AKIN BABATUNDE Performs
"OBITUARY"
at
VIP Reception, September 6
From climbing in a casket to jumping in a grave, actor AKIN BABATUNDE’
performs solo in this hilarious and gut busting comedy about black
funerals in specific African American communities.
This hilarious one man show expertly
explores the humor, tragedy, and cultural expression of the black
funeral.
Mr. Babatunde’ is an accomplished actor, director, writer whose theatrical career spans the regional-off- broadway- to international stages of the world-film and T.V. He has been a resident company member of several prestigious theatrical institutions throughout the country Trinity Repertory Company-Providence, R.I., Alley Theater-Houston, Texas, La Mama Theater- N.Y. and the Dallas Theater Center. He has served as founder and artistic director of Vivid Theater Ensemble of Dallas and presently founder of Ebony Emeralds Classic Theater Company. Mr. Babatunde’ is a native of Brooklyn, New York. Although Mr. Babatunde’ has a national presence he chooses Dallas as his artistic base and continues to mentor aspiring artists throughout the metroplex. He is the theater specialist consultant for Dallas Independent School District. He has served as acting coach for celebrated recording artists such as Regina Belle, David Peaston, Allyson Williams and the late great Phyllis Hyman. He was the first African- American to direct for the Dallas Shakespeare Festival in the celebrated diverse production of “Taming of the Shrew” in 1993.
As a writer Mr. Babatunde’s work has been commissioned by Florida Stage and Teen Pregnancy of Broward County- Florida Humanities Council-La Mama Theater- Dallas Office of Cultural Affairs-Arts Council; Cuney, Texas-Brown University-Black Academy of Arts and Letters- Documentary Arts- Core Ensemble (internationally celebrated chamber ensemble) His work “Shakespeare-Midnight Echoes” tours throughout the Dallas metroplex paying homage to black performing artists who mastered the bard (Shakespeare) from slavery to the present. In the South Florida area he has performed at Florida Stage, Caldwell Theater, and Duncan Theater and toured extensively with Core Ensemble in his one man show “Of Ebony Embers-vignettes of the Harlem renaissance.” His one-man show he wrote along with his brother celebrated actor Obba Babatunde entitled “Before the Second Set- a visit with Satchmo” had its world premiere at TBAAL and received critical acclaim at theaters across the country.
His direction of “Blind Lemon-Prince of Country Blues” at Addison Center Theater, starring national recording artist David Peaston, garnered him a best director nomination, and along with co-writer Alan Govenar, the 2001 Leon Rabin Award for best new play. Their new version “Blind Lemon Blues” continues to tour successfully throughout Europe in Paris, Switzerland, Brussels, Amsterdam, and Mount Jolie. “Blind Lemon Blues” received rave notices in its New York premiere at Central Park’s Summer Stage and off-Broadway at the York Theater for which he won an Audelco award for “Best Director of a Musical”. Mr. Babatunde’ was a featured baritone soloist at the Dallas Museum of Art in the Dallas premiere of Duke Ellington’s sacred concert an directed the “2007 and 2010 God’s Leading Ladies Graduation event” for First Lady Sarita Jakes at the Potters House.
Most recently Mr. Babatunde’ had the distinction of playing Doug in the critically acclaimed Southwest premiere of “Dividing the Estate” for the Dallas/ Fort Worth metroplex Horton Foote Theater Festival.
His work has been awarded with a D’ magazine citation, Providence Journal, Dallas Observer Best of the Best- best actor award (the first African-American to receive this distinction), 1991 and 2004 Dallas Critics Forum Award, KRLD community service award, 2004 Legacy of Success-Alvin Ailey Performing Arts Award and the 2008 Jubilee Theater Mendie Award for his production of “Blue”. He has been the recipient of the prestigious Individual Artists Grant Award from the Palm Beach Cultural Council to create a new works “Harvest of Voices” based on the quaint and diverse Florida towns in Lake Worth, Belle Glades, Fort Lauderdale and Delray Beach.
Mr. Babatunde’ holds a Masters of Arts degree in Humanities from the University of Texas at Dallas and was their 2007 Performance Innovative Artist. Mr. Babatunde serves as adjunct professor at Mountain View Community College and as lecturer at UTD.
REVIEWS
of
OBITURAY
"Babatunde is a marvel as he delivers his side-splitting, 65-minute commentary, which is beautifully structured and superbly delivered. His enunciation is so perfect that a speech professor would envy it. He also punctuates his prose with bits of gorgeous a cappella singing, which often garnered applause or laughter of recognition from Monday’s sold-out crowd of 147 (that’s right — a complete sellout on a Monday night). So if you attend a funeral in the next few days and you hear people trying to suppress a chuckle, try not to judge them harshly. They may have caught Babatunde’s show and now have a new, comically skewed view of the whole process.- …"
Fort Worth Star Telegram review of “Obituary”- Obituary Is Dead Funny by Punch Shaw- June 23, 2009
"Babatunde is known for holding audiences in the palm of his of hand…"
Dallas Morning News review by Lawson Taitte- Nov. 12, 2008
"Mr. Smith expertly showcases the immense artistry of both writer and actor. Mr. Babatunde the actor speaks, sings and even dances in a poetic symphony that mirrors the precisely coordinated obsequy rituals that Mr. Babatunde the writer so adroitly describes.This energetic show was a definite crowd-pleaser regardless of race, age or background. Mr. Babatunde possesses that rare form of talent composed of equal parts hilarity and solemnity, and he is able to effortlessly dispense both. It would be nearly impossible to not feel the range of emotions that unfold onstage. Mr. Babatunde’s fervor infected the audience who responded in kind with spontaneous shouts of affirmation…"
Pegaus News review-November 13th, 2008-by Rick A. Elina is a playwright based in Plano and is the Theatre Critic for the North Dallas Gazette.
It takes a larger-than-life character to fill a stage by himself. Akin Babatunde pulls it off smashingly…in one-man comedies during this year's run of the National Black Theatre Festival -- Babatunde as Avon Von Schmidt, a man with the unusual hobby of attending strangers' funerals, in Obituary. As Obituary opens, we catch Von Schmidt reading the morning paper. He strolls around the sparse set in silky blue pajamas, lecturing on the nuances of black funerals.
It takes a larger-than-life character to fill a stage by himself. Akin Babatunde pulls it off smashingly…in one-man comedies during this year's run of the National Black Theatre Festival -- Babatunde as Avon Von Schmidt, a man with the unusual hobby of attending strangers' funerals, in Obituary. As Obituary opens, we catch Von Schmidt reading the morning paper. He strolls around the sparse set in silky blue pajamas, lecturing on the nuances of black funerals.