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► CBC NOVA SCOTIA
Information Morning - NS with Louise Renault, Portia Clark New Biopic highlights Broadway star Richard B. Harrison Play segment 7:38 He's one of the most accomplished Broadway stars you've probably never heard of! A new online play starring Walter Borden illustrated the life of Richard B Harrison.
► CBC TORONTO
Afternoon Drive with Chris dela Torre New one-man show honours Richard B. Harrison Play Segment 9:28 Richard B. Harrison was born in London in 1864, and went on to become the first black man on the cover of Time Magazine. He's honoured in a new one-man show by Jeff Culbert, staring Walter Borden. Jeff and Walter speak with CBC Afternoon Drive host Chris dela Torre.
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→ TORONTO STAR
In the 1930s a Black actor from Canada played God in a hit Broadway play — now another Black actor is bringing him back to audiences By Karen FrickerTheatre Critic Fri., March 12, 2021 5 min. read CLICK TO READ FULL ARTICLE Richard B. Harrison’s name may be little known now, but in the early 1930s he was the toast of Broadway as the star of the long-running hit “The Green Pastures,” in which he played the character of “De Lawd” — in other words, God. He was Black and hailed from London, Ont., where his parents met having arrived separately in Canada via the Underground Railroad. A new online one-man theatre piece is bringing this compelling story back into the public eye. Written and directed by Jeff Culbert, “Elocution: The Life of Richard Berry Harrison” stars legendary Canadian actor Walter Borden, who began his theatrical career in Halifax in the 1970s and for many years was the only professional Black actor in the Maritimes. Borden was immediately compelled by the project. “The moment that I started to read the information that Jeff had given me, I mean, oh, I can’t even describe the feeling. It was immediately something that I knew I had to do,” said Borden.“ The parallels were so many.... → London Free Press
Audio play about Black Londoner becomes 'lesson plan' for actor in lead role For Walter Borden it’s a role for which he’s been preparing his entire life. Author of the article: Joe Belanger Publishing date: Mar 12, 2021 • 17 hours ago • 4 minute read • Join the conversation Renowned Canadian actor Walter Borden will perform Londoner Jeff Culbert's new play about London native Richard B. Harrison, son of escaped slaves, who starred on Broadway in the 1930s. For Walter Borden it’s a role for which he’s been preparing his entire life. In fact, the 78-year-old award-winning actor — who’s performed on stages across Canada including Stratford Festival and who is a member of the Order of Canada — said he couldn’t believe it when he read Londoner Jeff Culbert’s script, Elocution: The Life of Richard Berry Harrison. It’s a free, two-hour, one-man audio play about the London-born actor, the son of escaped slaves who went on to star on Broadway and whose face appeared on the cover of Time magazine days before his death. The audio-only play will premiere on Culbert’s website Sunday at 7 p.m., followed by a question and answer session with Borden, Culbert and others involved in the play’s production. “I knew nothing about Richard Harrison, but the moment I read the script it hit me on so many levels. I couldn’t believe it, one of those things that stops you dead in your tracks,” said Borden, himself a descendent of slaves who settled in Nova Scotia. “It was as if I was being introduced to something that you are supposed to do in your life. For 51 years I’ve followed a very defined path in my life and it was as if I knew this person and I was supposed to do this.” |
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→ London Free Press
New play recalls London actor who starred on Broadway, cover of Time
Joe Belanger Publishing date: Feb 18, 2021 • February 18, 2021 • 3 minute read • Join the conversation Richard Berry Harrison is not a name many can easily place. But it’s a name and a face that once graced the cover of Time magazine, the marquee of a Broadway theatre and to this day remains the namesake of a library and auditorium in Raleigh, N.C., a high school in Blytheville, Ark., and a gymnasium in Selma, N.C. New play recalls London actor who starred on Broadway, cover of TimeThere’s even a park on South Street in London named after Harrison, which shouldn’t be a surprise given he was born and raised here, the son of escaped slaves. “People just don’t know about him,” said Jeff Culbert, a London playwright and actor who has written a one-man audio play about Harrison, Elocution: The Life of Richard Berry Harrison. Actor Walter Borden, a veteran of the Stratford Festival and a member of the Order of Canada, plays Harrison and the recording is expected to be released March 14, the anniversary of Harrison’s death in 1935 of heart failure. “Even theatre people don’t know about him,” said Culbert. “So, part of my dream is to let people know who he is and to celebrate him..... |