PHOTOS: 14th Biennial National Black Theatre Festival, Co-Chaired by Darnell Williams and Debbi Morgan

Emmy-winning All My Children stars Darnell Williams and Debbi Morgan served as co-shares for the National Black Theatre Festival. Photo Credit: Sue Coflin/Max Photos

The 14th Biennial National Black Theatre Festival, an international celebration and reunion of spirit, was held August 3-8, 2015 in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, produced by The North Carolina Black Repertory Comapny, Inc. NBTF co-chairs (and All My Children legends) Debbi Morgan and Darnell Williams led the celebrity procession on opening night, which included a gala dinner and awards presentation, followed by a week filled with plays, workshops and much more with.

The star-studded festival included participation from many familiar faces from the world of daytime soap operas, including Taurean Blacque (Henry Marshall, Generations), Norm Lewis (Keith McLean, All My Children), Andre De Shields (Marshall Lincoln Kramer III, Another World), Micki Grant (Peggy Harris Nolan, Another World – one of first black contract players - along with roles in All My Children, Guiding Light, Somerset and The Edge of Night), Lamman Rucker (T. Marshall Travers, As the World Turns - along with roles on All My Children and The Young and the Restless); Chrystee Pharris (Simone Russell, Passions - currently starring in Queens of Drama), Ted Lange (Love Boat star who played a judge on General Hospital), Timothy Stickney (RJ Gannon, One Life to Live), Jackee Harry (Lily Mason, Another World); Count Stovall (Roy Franklin, As the World Turns; Cal Cummings, All My Children; Hank Chambers, The Doctors) and Roscoe Orman (Sesame Street's Gordon who once played Tyrone on All My Children).

Check out photos from the festival below:

Timothy D. Stickney: The WLS Interview, Part Three

In Parts One and Two of our exclusive and fascinating interview with Timothy D. Stickney, the multi-talented artist discussed his draw to classical Shakespearean theater, his reaction to being told he doesn't "exist" as a black man in the arts, his response to ignorance and prejudice in his professional career, as well as his meticulous attention to R.J.'s dialogue on ONE LIFE TO LIVE.  In the third and final part below, Stickney reveals racism that took place on and off screen, and ways that we can all be part of affecting change in our communities. 

WE LOVE SOAPS TV: In 12 years I don’t remember R.J. Gannon ever having one hot and heavy love scene.  The other men that started in 1994-95 were constantly taking their clothes off.  How much of that was racially motivated?
Timothy D. Stickney: I often had opportunities squashed.  They will never, ever say it this way, but I had opportunities squashed because of the racist population in their audience.  It wasn't even people who consider themselves “racist,” but people who become very uncomfortable with stories that mixed different races. 

There was a crime-based story that could have put the Gannon family in the forefront.  The bad guy was not going to belong to any specific group, but he was a racist who didn’t like all the mixing of friends and romantic partners in Llanview.  They decided to cut that part out.  They also had the false realization that the same viewers weren’t as disturbed by Latino characters because they didn’t think of them as “black” or whatever.  They were almost “white” which meant they didn’t get the same amount of letters.  So a lot of opportunity went away from us and then was rewritten to involve the Vega family and their friends.  And we were out.  That was that.

Timothy D. Stickney: The WLS Interview, Part Two

In Part One of our interview with Timothy D. Stickney, the acclaimed actor discussed his current role on stage as Macbeth, why he has been drawn to Shakespearean roles through his career, and the ignorance and prejudiced he has had confronted as an African-American actor.  In Part Two below, Stickney expounds further on his experience coping with racism in entertainment, plus reveals how he nearly became part of the ONE LIFE TO LIVE writing team.  Was R.J. speaking in iambic pentameter? Find out below! 

WE LOVE SOAPS TV: What was it like for you to get the feedback that you spoke too clean and too well educated to play a black man in modern America?
Timothy D. Stickney: It was infuriating.  I am pretty easy going, but I was often enraged.  They are looking at me and telling me I don’t exist.  And I’m not so special a creature to think I’m the only one.  Those who create work, those that hire you for work, either had no experience of a wide range of people of color, or they were not going to allow this new stereotype to be propagated.  So they, having the power, kept me out.  Then it was also frustrating that once I was in a classical piece, somewhere in the review it would be brought up that a black man did not have this position in society at that time.  So not only did I not exist now, but I couldn’t exist then [laughs].  Apparently black men just fell on the planet in the last 50 years without achievements or positions, not even in imagination.  So I’ve carried a satchel of disappointment and frustration based on people’s lack of knowledge and prejudice.  But this is America.  If I was an adult black man and didn’t have that, that would be a miracle. 

WE LOVE SOAPS TV: Most of us see our lives reflected somewhere in media.  You haven’t. 

Timothy D. Stickney: The WLS Interview, Part One

Soap fans know Timothy D. Stickney best for his fascinating portrayal of R.J. Gannon on ONE LIFE TO LIVE.  For twelve years he played the classic "bad" guy who could win his family and friends (and the audience) over effortlessly with one flash of his tooth-filled smile. What most viewers haven't seen are his accomplishments on theater stages tackling some of Shakespeare toughest roles.  In this exclusive multi-part interview, Stickney shares his experience of performing Shakespeare, coping with racism in the theater and television community, and insights into how prejudice and "quiet fears" continue to inform the entertainment we witness today.

In Part One below, Stickney shares his attraction to the play "Macbeth"and shares aspects of his current staging of this classic piece.  How do the themes relate to current political events? Continue reading to find out.