We were lucky to catch up with Benjamin Black recently and have shared our conversation below.

Benjamin, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. We’d love to hear about a project that you’ve worked on that’s meant a lot to you.

“I’m Black, Y’all!” was the first play, I wrote, produced and directed after I graduated. It holds close significance to me because it was my first full-length original play, but I was also amazed by how good it turned out to be. If I had nothing to do with “I’m Black, Y’all!” and I saw it, I would love it. I love the topics and the themes and message of the play, I love the way they were conveyed, and I love that other people who saw it and were apart of it loved it as well.

A few years later, I wrote a one-man play, “Speaking My Black Mind.” This was the scariest show I created because it was the most personal. I wasn’t portraying another character or hiding behind the narrative of a story, and I wasn’t playing an exaggerated version of myself. It was the real, honest me sharing my real, honest thoughts with the audience. I conveyed my feelings about the racial tensions of the year 2020, my experience with depression at the time, and my perspective lessons of my faith in relations to social interaction, among other things. It was liberating, but frightening at the same time.

Benjamin, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I don’t know if I’ve “gotten into the industry” per se; I just do what I want to do when I want to do it. I studied acting in high school and college and got to work with some amazing people. As a writer, I kept copying what I read in books and saw on TV and movies until I really understood how to form my own voice. Anything I write (a script, a poem, etc.) has to do with how I feel, what I’m going through, and who I am. It all comes from the purest, most honest part of me. I suppose that’s what I want people to take away when it comes to my work: it’s my voice, my heart, my thoughts and my soul. If I don’t believe in it or think it’s an interesting topic to discuss, then I won’t write it.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

After I wrote “I’m Black, Y’all!” in the summer of 2016, I was really excited to get it produced. I immediately started contacting some of my friends and buddies and asked if they’d be interested in being apart of this play I wrote, which I planned to produce in February of the following year. There was one problem, though: I didn’t have a venue. I had no idea at the time where this play would be performed. I researched and went to different performance venues in Akron, Ohio and spoke with the teams and people who ran those spaces, but their rental fees were out of my price range. That didn’t stop me from casting the play, however, and starting rehearsals in November 2016. One of my friends and cast members, Natalyn, asked me what it took to produce an original script. I told her, “You’ve got to be somewhat crazy. There will be times when it seems like it’s not going to work out, but you’ve got to work through those moments and believe that it will all come together in the end.” I followed that advice, we found a home at the Rialto Theatre, and the show was produced in February 2017.

What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?

My goal is to combine Biblical principles with artistic expression. I don’t want to preach at people; I never want people to feel as though they were preached at in my shows. My faith in Jesus is the most important thing in my life, and I want to share that with people – offer it, not force it. I hope that people have seen some of my shows, laughed with us, cried with us, found the story and themes engaging, and heard the good news of Jesus Christ all at the same time.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bibproductionsllc/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BIBProductionsLLC
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@b.i.b.productions2886
• Other: Truthfully, I haven’t posted anything in a long time…

Image Credits

Picture #1
Courtesy of The Center

Picture #2
Courtesy of Noir Creative

Picture #3
Courtesy of Noir Creative

Picture #4: (From left to right) Seth Vaill, Darion Dow, Eboni Harris, Arieon Dooley, Gabriel Black, Autumn Jacobs, Benjamin Isaiah Black, Demaris Evans, David Wagar, Will Blake, Reba Black and Bryon Black
Courtesy of Noir Creative

Picture #5: (From left to right) Autumn Jacobs and Benjamin Isaiah Black
Courtesy of Noir Creative

Picture #6: (From left to right) Taylor Stepp, eMJay Ross, Benjamin, Brandon Meeker and Demaris Evans
Courtesy of Noir Creative

Picture #7: (From left to right) Seth Vaill, David Wagar, Nici Romo, Eboni Harris, Keana Seals, Darion Dow, Myron J. Lewis, Benjamin Isaiah Black, Autumn Jacobs, Arieon Dooley, Alexia Autry, Taylor Stepp, Nate Vaill, Natalyn Baisden and Bryon Black
Courtesy of Noir Creative