ALL PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF TRINITY REPERTORY COMPANY AND JOE WILSON JR .
us about An Octoroon . What has it been like for you , producing this work ? Well , this is a very different play from A Christmas Carol . It ’ s based upon a Dion Boucicault melodrama , and it ’ s written by Branden Jacobs- Jenkins , who is , I think ,
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taught .
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I think my task , throughout my life , has been to unravel those narratives that we ’ ve all been
6 . Wilson Jr . is an assistant professor and artist-in-residence of theatre and dance at Wheaton College , in Norton , Mass . tives that we ’ ve all been taught . I think the story is a powerful exploration of needing to dismantle these narratives . And I think , in the end , the play is an affirmation of the power of art — that art can be used for good . Art can be used to destroy ; art can be used to uplift ; art can be used to celebrate . But the point is , art is an active state that has consequences .
It sounds like you ’ ll be very busy throughout the next few months ; you have another show around the same time at Trinity Rep . Can you tell us a little bit about that ? I will be in the production of August Wilson ’ s Gem of the Ocean and I ’ m also going to be teaching at Wheaton College 6 . And so I have a lot ahead of me , but I feel so grateful to be able to be in this time and to be able to do all of this work .
There ’ s a piece of me that suffers from a little bit of survivor ’ s guilt because I know there are so many people out there who are suffering right now . Our industry has shifted . Our industry has shrunk and shrunk
ABOVE : In 2018 , Wilson Jr . served as the understudy for Denzel Washington in the Broadway hit , The Iceman Cometh . LEFT :, Wilson Jr . is also a figurehead in Providence ’ s LGBTQIA + community , as shown in a photo from the city ’ s 2016 PrideFest night parade and , below left , as grand marshal in 2017 . one of the most important young Black playwrights writing right now . It is a retelling of a melodrama , which takes place on a slave plantation in Louisiana . But the play is not about what happens on that plantation ; it ’ s about the retelling of this tale by writers and stage actors and what it means to be an artist in a time when we ’ re reckoning with issues around inequality and race .
When you think about melodramas like The Birth of a Nation — even minstrelsy , you know , the Brer Rabbit stories — the way that we ’ ve used tales to help us understand who we have become is a direct descendant of white supremacy and anti-Blackness .
I think my task , throughout my life , has been to unravel those narraand is still very uncertain for those who are privileged enough to be a part of that smaller footprint . And so you ’ re not going to hear me complain about working . I guess I ’ m just trying to continue to do it with grace and to do it with purpose . I ’ m invigorated with where we are now , in the midst of being very tired sometimes .
I wouldn ’ t be a lifestyle writer if I didn ’ t ask you about your personal life . You ’ re very busy professionally . You have a lot going on ; you ’ re a community leader . How do you spend your days when you ’ re not doing this work ? I have really good friends . I love to go out to eat ; I love to watch Netflix . And , you know , I ’ m a big fan of Saturday and Sunday sports . But I also like to spend time alone . For a long time , I was always like , wah wah wah , I don ’ t have many people in my life . And why is that ? I ’ ve come to realize : Joe , you set it up that way .
And sometimes it ’ s difficult to let people step into that space because I ’ m a little bit of a control freak , too . But every day I try to find time to do something nice for myself . I was raised on the philosophy of : “ Every day , do something for your business .” The older I ’ ve gotten , I ’ ve understood along with doing something for your business every day , do something for yourself , whether that ’ s buying a new frock or getting a manicure , which I really have kind of gotten into lately . I ’ m loving color .
In terms of my dating life — that ’ s a whole other story ; that ’ s basically nonexistent . But that ’ s okay .
We ’ ll spread the word . Please , oh my god — please spread the word . A few years ago , I was on an eligible bachelor list so I ’ m here to say : I ’ m still eligible . �
See Joe Wilson Jr .’ s An Octoroon at the Gamm Theatre in Warwick now through February 20 , and catch him in Trinity Rep ’ s Gem of the Ocean , directed by Jude Sandy , from February 24 through March 27 .
This interview , compiled from two conversations , was edited and condensed for clarity .
RHODE ISLAND MONTHLY l FEBRUARY 2022 65