dream became palpable, when several historic events converged during the end of 2008 and the beginning of 2009, collectively conjuring the spirit of Douglass. On November 4, 2008, Barack Obama became the President Elect. On January 19, 2009, the country officially observed the birthday of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., followed on January 20, 2009, by the swearing in of Obama as the nation's first President of color.

February 2009 was equally notable with three historical markers: The bicentennial of Abraham Lincoln, the nation's annual celebration of Black History Month and February 14, which Douglass—not having any knowledge of his actual date of birth—chose as his nativity. By now, the Douglass dream could no longer be deferred. On Monday, February 9, 2009, Actors Equity Association's Equal Employment Opportunity Committee presented MINE EYES to an overflowing crowd at the Martin Luther King Jr. Labor Center, SEIU District 1199.

Attending that event was Wendy Taucher, Artistic Director of the Yard, a performing arts colony in Chilmark, MA, on Martha's Vineyard. Taucher provided a two-week developmental process that compelled the attention of the Working Theater's Producing Artistic Director, Mark Plesent. At this performance, you are witnessing the process of a dream coming true. I wish for you sweet dreaming!

Namaste!