Al Letson, Penumbra, Page Two

Al Letson's live performance, which began at 9:00 PM, was a diverse and exhilarating selection of poetry, acting, and monologue, sometimes accompanied by three percussionists near the stage. Interspersed among the live performances were two of Letson's videos on a large screen backdrop. I believe we will see more poetry & spoken word videos and Al Letson is already helping to set the standard. Followed by an intermission, we all reconvened in the theater for a big screen viewing of Russell Simmons' Def Poetry Jam - the 2nd episode of the season, featuring our man Al Letson as the first guest! He had recently taped the episode and this night was the first time he, or anyone had seen it. When he wasn't on stage, Letson was in great demand from fans, friends, reporters, and members of his crew, so I mostly had to ask him questions on the fly. "Who did your videos?" I asked him. "I do most of my own video work," he said. "The two you saw tonight were filmed by Don Solomon from Jacksonville Beach, but I do all my own editing and effects. I know quite a lot about video production and I enjoy doing it." I said that I could easily see him acting in films. Someone spoke up and said, "He writes plays. One of his plays will be on Broadway someday!" I asked him, "If you could travel into the past, what historical figure would you like to meet?" As he was thinking of an answer, a young woman approached us, saying, "Al, we need you backstage for a minute." Turning to me, Letson said, "Excuse, I need to see what they need," but as he walked away with the lady, he looked back at me thoughtfully and said, "Kennedy." We got a special treat before watching Russell Simmons Def Poetry. Because of last minute complications, the local cable company refused to hook up HBO directly to the club (typical), so someone had to record the show and bring it to Henrietta's for viewing. To fill in the time delay, Letson performed an electrifying, beat-filled theater piece with his Griot* partners, Larry Knight and David Girard Pugh. I asked Al, when he came off stage, "Do you ever run out of good material?" Slightly out of breath still full of energy, he smiled and said, "Yes." "Well, you haven't so far," I told him. Letson was first up on Def Poetry. You can read more about this performance on LitKicks. My friend Levi Asher has been touting the Def Poetry Jam on LitKicks for some time now. I don't have HBO yet, but having watched the 2nd episode at Henriatta's that night, I am now making arrangements for someone to record it for me each week.

Al and me

Front to Back: Larry Knight, Al Letson, David Girard Pugh

* Griot, meaning "he who speaks the sweet word", is a three-man work commissioned by an organization called Theatre Project in Baltimore, Maryland. Here is a quote from the Theatre Project web site: "This work weaves the story of the Griot from Western Africa to the urban streets of America. During his 2-week residency, Letson also worked with students from the Baltimore School for the Arts workshopping his new play Chalk, written especially for the student theater ensemble.  The students performed the play at the school in spring of 2004 under the direction of Donald Hicken."

Al Letson's Official Web Site

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