Interview: Kendrick 'KayB' Brown of FENCES at ALLEY THEATRE
August Wilson on one of Houston's biggest stages, and KayB is ready!
The Alley Theatre will be producing August Wilson's Fences. It opens April 17th, runs through May 10th, and will be on the big stage, the Hubbard Theater. It's directed by Eileen Morris. BROADWAY WORLD writer Brett Cullum got a chance to talk with actor Kendrick “KayB” Brown about the show.
Brett Cullum: Well, okay, so, fences. Who are you playing in this?
Kendrick Brown: I'm playing the role of Lyons. Oh! And yeah, this is… this is, like, my second time playing it, and this is one of my favorite plays, so I'm very, very excited to be at the Alley with this one.
Brett Cullum: Yeah, I was gonna ask you what it means to be doing August Wilson at the Alley. It’s a great combo, but what does it mean to you to be sharing this piece with the Alley?
Kendrick Brown: You know what? It actually means a lot, and I'm going to tell you exactly why, because in high school, 9th grade, the first play I ever read was Fences. In our English class, GT Honors English, 1 or 2. It was the first play I ever read, and I didn't know that theater was written like this. I always thought about just Broadway and musicals and things like that. That was my aspect of theater at that time, because I wasn't even in theater at that time. So, fast-forward: it's my senior year, and I've still never seen a play. So the first play I ever went to was Jitney, at the Alley. And now, full circle, I'm at the Alley playing Fences, the first play I ever read with some of the actual cast members that were in Jitney at the time of that show I saw my senior year in high school. It's like the biggest blessing in the world, like, it's like, it's crazy. It's like the theater gods were here for me on this one, you know what I mean?
Brett Cullum: Now, I know, speaking of theaters, you were with the Ensemble. And you've done some stuff there. What does Black theater mean to that community? I mean, what is it that makes it special for them?
Kendrick Brown: You know what, for me, what I really learned working there over these many, many years is it's a family. The community is a big, big, big thing. Like, my… they know my wife, they know my kids, I know other people's spouses, their kids. It's like a big community. It's not just theater, which is a big part of it, but we always congregate, talk, it's like a big, big, big, big community. And that's one thing that I really, really, really loved working at the ensemble, because you know, that community is something that we really, really need, especially in these times, and to go to a place where you can feel safe, to have a good conversation, you feel secure to talk about whatever's going on with people that understand where you're coming from, it's just a good feeling. So working at the ensemble has been an ultimate blessing for me, especially since it's been the beginning of my professional career.
Brett Cullum: When did you start with the Ensemble?
Kendrick Brown: Actually, in 2007. My first show was One Monkey Don't Stop No Show. Yeah. And I won my first Georgia Award, so I was, I was, I was super, super excited. Super, super excited. So, ever since then, I never, never stopped.
Brett Cullum: Yeah, is this your first time being on the big Alley stage?
Kendrick Brown: It absolutely is, yes, sir.
Brett Cullum: Oh, awesome. Could you tell me a little bit about the audition?
Kendrick Brown: Well, I got the audition notice about 2 weeks in advance. I prepared for a week. I went over the lines, I knew what scene, they sent it to us, they sent us the sides, and I memorized it. I went through it, made sure I was ready, I was prepared, like, I really, really, really wanted this role, especially at The Alley Theatre in Houston, being that I'm from the city. I really, really wanted my people to come see me on one of the world's biggest stages. So, I really wanted it all prepared. Once I went into the audition, we had to record it so that everybody could see it. We read through it, and once you did, I honestly felt like, you know, this was maybe a calling that was gonna come my way, and I'm so thankful that it did.
Brett Cullum: What about who else is in this cast?
Kendrick Brown: Oh, yeah, I have Alex Morris, who's playing Bono. Of course, my guy David Rainey, who's playing Troy. Michelle Elaine, who is playing Rose. And then Amarie Patton is playing the role of Corey. As well as Mila and Paisley, who are trading off playing the young girl. So, it's a great, great, great, great cast. As I said, I've worked with David, Alex, and Michelle before. This is my first time working with Aramie, but he's an awesome, awesome actor. Very, very dedicated and detailed. Love working with him. Oh, and I forgot, I forgot my guy Tim. Timothy Eric, who's playing the role of Gabriel as well.
Brett Cullum: You know, we're talking about this play, and you and I, I mean, obviously, we're, like, theater nerds, if you will, so we know Fences, right? But if you were going to describe this play to somebody who had never seen it, what would you say Fences is about?
Kendrick Brown: I would say it's a story about family. A struggle, how to get through those struggles, how to deal with… if I couldn't find a better term, some demons that we deal with, traumas that we may have had growing up that come back and deal with us, even in our adulthood, and how we approach things. It's just a… it's a gambit of, like, family interactions and things that you experience on highs and lows of friendships, marriage, and just community. So, you know, how you deal with the workspace and dealing with the times that we're in, how race plays within the fact of ideology, and how you think about things. So, it's just a family's gambit dealing with all those issues. That's what I would say.
Brett Cullum: Well, how did you get into acting growing up?
Kendrick Brown: Yeah, yeah, like, so I was actually a football player. So, one of our football teammates was in a play, Ms. Everest's boys at the school. I went to see it, and I was looking at it, and I'm like, he's good, but I could do this better than him. And I was like, alright, any audition that comes up next, I'm gonna go ahead and try this out. And once I went to an audition, I actually made it. And then once I made it into the class, I had a great teacher, Ezekiel Morgan, when I was in high school at Rilla Ridge. And he would do monologues in the middle of all this chaos, making it stop and paying attention to him. So I was very, very attracted to how he could use his voice, his tones, his colors, his vocal variety, and control a room, even in total chaos. So I loved it, and then I kind of grew into it, and I just made a commitment to my life to make sure theater was top priority, as far as my craft is concerned.
Brett Cullum: Do you have, like, a favorite role you've done?
Kendrick Brown: You know, honestly, I've done, I've been in The Piano Lesson, Seven Guitars, now Fences—any August Wilson piece has been awesome. But my first actual professional production of One Monkey Don't Stop No Show at the ensemble, I will have to say that's my best experience as far as getting into the professional world, and seeing how it goes, and the joy that people have coming to work, which is something that I love, even coming to the alley. Like, everybody loves coming into the space, getting to work. We really love it, so it's something that I enjoy. So that's what really got me into theater.
Brett Cullum: If there's a little Kendrick out there, what would you say to a young actor?
Kendrick Brown: I would say take your life experiences, indulge in them, enjoy life, because those experiences relate on stage. Take anything, observe, sit down, be quiet, listen. And take in, because all those things that you can take in, you can use for roles, different aspects of personalities that you want to be. So all those things played into helping me become an actor. Like, I would literally sit on a bench in a park and just be quiet and observe. And just watch, taking voices, taking noises, how people react to the noises and sounds and things, and I use those things on stage with little nuances, even when I don't have lines, or I'm not important, but I'm there. It's something that has to keep my mind focused, or the audience, like, why is he there? What is his point? And those little things of seeing and observing help me on stage.
Brett Cullum: It's so funny how it's about listening. It's so funny how it's about taking in the other stuff around you. I think everybody thinks of it as, like, this, you know, I'm the spotlight. And they always tell you, every acting teacher I've ever had, acting is reacting.
But we're gonna be excited to see you react to August Wilson's Fences at the Alley, April 17th through May 10th. Kendrick Brown and a cast that is just stacked. It's gonna be amazing. So, thank you for taking the time to talk about it. I'm excited.
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