Written only a few years before the history-making events of 2020, Some Old Black Man frames racial prejudice with bold probity rarely confronted and dramatized. It challenges people of all ages to learn about the unique perspective of elders whose lived struggles created opportunities for future generations and to confront the experiential divides that can grow larger due to generational differences.

In the play, Calvin Jones (Wendell Pierce), a hip, coolly intellectual African-American college professor moves his 82-year-old ailing, but doggedly independent, father, Donald Jones (Charlie Robinson), from Greenwald, MS into his Harlem penthouse. The play begins with an argument over what to eat for breakfast, then turns into a generational clash over race, opportunity, and a decision that Calvin made years ago. Donald’s grumpiness is peppered with disturbing outbursts, revealing bits of his past, informed by growing up Black and poor in the South.

Themes of social justice themes and intergenerational conflict make Some Old Black Man a fitting title for our times, when the reality of more togetherness unveils some of the tensions underlying even the closest of relationships.

The play was filmed in Detroit after the creative team quarantined together during rehearsals in Ann Arbor under strict safety protocols.

After the digital premiere, join the creative team for a live talkback. Production will be available on demand through Monday, January 18.