February is national “Black History Month,” and as such, schools have always tried to find novel and new ways to present the history of the struggle for equality that the African-American race has endured for so many years.
West New York’s School No. 4, which has grades K through 8, came up with a dynamic approach last week when the school welcomed an actor who presented a one-act, one-man play called “Presenting Mr. Frederick Douglass: His Life and Times”.
Frederick Douglass (1818-1895) was born into slavery in Maryland and managed to rise above his beginnings and achieve historic significance as an abolitionist, writer and orator.
Fred Morsell, a professional actor for over 30 years, has performed as Frederick Douglass in more than 900 schools, universities, theaters, churches and other community settings all over the country.
The play covers material from Douglass’s three autobiographies and other articles, speeches and letters.
When in costume, Morsell’s resemblance to Frederick Douglass is uncanny. Morsell’s speech is slow, deliberate and clear. He speaks with an assuredness that makes one believe he is actually listening to a historic figure.
In a pre-performance interview, Assistant Principal Stacy Olivero stated, “This is part of ‘bringing the curriculum to life.’ I originally read about Fred in the Bergen Record. He got such a glowing writeup that I knew we had to have him.” Olivero continued, “He presents the life of Frederick Douglass and while it is history, there are lessons of peer pressure and conflict resolution within the presentation. These are issues that our students grapple with every day.”
Olivero pointed out that as part of the half-day workshop, Morsell would be holding writing workshops after the performance. The children would be writing editorial pieces about their impressions of the presentations. This is meant get the students to exercise their writing skills, something that Douglass himself held in very high regard, something that helped pull him out from under the yoke of slavery.
According to the program’s web site (www.frederickdouglass.org), there are keys to success that Douglass championed: belief in oneself, taking advantage of every opportunity, and most importantly, using the power of written and spoken language to effect positive change for oneself and society.
Olivero said, “[Morsell] does a great thing about families and how slavery tore families apart. The topics he will address are so contemporary.”
Morsell “got into character” before the performance. When asked what the play meant to him, Morsell said, “There’s no simple answer. I’ve been doing this since 1984. The bottom line is, as an actor, you want to earn a living at it. You have to figure out why it is you want to be an actor. Why do you wait for the auditions? Why do you wait for that one elusive phone call that will help you pay the rent… or not?”
Morsell continued, “This country only recognizes ‘stars,’ people that have ‘made it.’ But there are many people out there that have genuinely learned their craft. So at some point, you have to determine why you want to be an actor. They say that people become actors because they ‘want to be loved.’ Well, that’s crap. Spell that C-R-A-P. You can quote me on that. At the end of the day, you become an actor to help people, just like a doctor or a legislator. To me, being an actor is like being a teacher or a minister. We are all trying to help people ‘keep on keeping on’ as the old saying goes. The truth uplifts people and I am trying to enlighten people, give them a contemporary sense of Frederick Douglass.
The performance, at an hour and a half in length, is a lot of time to ask seventh and eighth graders to sit still. But Morsell’s performance was so dynamic and interactive that the assembled children appeared to not even notice the time.
All eyes were riveted on Morsell. Morsell’s device of “breaking down the barrier” between actor and audience helped the message of the performance reach the students. Many seemed surprised when Morsell would come into close proximity to them, but none seemed to mind.
Roberta Francis, Consultant for the Frederick Douglass Program and Fremarjo Enterprises, Inc. has known Morsell for quite a long time, having attended Dickinson College in Pennsylvania together.
Said Francis, “I knew that there were places in New Jersey that needed to learn about women’s rights (another of Douglass’ passions) and other things so we developed a project to bring him to the state.” Francis said of the performance, “It’s a message that once he’s into the play for 10 or 15 minutes, it becomes a universal thing. It really doesn’t matter where you’re from. His [Morsell’s] objective is to get across Douglass’s message of “What is possible for me is possible for you.”
After the performance, the students seemed excited and curious. A few stopped to talk and give their opinions on the play. Bianca Valdez, 13, said, “I believe that it really opened our minds up. It showed what happened in the past.”
Fourteen-year old Yamilet Montos paid Fred Morsell what could be construed as the highest benediction for an actor from an audience member when she stated, “I thought it was excellent, and at times I forgot he was an actor.”
For information on this program, go to www.frederickdouglass.org or contact Fremarjo Enterprises at (406) 333-4145.