Roscoe Orman
starring in
BEHIND THE MASK:
An Evening with Paul Laurence Dunbar
directed by Ted Lange


BEHIND THE MASK:
An Evening with Paul Laurence Dunbar
Show Story Line

Behind the Mask is a tribute to the United States foremost poet and Black writer, Paul Laurence Dunbar who chronicled the Black experience to a large, multiracial audience at the turn of the 20th century America.

A contemporary of Mark Twain; Dunbar also a legendary literary icon used humor as well as rhyme to tell his stories of Negro life. Just as Hal Holbrook brought you Mark Twain Tonight, Ted Lange, veteran actor, director and playwrite masterfully brings to life Dunbar using the same theatrical experience of sharing an evening with a man of wit, passion and laughter through his stories and poems - an enchanting night with a national treasure Paul Laurence Dunbar.


Act One
The Play opens with a recital given in Dayton, Ohio, 1896 to promote the sales of his book, Lyrics of Lowly Life.

Act Two
Takes place one year before his death at a recital in New York City, 1905 and deals with his frustration of being known as a “dialect” poet.

“Lange’s protrayal of the characters in these poems had the audience roaring with laughter..”
—The Spartan Daily

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