LAYON GRAY
by Genea L. Webb
For New Pittsburgh Courier
Writer, director and actor Layon Gray invites New Horizon Theater-goers on a journey of self-discovery in his play, “WeBeIMe.”
”It is one man’s journey through his past. He is on death row for murdering his father who abused him. He’s been on death row for 15 years and on the day of his execution, the man takes an internal walk across eight different parts of his life,” Gray told the New Pittsburgh Courier. “Eight different actors portray the different times in his life. I wrote this play in 2007-2008 as an experiment based on a female show that I wrote (“Diary of a Catholic School Dropout,” which explores one woman’s emotional journey through eight different personalities). I wanted to see how this would work from the Black male perspective.”
The play became a massive hit in New York and Los Angeles. It sold out after its first performance at the National Black Theater Festival in 2007. In 2009, “WebeIMe” won several awards at the Midtown International Theater festival including Best Director, Best Ensemble, Best Lead Actor and Best Play Choreographer. It even caught the attention of a then-little-known actor, writer, director and fellow playwright, Tyler Perry.
“Everyone wanted to see these Black men on stage. Tyler Perry saw the play when he was on the verge of becoming a megastar. It touched him so much,” Gray said.
Gray tackles the tough subject matter of abuse by showing audiences the importance of talking about the situation despite the ugliness of it.
“We are talking about abuse. People don’t talk about it, they typically keep it sheltered in,” Gray said. “We are bringing that issue to the stage. I rarely do this play because it’s hard for the actors to do the activity each night. There is dancing and singing to music of the ‘60s. There are definitely lighter moments in the play.”
When asked about the intriguing name of the play, Gray commented: “‘WeBeIMe’ equals one person, me as a whole. We become I, we become me. I am one person,” he said.
The actors in “WeBeIMe” are: David Roberts as Black man #1; Gray as Black man #2; Ryan Sett as Black man #3; Laman K. Cheston as Black man #4; Dontonio Demarco as Black man #5, Aaron Watkin as Black Man #6; Clinton Faulkner as Black Man #7; and Thaddeus Daniels as Black Man #8.
“WebeIme,” which will open New Horizon Theater’s 36th season, will run Sept. 28 to Oct. 1 at the Public Theater’s Helen Wayne Rauh Rehearsal Hall, 621 Penn Ave., Downtown. Tickets are $35 for general admission; $30 for seniors aged 65 and over; students aged 16 and above 18 and over are $20. Group rates are available for groups of 10 or more attending the same performance. For tickets call 412-431-0773 or email: newhorizontheater@yahoo.com. Tickets can also be purchased at Dorsey’s Digital Imaging on Frankstown Avenue or at newhorizontheater.org. Showtimes are: Thursday, Friday and Saturday, 7:30 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday matinees at 3 p.m.
Thanks to a new collaboration between New Horizon Theater and Public Theater, all of New Horizon Theater’s plays this year will be held at this venue. The organization’s annual fundraising event will be held at the O’Reilly Theater.
“We are excited to be in these new locations,” New Horizon Theater Chairperson Joyce Meggerson-Moore said.
Moore and Gray are both excited to be working together once again.
“For the past seven or eight years one of my tales has opened New Horizon Theater’s season. We are always excited to bring a new piece to the community of Pittsburgh,” said Gray, who is currently writing a new play about the syphilis outbreak in the 1960s. He is also writing a new musical in the BMI Musical workshop in Manhattan. His film, “Layon Gray’s Letters of Tuskegee,” is streaming now on Amazon.
“He has some deep plays. I hope that won’t turn people away,” explained Meggerson-Moore. “With most of Layon’s plays you have to be attentive. If you fall asleep or your mind wanders, you will miss something.”