SU alum Joseph L. Edwards sparks social justice discourse in one-man show
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Joseph L. Edwards is returning to his hometown of Syracuse to perform his one-man show, ‘FLY’ at the Community Folk Art Center. The award-winning show tells the story of a Black man who believes he’ll get the powers to fly on the night of a celestial event.
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Growing up in Syracuse, Joseph L. Edwards used to walk from the Salt Springs neighborhood to Nottingham High School to watch productions put on by the high school’s performing arts department. Even though he was unable to fully grasp it, Edwards said he felt compelled to find his calling in the art he witnessed on stage.
“I sat there and something struck me and said this is what I’m supposed to do,” Edwards said. “That’s what saved my life, because now, I had a sense of purpose and direction.”
In his adult life, Edwards has pursued this calling and more, having worked with actors like Chadwick Boseman and Viola Davis in various Broadway and off-Broadway productions. He has found ways to combine his interest in performing with his love of education, identifying as an “artist-educator.” Now based in Arizona, Edwards is returning to his hometown of Syracuse for a three-night run of his one-man show “FLY” at the Community Folk Art Center.
The award-winning dramatic comedy tells the story of a Black man who “believes he will receive the power to fly on the night of a special celestial event that will send transforming energy to planet Earth,” according to the show’s press release. Edwards honors the storytelling tradition of magical realism, while utilizing the show to spark discussion on social justice issues in the United States. The main message of “FLY,” Edwards said, is a commentary on “what it means to be Black and conscious in America.”
“The thing that I’ve been trying to do is connect with the students here at the university, particularly students of color, because what I have to say in this play is important to their sense of self and the ongoing struggle for social justice and equity in all phases of American life,” Edwards said. “I would be remiss to come back and not try to connect with the students there because I was so active when I was there on campus.”
But even more than a discussion starter, “FLY” is the signifier of Edwards’ homecoming — to the city of Syracuse, but also to his alma mater and his original theater. As a student at SU, Edwards worked with and helped to found the Paul Robeson Performing Arts company, focusing primarily on Black theater for community members and students at the university, he said.
The theater at the CFAC was originally built for this performing arts company, Edwards said, though he never got to perform on the stage when it was originally built. So, having the opportunity to perform at the CFAC now is full circle, he said.
Dr. Tanisha Jackson, the executive director of the CFAC, was originally notified of Edwards’ work after hearing this story. Jackson said she and Edwards discussed how the space has grown and evolved since its founding days in the 1980s, and how the CFAC is looking to invite more thespians to its stage as a way to introduce relevant performing arts productions to the community.
“Because Joseph’s play is one that talks about reparations — and also Afrofuturism, meaning that there is a space for Black people in the future — this is something that we don’t often talk about in critical ways, enough,” Jackson said. “To do so through the vehicle of arts, and particularly theater, it makes it more accessible, and it aligns with who we are as an organization.”
“FLY” was selected as the show for Edwards to perform at CFAC because of the content it discusses, Jackson said. The show, however, has also had an extensive run prior to coming to Syracuse, one which included time off-Broadway and on tour. Edwards brought this particular show back to Syracuse before, as well, to perform at the centennial anniversary of his fraternity, Omega Psi Phi.
Michael Blackshear — Chief Compliance and Privacy Officer and Head of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at Ryan Specialty, also a Syracuse University trustee — is one of Edwards’ fraternity brothers and someone who Edwards said was instrumental to getting “FLY” to run at the CFAC. Blackshear connected Edwards with the CFAC and pushed him to run “FLY” specifically because of how impactful of a show it is, Edwards said.
Blackshear, who has known Edwards for over 30 years, said he views “FLY” as a show that is educational for audiences of all kinds, and something that should provoke emotion.
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“What I’m hoping that (audiences) see is looking at a person’s life, and the challenges that they have. I want them to smile, I want them to cry, I want them to laugh. I’m hoping for disappointment,” Blackshear said. “I’m looking for them to question why things are the way they are, and I want them to take away and ask themselves, after they see this play, what will they do differently in their lives?”
Edwards’ ability to combine education with the arts is a skill he has harnessed through different avenues in his life. Before leaving Syracuse to pick up acting gigs in New York City, Edwards spent time teaching at Liberty Middle School and honing his practice as an educator. He said even now, some of his former students that he’s run into have remembered songs and dances he taught them.
Doctor Horace H. Smith, former associate vice president for undergraduate studies at SU, said Edwards’ commitment to the professional fields he’s worked in is commendable. Smith, who met Edwards first as a student and then supported his acting endeavors, said Edwards gives the entirety of himself and his passion for knowledge to everything he does.
“That was so impressionable to me — his commitment to education and wanting to be a part of any kind of movement in the state that was making sense to him and to learn from those kinds of experiences,” Smith said. “Humble people are always willing to learn — Joe is a very humble guy, and he is always willing to learn.”
Edwards’ homecoming and production of “FLY” are significant symbolic and professional achievements in both his artistry and education work, he said. The show will run three nights, March 30 through April 1, with each performance starting at 7:30 p.m.
As he’s been rehearsing and practicing the show, Edwards said he’s been reflecting on how best to capture the attention of his audiences. He’s been working with a local production team to stage the show for the CFAC’s stage, and he said he is pouring the best of his acting and vocal talent into putting on the 75-minute production.
“It’s not labor. It’s a labor of love, and the reward, of course, is the impact on the audience. I don’t take it for granted that I have the opportunity to get on stage and be in front of people,” Edwards said. “I want them to walk away, saying, ‘wow, wow, wow: that was a journey.’”
Published on March 29, 2023 at 10:21 pm
