Playwright Carlyle Brown will take on the additional duties of actor Carlyle Brown when his new play "American Family" premieres at Park Square Theatre next month. Actor James A. Williams, who was scheduled to play a key role, has been cast in the Signature Theatre's new production of Athol Fugard's "My Children! My Africa." That production opens April 2 in New York.
Williams is currently appearing in a New Jersey production of "Jitney." Ruben Santiago-Hudson, who directed that show, is also staging the Fugard play. He asked Williams to audition in front of Fugard and the Minneapolis actor got the job.
James Williams/photo by Tom Wallace
"My three favorite playwrights are August Wilson, William Shakespeare and Athol Fugard," Williams said. "They sent me a copy of the script, I fell in love with it and it was one of those things that even before I considered doing the audition, I said I can't walk away from it."
Brown's play explores American identity from an African-American perspective, using a central character who is white. Williams was to play the grandfather in an extended family.
"It's unfortunate," Williams said. "I was really looking forward to doing this."
"American Family" opens March 16 at Park Square in St. Paul.
