Q&A with AfroSolo Founder Thomas Robert Simpson

By Shelah Moody

Thomas Robert Simpson is a visionary. As founder, curator, artistic director,  producer and administrator of the AfroSolo Theatre Company, Simpson aims to provide a forum for African Americans and people of the African Diaspora to give  voice to our unique experience; to tell our stories from our point of view. In 2006, Simpson, who holds a degree in psychology, received the prestigious Jefferson Award for Public Service for his contributions to the arts.

Since its inception, 18 years ago, AfroSolo has hosted acclaimed artists such as Ruby Dee, Dick Gregory, Mavis Staples, the late musician Charles Brown, gospel singer Emmitt Powell, the late poet, June Jordan and opera singer Hope Foye, a protégée of Paul Robeson.

The theme of this year AfroSolo Arts Festival, which runs through October 20, is “UNITED IN PEACE II: Artists, Clergy, Legislators, and Community.”

Q: Your family has a strong history of Civil Rights activism. Can you talk about how growing up in the segregated South inspired you to venture into the arts?

A: Well, at the time, I didn’t realize that it was influencing me; that’s just the way things were. I grew up in Nashville, TN, in the segregated South in the 1960s. It had a big impact on me just in terms of feeling accepted; feeling nurtured and wanted; going to school and feeling not quite as good as whites. There was a big difference in how the two groups were treated then and how we are treated now.

One of the big influences was with black music, and how black music had begun to take on a positive note around race. I remember some of the Temptations’ songs, some Stevie Wonder songs, Aretha Franklin songs, Curtis Mayfield songs and of course, Sam Cooke’s “A change is Gonna Come.”  But the big one that hit was James Brown’s “Say it Loud, I’m Black and I’m Proud.” That had a significant impact not only on me, but black people in general. That was how we felt about each other.

I come from a large family; five brothers and five sisters. Two of my sisters were deeply involved with the Civil Rights movement. One of my sisters was one of the original Freedom Riders, and another sister participated in a number of sit-ins in Nashville, which was one of the central cities for the Civil Rights Movement in the sixties.

Q: You wrote a play based on one of your experiences during the Civil Rights Movement.

A: As you know, AfroSolo focuses on solo artists. My emphasis, in terms of writing and performance, has been on writing plays on the black male experience. I write pieces that are 15 to 30 minutes in length. I take an incident or a period of time and try to explore it by turning it into an artistic endeavor. One of those is called “There is No Hatred Here,” which deals with the Civil Rights Movement. It deals with it primarily through two characters, although in the solo piece, I play about nine characters. One character is a kid who you see growing up to be a black militant. You also see his father, who is a minister who doesn’t want him getting involved. The conclusion explores how the two of them come together around these issues. I’ve performed this piece several times in past AfroSolo Arts Festivals. This year, I won’t be participating as a performer.

Q: When did you move to San Francisco and what inspired you to start AfroSolo?

A: I moved to San Francisco in 1984. My goal was to live here for one year while I decided whether I was going to go to New York or Los Angeles. Among the seeds that were planted that fertilized AfroSolo; one was a birthday party that I threw for myself in 1989, when I turned 39. It was scheduled to be a one time event, but people kept asking me what we were going to do the next year so we kept doing parties. We thought it would make a nice annual event. In 1994, we had our first official festival entitled AfroSolo.

It’s grown in several ways over 18 years. It was primarily focused around theater and dance. Now it’s gone from theater and dance to music and spoken word and visual arts. We have panel discussions. There’s a health component.

Q: How do you feel about this year’s diverse AfroSolo lineup of talent?

A: Our lineup is probably more diverse than usual in several different ways. It’s diverse in terms of the mediums that we’re using and also in terms of participants and perspectives. Our theme this year is peace. We’re not describing what peace is or how peace should be, but tying to allow each individual to come to a realization of what peace means to them. In terms of diversity, it goes from a panel discussion about the role that peace has played in people’s lives, to a concert about  peace, to us asking community members to perform an act of peace during the first weekend of August. We’re also getting proclamations and commendations from our political leaders and legislators promoting peace in the area as well as getting churches to perform acts of peace. What’s new this year is that we are part of a four week staged play “Waiting for Giovanni,” by Jewelle Gomez. It’s being staged at the New Conservatory Theatre Center. It’s different for us because we really haven’t produced an ensemble piece. But we are honoring Jewelle Gomez as a solo artist as the writer of this phenomenal piece.

Q: What inspired this year’s festival’s theme of peace?

A: I think peace is an aspiration that everybody has. We may not all agree on what it is or how to get there, but I think everybody wants peace. I think it’s a universal desire. Part of my goal for AfroSolo with  the arts is to inform, educate and inspire. We want to inform, educate and inspire people around peace. Hopefully, through the different events, mediums and projects that we are presenting at this year’s festival, some of that will come through.

Upcoming AfroSolo events: “Waiting For Giovanni,” a play by Jewelle Gomez, based on the life of James Baldwin,” through Sept. 18, New Conservatory Theatre, 25 Van Ness Ave, SF., www.nctsf.org.

The Carnegie Hall Concert Featuring the New Jacqueline Harris Ensemble, Sun Sept. 25, African American Art and Culture Complex, 762 Fulton St., SF, www.afrosolo.org,

For information, go to www.afrosolo.org.