Charles Blackwell's "A Sociological Report Concerning Black on Black Anger in Poetic Form"

Artist, poet, and playwright Charles Blackwell returns to the Tenderloin Museum for a performance of his play A Sociological Report Concerning Black on Black Anger in Poetic Form. Known for blurring the lines between mediums, Blackwell contends with this particular facet of systemic racism–Black on Black anger–through his unique vision of hybrid theater and an open-hearted, poetic spiritualism. While the script was written years ago, this current production is a collaboration with the artist Sylvester Guard Jr.--Blackwell’s impassioned, sensual, jazz-and-blues inflected verse is performed against a set of both artists’ large-scale paintings.

About the play, Blackwell says “The material reflects today, what’s out there, how the African American community has to deal with it, and the destructive nature of anger. At the same time, it’s trying to point the way toward a different approach: being courteous, polite, and kind hearted.”

Both Blackwell and Guard share a deep connection to the Hospitality House Community Arts Program, where they both have forged dynamic studio practices and community; plus, Guard performed in Blackwell’s When Struggle Gave Improvisation the Blues at the Tenderloin Museum in 2023. Blackwell originally presented Sociological Report back in February 2024, and after workshopping the play around the TL with communities at GLIDE, Code Tenderloin, and Faithful Fools, the play returns to the Tenderloin Museum for another performance.