Theatre Of The Mind:
The Rosiland Cauthen Interview

Written by: Slangston Hughes
Photography by: Eyeni Photography, Timothy Christmas, and Zizwe Allette

 

Recently I had the privilege of interviewing Rosiland Cauthen, director of the “Kuumba Theatre Collective”, which led to one of the most inspiring conversations I have ever engaged in about not just theatre, but the nature and importance of the role the arts play in general…

 

Slangston: So, first question, hmm… tell me more about The Kuumba Collective and its origins. How and when did it get started? And what is its particular mission or purpose, if indeed you do have one?

Rosiland: Okay. Well, Kuumba started back in 2003 when I was at Towson studying for my masters in their MSA theatre program. And I noticed what I saw as such a lack of diversity in not just the theatre program and activities on campus, but the arts overall and, honestly, more so a lack of the Black arts being represented. Yet, there was a number of Black students that I noticed on campus who had a focus on or were involved in some way in the arts on their own, and I actually walked around and handed out surveys to these different various students I would see, basically asking if they were seeing the same things or noticed the same lack of diversity that I was seeing and the overwhelming response was “Yes!” And that’s how Kuumba was basically re-formed and kind of restarted again, really, because it had actually eXisted at Towson before in the 70’s and 80’s on campus and had, for awhile, become this big movement and platform for Black theatre and arts on campus and this was just, in a way, the re-lunching of it. And the really cool thing about Kumbaa is that a lot of artists who are on the scene and really doing very big things now all have roots with Kumbaa and at Towson and were doing things with us then in the beginning in 2003 and helping us lay that foundation 7 years ago. People like Jamal Collier aka Black Root and Rahsaan Eldridge aka Wordslave back before Axiom was formed were doing things with Kuumba back then in the beginning and so many people. Jessica [aka 3rd Eyesis], Jasmine [aka J. Pope] and there’s just really a big contingency of people from Kumbaa back then that are really representing and doing big things all across the scene now. I remember there was such a quality collection of Black artists on the campus then. Rebecca Dupas, I remember, was the president of the Black Student Union and was starting to do her thing in the Spoken Word scene and just countless others. And we started out doing shows on campus for free and now we’ve used and done productions at a number of venues across the city, from Theatre Project, Coppin State, Arena Players, Creative Alliance, etc…

 

“You have a few people on the outskirts, but they’re so out of touch with the masses—the every man—that
they don’t even know that they’re in the fucking matriX because they’re so far out. So, they can’t even reach or
help the blind that they need to be helping because they’ve removed themselves too far from the matriX or
the identified problem. So, I think we should be really trying to move further into it instead of eXcape it, because
you can’t eXcape it. So, then you should move into it and help change it…”

 

Slangston: So, with the last production you guys did, “We Are Crying Out”, you addressed a very serious issue that really needed to be addressed in the issue of violet crime and the high murder rate in Baltimore City, especially amongst youth in Baltimore City. Do you feel that it’s a part of your mission as a director and as a collective to try and actually say something worthwhile with a message in the work you present on stage?

Rosiland: Yes, definitely! I mean, there are two different schools of thought. One that says it should be simply “art for art’s sake” and another that stresses “Theatre or arts for the benefit of society”. Trying to bring about social change… Having and making people actually think… And I think both are needed. That balance is important to have, but, at the same time, the arts are a good way to engage the people and use it as a tool to uplift the masses as a whole. With “We Are Crying Out”, so many people reached out to me with their own personal stories about how violence had affected them and their families and people close to them and I really believe that the arts can be a part of the healing process. And the same thing with “No Child [Left Behind]” and the conversation it engaged about the various issues in the school system and the problems with the lack of education and what that means for our children and the community we live in. The arts are a way to deal with these various issues that effect us all, and I would say it is definitely our mission to help uplift the people, but also uplift the Black artists.

 

Slangston: So, what is your take on the current state of Black Theatre?

Rosiland: Wow! Good one. I could talk all day long about that one! I mean, already the arts is risky. When you tell someone you’re an artist, it’s already looked at as such an alternative choice to begin with and contradictory to the status quo. To even be bold enough to make that choice of being an artist, but then you really take it to the next step when you say you’re a Black artist and in our community there’s such a lack of knowledge or understanding and sense of history about what Black theatre is—Usually, when you say you do theatre, most of our peoples’ first thought or reference is Tyler Perry. It’s like. “Oh, so, you do stuff like Tyler Perry?” And it’s like, “No. There’s so much more to it than just that.” So many other people that don’t get talked about. People like Amiri Baraka, Sonia Sanchez, Ntozake Shange, August Wilson, Tarell McCraney, and even right here in Baltimore with Arena Players, which is the oldest community theatre in the nation!

 

“Usually, when you say you do theatre, most of our peoples’ first thought or reference is Tyler Perry. It’s like.
“Oh, so, you do stuff like Tyler Perry?” And it’s like, “No. There’s so much more to it than just that.” So many
other people that don’t get talked about. People like Amiri Baraka, Sonia Sanchez, Ntozake Shange, August
Wilson, Tarell McCraney, and even right here in Baltimore with Arena Players, which is the oldest community theatre in the nation!”

 

Slangston: So, do you feel that an artist has a responsibility in their content that what they present—should it be saying something? Is the artist responsible for raising the audience’s awareness, as oppose to just making art for art’s sake?

Rosiland: Oh, wow! Great question! Well, I have two answers. Well, no. I think it is the artists’ responsibility, but, at the same time, the artists has the right to not tackle that responsibility, as well, if they choose not to. I mean, you do need the light stuff, too. You need the humor, as well. You need the tragedy, the drama, and the comedy.

 

Slangston: Okay. Last question, and this I ask a lot of people, but how do you personally eXcape your own personally matriX? How do you personally eXcape the illusion that is the world?

Rosiland: Wow! That’s deep! I don’t think you can. No eXcape! I honestly feel like to be effective you have to stay and deal with it. I mean, you have a few people on the outskirts, but they’re so out of touch with the masses—the every man—that they don’t even know that they’re in the fucking matriX because they’re so far out. So, they can’t even reach or help the blind that they need to be helping because they’ve removed themselves too far from the matriX or the identified problem. So, I think we should be really trying to move further into it instead of eXcape it, because you can’t eXcape it. So, then you should move into it and help change it.

 

 

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