When You Love What You Do...
To get where I am today, I had to put in the work. I had to put in my work. Everyone has their work cut out for them. Some people understand that immediately and get right to it. For others, it takes a while to surmount the obstacles and wrong turns before they fully understand the WORK that is actually cut out for them. The work that THEY can do best. How do you find out what you can do best? By trying EVERYTHING until you come to the CRAFT that comes most naturally to you. That, my friends is the secret of success. THAT IS THE SECRET OF LIFE! I identify so much with so many characters in the multitude of plays I've performed in, but as a black man who grew up into manhood in the heart of Black Pittsburgh, August Wilson's solo play, How I Learned What I Learned, reaches in and extracts memories and feelings from deep within my soul. When you watch me in it, my only wish is that you have as much fun watching it as I do performing it.
My Story
I wanted to be an entertainer since I could walk and talk. Opportunities just weren't there for me. Growing up in the 60's early 70's, there were no performing arts schools as showcased in the film and tv show, Fame . I was denied the opportunity to take theater/drama in high school. I went to trade school and the military and not college. But the desire was still burning inside of me to act, to entertain. I became a stand-up comic in the nightclubs of Pittsburgh. I taught myself to play drums, joined Musicians Union local 60-471, then found myself playing in the NBC mini-series, The Temptations. I'm the drummer in the '67 Copa scene featuring the songs, Get Ready and I Know I'm Losing You. I was making money as a drummer with my own group and a popular comedian. Shortly after The Temptaions, my sister, Walitta (yes, her name is Wali-tta) told me about Kuntu Repertory Theater holding auditions for a play. I said, "A play? Ain't no money in that." So she retorted with, "Well excuse me, Mr. Superstar. I thought acting was what you really wanted to do." She said more than that but you get the picture. She always knew how to knock me off my high horse when I would get a little full of myself. So I went into the audition and walked out with the lead role. By age 36, I finally found my way onto the theater stage. In my first few years in theater, I read Jitney in a seated reading with its author, Mr. August Wilson. I was directed by professional theater giants like Mr. Allie Woods and Mr. Woodie King Jr. For the next few decades, I would work with nearly every theater company in Pittsburgh, winning many acting and writing awards, including the Pittsburgh Post Gazette's Performer of the Year (2018) for August Wilson's one man play, How I Learned What I Learned. I am the first and only actor in the world to have performed this play in addition to all ten plays in August Wilson's American Century Cycle. I now travel to theater companies and colleges including The International Black Theater Festival, to perform HILWIL and conduct an acting/playwriting workshop. See Book Wali Jamal to bring me to your venue.
Contact
I'm always looking for new and exciting opportunities. Let's connect.
412-628-4584