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The Arts Intel Report

A Cultural Compass
For the World Traveler
A Cultural Compass
For the World Traveler

Lessons in Survival: 1971

May 31 – June 30, 2022
108 E 15th St, New York, NY 10003, United States

In 1971, the poet Nikki Giovanni interviewed the novelist and essayist James Baldwin on the PBS show Soul, once dubbed America’s first “Black Tonight Show.” For nearly two hours, the writers discussed, among many topics, race in America and Black liberation. During lockdown, Vineyard Theatre presented a virtual performance of that interview—Baldwin’s and Giovanni’s words were repeated, verbatim, to an audience on Zoom. Now we have a live staging of that interview. Carl Clemons-Hopkins (Candyman, Hacks) takes the role of James Baldwin, and Crystal Dickinson is Giovanni. —Jensen Davis