
Date: 02/26/2023 Time: 7:00 PM
Location
Mainstage Theatre, Kleist Center for Art & Drama
95 E Bagley Rd
Berea
BWMT alumnus Roderick Lawrence will visit campus and lead a talkback following the viewing of the short film “Silent Partner” which Lawrence created, starred in, and produced. The multi-award-winning short film explores microaggressions’ effect on Black men’s mental health. The story centers around Silas Jones (Roderick Lawrence), an accomplished Black trial attorney who successfully defends a white woman who murdered a Black teen. The film, which also stars 2022 Tony Award® nominee Kara Young (CLYDE’S) and Emmy Winner Michael Park (DEAR EVAN HANSEN), explores microaggressions in the workplace and the toll it takes on one’s mental health and family.
Appearing in film festivals from the East to the West Coast and taking audiences through a range of emotions along the way since its premiere at the 2021 Run&Shoot Filmworks Martha’s Vineyard African American Film Festival, “Silent Partner” has been highly acclaimed, winning Best Short Film and Best Director Awards at numerous festivals and is a current finalist in the HBO Max® Latino Short Film Competition. The film has earned 16 official festival selections to date, including 4 Oscar-qualifying festival selections and 7 awards/nominations.
BWMT alumnus Roderick Lawrence has performed across the country and on many New York and LA stages. Co-Founder of Black Man Films, he is a 2020 AUDELCO nominee and a 2022 winner for BEST ACTOR at the BronzeLens Film Festival of Atlanta. His credits include Simba in Disney’s THE LION KING National Tour, Ramses in the Broadway-bound THE PRINCE OF EYGPT, Othello in John Leguizamo’s OTHELLO: THE REMIX, BeBe Winans in BORN FOR THIS: THE MUSICAL, Floyd Barton in August Wilson’s SEVEN GUITARS, and Jesus in GODSPELL. Lawrence is repped by Kat Hargrave at DGRW.