Good evening my name is Nyla Johnson and I want to thank Ira Aldridge for being with us today on All about the Arts. On today’s broadcast I would like to ask you a few questions about your experience with the theater for our viewers.
What events in your early life made you get interested in the arts?
Growing up wasn’t very easy for me. As you know being African-American back in those days we didn’t have the qualities like everyone else. Around the age of 13 is when I developed a passion for the theater. (www.library.thinkquest.org) I lived in New York City and as you know New York is one of the most popular states for theater. I attended African Free School. There was a theater close by named “Park Theater” and I would sit on the balcony and watch plays. This theater was designed for blacks only.
Seeing some of the most popular plays and greatest actors like Thomas Cooper and James Wallack gave me such a rush to want to act. I could picture myself walking across the stage. The way you can express your emotions though a certain gesture or tell a story through a play amazed me. Being an actor help me show my emotions in a more artistic way.
What role did mentors play in helping you develop the interests and talents you have as an artist?
I wouldn’t call them mentors; I would call them more like angels. Like I said before growing up wasn’t easy for me. So being given the opportunity to actually become an actor is a big stretch but to become one of the best actors known I wouldn’t have been able to do it without them. One of my most thanked and praised mentors would have to be James Wallack. He first hired me to be his servant which meant I had to help get him ready for plays and be sort of a running man.
This gave me the chance to watch his performances and also learn from his techniques. Being his servant I was able to travel around England with him. I was able to see other actors and different cultures. Matter of fact, James Wallack gave me a recommendation and got me my first performance. (Turney, 2011) After being his servant I decided to stay in England where I was in "The Celebrated Mr. Keene, Tragedian of Colour." (Biography Resource Center; 2001) So without him I wouldn’t be where I am today.
How did the major cultural situations impact your work?
Well, as I’ve said before and I’ll say it again, being African-American doesn’t make anything easier. Quite frankly it made things harder and more of a challenge. I have been publicly attacked, protested and many more things. I remember how in 1823 I was violently attacked.(www.nyhistory.org) People didn’t like the fact that I was a great actor and African at that, so people did everything in their power to bring me down. People would even make racial comments in the newspaper about me. To me this not only helped further my career as an actor but it made me strive to be the best. All those comment made me want to prove them wrong to show people that color means nothing I can be just as good.
How did economic and political situations of the time impact your work?
Economically speaking being a paid actor helped my get more performances to further my career and also to travel to different plays to perform. Coming from New York traveling all the way to London isn’t cheap. Now politically sometimes it was helpful and sometimes it would put me in a trying situation. You have your good political views and you have your bad. As I said before everyone wasn’t a big fan of my work. There were some bad perspectives and some good ones, but all in all it helped to further my work.
What were your major accomplishments and the methods you used in your art?
I have to say my major accomplishment was playing the leading role as Othello in the play “Othello.” Being an African-American it was hard getting roles in plays but to get the leading role in a play from as huge a play write as Shakespeare was just mind blowing. I’ve had the opportunity to play leading roles in series classic Shakespearean plays like Hamlet, Macbeth, Richard III, and King Lear. (Bernth, Lindfors 2007)
Methods I use to help further me in my art would be to watch other actors. You know how you can learn from others, well being on stage with other professional actors you learn a lot. I learned little things like how to project across the room without straining your voice or how to portray the character more. Another method I would use was learning for about the background of the play and the characters. This helped me be able to put myself in the character shoes and understand their emotions at the time to make my part more believable.
What were the key opportunities you had that led to turning points in your life and art?
My key opportunity was having the role of Othello in play “Othello” in 1833. (Kathleen, Airdic 2010)This being one of the most famous Shakespearean plays I helped get my name spread worldwide At the time I wasn’t able to have a career in acting in America so I traveled all through Europe. That’s where I was able to get the part as Othello. This gave me publicity and more opportunities.
After I was able to play in plays such as Macbeth and King Lear some of Shakespeare' most famous pieces. I want to say without having the role as Othello most likely none of this would have been possible for me. One thing that you have to learn is that when you want something you have to really want it. I could have given up with my first opening of The Celebrated Mr. Keene, Tragedian of Colour. All the critics could have made me want to give up, but I love my art so much that I made it my duty not to let anything ruin my dream.
What personal choices did you make to become successful?
First off, to become successful you have to have a goal. My goal was to do whatever it took to peruse my dream, which was acting. I was born in New York City. Born a free black man but I was still not given all the oppurtonises of an avarage person. Now this was in the 1800’s when acting was accepted and allowed in America.
To become successful you also have to take chances. My mom died when I was young growing up. It was just me, my father and my brothers. I decided to leave the only family I had at the age of 17 and move to England. ( Gravey, Marcus; 2004) Knowing I might not ever have the chance to see my family again I had to do this for me. I made it a fact that whatever bump came in my way I wouldn’t give up on my dream.
What hardships or roadblocks did you have to overcome in order to be an artist?
I think the most hardship that effected my goals where the criticism from the public view. (Scott, Bullitt; 2007) Since I was African-American I was looked down upon. Some people though I wasn’t good enough to for the theater. I have been brutally attacked. (www.wikipeadia.com; 2009) There was newspaper articles filled with critic’s views of my performances.
Most people crack under pressure. They can’t take the pressure of the critisms from viewers. Everything that the critics threw at me I didn’t let it interfere with my dream. So I took the all the criticism and proved my audience wrong. With doing so it helped me become one of the greatest actors known.
What kind of limitations did you run into as both an artist and a person?
You have all the time in the world to pursue your dreams, but there comes a time when you have to step back and actually enjoy your life. In 1925 I married my beloved wife Margret Gill. (Maisah B. Robinson) After 40 years of marriage she passed on and went to the afterlife. It was hard for me to overcome my lost but I had to and move on.
In 1965 I married my second wife Amanda Pauline von Brandt. (Biography resource center; 2001) I fell in love the first time I laid eyes on her. She from Sweden. From that moment on I knew she was the one for me. We had four beautiful children together. Life is too short to worry about money and being the best at everything. You have to sometimes step back and look at the bigger things in life.
What personal stories (anecdotes) best illustrate how you became successful in the arts?
Being African-American I was faced with series of different problems. From the criticism to the physical abuse, I didn’t let anything get in my way. Being able to travel the world and perform in front of different races also helped me gain not only publicity but respect. I didn’t have the life of an average person. Losing my mother and my wife of 40 years I couldn’t let anything stop me from accomplishing my dream.
I’ve had several bumps in the road but I refuse to give up. You really have to love something with all your might to the point where nothing and I mean nothing can stop you from doing it. Not peoples’ thoughts, nothing can stop you. I came from a poor home in New York City, to one of the greatest worldwide know Shakespearean actors of time so far. It’s not easy to have a reputation like that, but only you can make it happen.
Well Mr. Aldridge I thank you for taking the time out of your day to come and tell us a little about your life, but I’m afraid that’s all the time we have on today’s broadcast. Thank you so very much.
J.J BELL1
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