"Citizen James, or The Young Man Without a Country" by Kyle Bass

Press release

HartBeat Ensemble's Continues James Baldwin Centennial Celebration with CITIZEN JAMES, or The Young Man Without a Country by Kyle Bass February 6-16

Hartford, CT - HartBeat Ensemble, under the leadership of Artistic Director Godfrey L. Simmons, Jr. and Managing Director Rhoda Cerritelli, announced today the second production of their James Baldwin Centennial Celebration. Citizen James, or The Young Man Without a Country by playwright Kyle Bass will run February 6 through 16, 2025 at the Carriage House Theatre, 360 Farmington Avenue in Hartford, CT. This powerful and insightful solo show, starring James Alton and directed by Joann Maria Yarrow, finds Baldwin, a young author and activist, at the pivotal moment when he contemplates leaving behind the racism of the United States to find refuge in Paris.

Godfrey L. Simmons, Jr. states, "After the resounding success of our encore production of Jimmy and Lorraine: A Musing, HartBeat Ensemble is excited to continue our celebration of James Baldwin's Centennial. HartBeat presented Kyle''s play Possessing Harriet to sold-out houses and rave reviews in 2023. I am certain Greater Hartford audiences won't want to miss this exciting new theatrical journey into the heart and mind of one of America's preeminent chroniclers of the Black Experience."

About Citizen James, or The Young Man Without a Country

Young James is an unknown aspiring “Negro” writer whose first novel has yet to be published. He awaits his flight, having just left his family with the news of his decision to flee America for refuge in Paris. He speaks no French. He has a one-way ticket and $40 in his pocket. Witness James Baldwin as he decides he must do something to save himself from the violent reality of racist America in 1948, a decision that sets him on the path to becoming a brilliant, powerful, and prophetic voice of the Civil Rights era and beyond. In celebration of Baldwin’s 100th birthday, Citizen James is a bridge that connects the past to our now. The play premiered in August 2024 at Syracuse Stage where it was produced in partnership with 100 Black Men of Syracuse, Inc.

Tickets for Citizen James... are $30 with no one turned away for lack of funds. The production runs February 6 through 16 with performances on Thursday, Friday and Saturday at 7:30pm with matinees on Saturday and Sunday at 2pm. Tickets are on sale now at HartBeatEnsemble.org or at the door (subject to availability). This production has been made possible in part with support from Greater Hartford Arts Council.

James Alton (he/his) (James Baldwin) is a graduate of University North Carolina School of the Arts (Drama), originally from Hickory, North Carolina, now based in Brooklyn, NY. James appeared in the Syracuse Stage premiere of Citizen James, or The Young Man Without a Country in August 2024.

Kyle Bass, Resident Playwright at Syracuse Stage and curator of Po- etry & Play, is the author of Toliver & Wakeman, which premiered at Franklin Stage Company, Tender Rain, which premiered at Syracuse Stage, Salt City Blues, which received its first production at Syracuse Stage, and Possessing Harriet, published by Standing Stone Books, which premiered at Syracuse Stage, and has been produced at Franklin Stage Company, East Lynne Theater Company, and HartBeat Ensemble. Citizen James, or The Young Man Without a Country, about a young James Baldwin, streamed nationally and has been optioned for a feature-length film. With Ping Chong, he is the co-author of Cry for Peace: Voices from the Congo, which premiered at Syracuse Stage and was produced at La MaMa Experimental Theatre. A descendant of African people enslaved in colonial New England and in the American South, Kyle lives and writes in central upstate New York where his family has lived free and owned land for nearly 225 years. Kyle is Assistant Professor of Theater at Colgate University. kylebassplaywright.com

Joann Maria Yarrow is a director and producer who specializes in story development across several platforms and serves as the director of community engagement at Syracuse Stage. She was artistic director of Teatro Prometeo in Miami, FL, where she directed and produced over 80 productions in Spanish, and translated, adapted, and commissioned new works that have toured nationally and internationally in multilingual communities. Joann co-founded A Laboratory for Actor Training with Vernice Miller inspired by their collaborations with Double Edge Theatre, Richard Schechner’s East Coast Artists, Odin Teatret in Denmark and ISTA, the International School of Theatre Anthropology. She worked for Broadway director Hal Prince on the productions of Parade, Whistle Down the Wind, Candide, Show Boat, Kiss of the Spiderwoman and The Phantom of the Opera. At Syracuse Stage she directed the Backstory productions of Commanding Space by Stephanie Leary, Citizen James by Kyle Bass and Our Words Are Seeds by Ty Defoe. She curates community dialogues, addressing topic that surface from Syracuse Stage’s productions and community projects. She is a featured director in the books: The Art and Practice of Directing in Latin America: Central America and United States; Latinx Actor Training; Inside the Performance Workshop: A sourcebook for Rasaboxes; and A History of Latinx Performing Arts in the U.S. (Routledge 2023). She is passionate about fostering multicultural and multi-disciplinary productions that challenge and shift our thoughts, actions, and perspectives. joannyarrow.co