Under the baobab: Welcoming and celebrating a revival of the arts
Jerrie Johnson was born and raised in Philly, not on the mainline but in the “hood.” Her family was poor. There were many missed meals and heatless nights. Her single mother did whatever was required to raise eight kids and keep them safe. From her earliest recollection Jerrie’s goal was to get out of the “hood.” She did and made it all the way to Penn State’s University Park campus. As a student she was a spoken word artist and an advocate for the rights of all people. In 2016 Jerrie became the only one of her family to actually graduate from college.
She also wanted to be an actress. I was fortunate enough to direct her in a couple of projects. She was good, very good. A dynamic presence, she commanded attention. She received a BA in theatre and a minor in African American studies. She was snatched up by the American Conservatory Theatre program in San Francisco and received a Masters in Fine Arts in 2019. After a stint in New York, Jerrie traveled to Los Angeles to pursue her professional dreams. She had some early success.
Last week Jerrie was back at Penn State, beginning the press tour for her new television series, “Harlem.” It premieres this week. She is a series regular portraying a successful, queer dating app creator and CEO who tries to hide her vulnerability. The show also features Grace Byers, Meagan Good, Shoniqua Shandai, Whoopi Goldberg and Jasmine Guy.
Her public talk arranged by Carlos Wiley, the director of the Paul Robeson Cultural Center, and Curt Marshall, the coordinator of Multicultural Programs in the College of Arts and Architecture, gave her a chance to speak with young aspiring artists. She said she saw herself in them. They asked her if it had been a difficult journey from her home in Philly to being a major star on a TV show.
“Yes,” she said.
“Was it worth it?” I asked.
“Absolutely,” she said.
There is a needed revival in the arts. Steve Broadnax’s show, “Thoughts of a Colored Man” is still running on Broadway. I was hired to work on the sketch comedy series, “That Damn Michael Che.” Che is one of the two anchors on Saturday Night Live’s Weekend Update. He is also a head writer for both shows. I played a “Henry Louis Gates” type character who investigates Michael’s ancestral past, with surprising and hilarious results. It will be the second episode of the second season, which will be broadcast on HBO Max early in 2022. It will “drop” about the same time as another project in which I performed, Tyler Perry’s “A Jazzman’s Blues” on NetFlix.
This past week I was blessed to be part of the world premiere of a project by one of our resident musical geniuses, Bruce Trinkley. The piece honored Tennessee William’s 110th birthday. Bruce composed music for several of the author’s poems, read by professor emeritus Helen Manfull and myself. The songs were sung by soprano Rachel Copeland and baritone Raymond Sage, both from PSU’s music faculty. We were accompanied by a string quartet: James Lynn and Joanne Feldman on violins, Timothy Deighton on viola, and Carol Lynn on cello. Professor Richard Roland from IUP directed. The music school held its annual choral gala, “Mosaic” at Eisenhower Auditorium.
The School of Theatre’s third production of the season, “A Midsummer’s Night’s Dream” was delightfully directed by Professor Sam Osheroff and featured Emma Parks, Shane Troxell, Nina Gold, Ryaan Farhadi, Malcom Mckenzie, Grace Lyons, Liam Fieggen, Elyse Tazzia, Dylan Henderson, Owen Smith, Catherine Crimmins, Phillips Desamours, Hannah Armstrong, Marshall Joun, Julia Salvato, Lance Joos, Jill Aebil, Sophia Nicholson, and Ceci Garcia. The energetic and imaginative production filled the newly reopened Pavilion Theatre with audience and spirit. It will run through Dec. 9.