BOOKS
TRANSFORMING PAIN TO POWER
Memoir, Empowerment Book
Based on his powerful, true journey from a childhood that was rife with poverty, incarceration, addiction and rage to the successful adult life he achieved, Daniel Beaty empowers the individual and encourages readers of all backgrounds to learn from their cultural and family heritage while forgiving and letting go of the negative so that only the positive remains.
KNOCK KNOCK
Children’s Book
Beaty’s spoken-word performance about a childhood lived in the shadow of incarceration is transformed into a gentler but equally affecting story for a younger audience. Illustrator, Bryan Collier’s (Fifty Cents and a Dream) watercolor collages capture the sadness of a thoughtful African-American boy whose father disappears and whose mother will not say where he has gone.
FILM & TV
CHAPTER & VERSE
Feature Film
A reformed gang leader returns to Harlem and takes a job delivering meals. When he meets and bonds with an older woman, the two of them discover there is hope and joy in their surroundings.
BEHIND THE GLASS
Documentary Film
There are an estimated 2.8 million children of incarcerated parents in the United States. Intimate and personal, BEHIND THE GLASS is a feature length documentary about the impact of mass incarceration on the children left behind and the power of the arts to help young people address this trauma.
I DREAM OF AN OMAHA WHERE
Documentary Film
Omaha, Nebraska has a long-standing problem with gangs and youth-on-youth violence and it is one of the most dangerous cities to live in for African American youth. I DREAM OF AN OMAHA WHERE . . . is a collaborative project involving former gang members and people who have been affected by gangs.
THEATRE
EMERGENCY
Present day. A Slave Ship emerges out of the Hudson River in front of the Statue of Liberty sending NYC into a frenzy. Emergency is an intricately woven, urgent, witty and moving exploration of our shared humanity and what it means to be free. An explosive play where rhythm, rhyme and remembrance rise.
THE TALLEST TREE IN THE FOREST
The Tallest Tree in the Forest is a play about the life of one of the most dynamic figures in American History – Paul Robeson. This theatrical work explores the evolution of Paul Robeson as an artist/activist, his humanity, his courage, his contradictions, and why many call him The Tallest Tree in the Forest.
MR. JOY
What happened to Mr. Joy? A Harlem community is shaken when Mr. Joy, a Chinese immigrant whose shoe repair shop has been a neighborhood pillar for decades, is the victim of an attack. Mr. Joy invites us to consider how we respond to violence as individuals and as a community, and the power of the invisible ties that bind us all.
BREATH & IMAGINATION
Breath & Imagination is the story of Roland Hayes, the first world renown African-American classical vocalist. The musical play renders the life of Hayes’ amazing journey from the plantation in Georgia to singing before kings and queens in Europe and becoming the first African-American soloist to perform with the Boston Symphony Orchestra.
THROUGH THE NIGHT
Through the Night is the story of six interconnected Black males ages 10 to 60: a child scientist, a young man from the projects on his way to college, an ex-convict, a corporate executive, a health food store owner, and the Bishop of a mega church – and the people who love them as they make it Through the Night.
PODCAST
Hosted by Daniel Beaty in 2018, Unscripted explores the art and craft of live storytelling, the creative process, professional milestones, and personal challenges that have helped shaped an artist’s life and career.
Daniel Beaty joins John to talk about selling only one ticket to a show, moving an audience mentally and emotionally, giving a voice to the voiceless, his non-profit “I Dream”, and working hard to see a diverse America represented in art.