Review Fix chats with playwright Robert F. Bradford who discusses his production at the Midtown International Theatre Festival, “Sons of Johnny Johnson.†Breaking down the inspiration for the performance, as well as his goals for the future, Bradford lets us know exactly why we should check out the production.
For more information on the production and the MITF, click here.
Performance Dates: Sun 7/19, 4:30pm; Mon 7/20, 8:30pm; Sat 7/25, 4:30pm; Tues 7/28, 6:30pm; Sat 8/1, 8:00pm
Review Fix: What was the inspiration for this production?
Robert F. Bradford: Seeing August Wilson’s Fences, then the other plays in his canon, made me wonder how he would extend his work into the 21st century, and how the travails of one family might reflect the contemporary African-American experience.
Review Fix: What’s your creative process like?
Bradford: I am most fascinated by characters. Once I have a bit of a plot — the hard part — the characters in my head start yakking at each other, and it’s almost like taking dictation. It usually comes in asynchronous fragments, but eventually, the pieces start to fit together.
Review Fix: What makes you different from other playwrights?
Bradford: I was in my fifties before I started writing for the stage, but my journalism background (much of it before portable tape recorders) gave me a handle on capturing the speech patterns of realistic dialogue, and my experience as a singer/songwriter in dozens of bar bands taught me to be succinct. Working full-time for many years with disabled students at College of Marin gave me some insights into the human condition. So has the day job — actually a night job — of my later years, teaching a class at Dominican University of California wherein returning adult students get credit for writing about their life experiences. I’ve red-inked a lot of soul-baring. “Psychology of Personal Trauma and Crisis” is a popular topic — everybody’s got at least one.
Review Fix: What makes this production special?
Bradford: Ask me again after opening night! It was my play when I wrote it, and it will be mine again after this production closes, but for now, it belongs to the director and the actors — they’re the ones doing all the work. I’ve given them some notes on the characters, and I’ll cheerfully speculate on any questions they may have, but the beauty of this collaborative process is to see what they bring to the characters they are inhabiting. I learn from them.
Review Fix: What did you learn about yourself through this process?
Bradford: I’ve been learning more about the nuts and bolts of theatre production than I have about myself, but I certainly hope for some post-production insights that will make me a wiser person and a better playwright.
Review Fix: How does it feel to be a part of this festival?
Bradford: I’m getting an education.
Review Fix: What are your goals for this production?
Bradford: We hope that the Midtown International Theatre Festival will introduce Sons of Johnny Johnson to theatre companies in New York and the world, and that this will be just the first of many productions.
Review Fix: Who do you think will enjoy it the most
Bradford: Although it’s set in an African-American community, the family dynamic themes in Sons of Johnny Johnson are universal. Father-son rebellion, sibling rivalry, unacknowledged relationships, sacrifice, redemption, the long-suffering mother with a secret, — everyone who cares about people can love this play.
Review Fix: What’s next?
Bradford: M’Sai Productions, with my creative partner Omar M’Sai (who also plays Johnny Johnson), plans a film version of this play. We also have a lot of scripts that we’d like to bring to the stage and the screen. Theatre is the best — nothing equals the live experience — but it would be a challenge to bring our work to the whole world.
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