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For Immediate Release
May 10, 2023
Press Contact: Sandra McNeill
BlackWhenIWasABoy@gmail.com
310.980.2180
“Black When I Was A Boy - Part II Blacked Out”
Comes to the Hollywood Fringe Festival 2023
LOS ANGELES (May 9, 2023) – Cooper Bates’ solo show, Black When I Was A Boy returns to the Hollywood Fringe this June for an encore with Black When I Was A Boy, Part II, Blacked Out. Bates is bringing multicultural characterizations, through the lens of an honest, moving, and even humorous look at a complex, fascinating, and powerful coming of age story.
Black When I Was A Boy, Part II Blacked Out is an autobiographical recollection of the extraordinary inner life of Bates' younger self - Frankie Bates. Bates' story takes us from childhood as he grows into a young adult when he moves to Dallas, Texas with big ambitions and his eyes set on making it in the entertainment industry. Shortly after arriving, he is introduced to Mr. Pope, a mid-level, out-of-the-box thinking businessman and shepherd of young talent. While Pope grooms and imparts wisdom to the young Kansas native, everything goes well for the two until it begins to go very wrong. Bad advice followed by an even worse choice changes the lives of both men, leading to the total devastation of their relationship and leaving Frankie at odds with the value of his life.
In March 2023, Black When I Was A Boy, Part II, Blacked Out won the Most Inspired Performance Award at the Asheville Fringe Festival. In April 2023, Bates also had the honor of headlining the 369 Festival with both shows at the Wortham Center for the Performing Arts to sold out audiences.
WHERE: The Hudson Theatre - 6539 Santa Monica Blvd., Hollywood, CA
PERFORMANCE
Saturday, June 3rd, at 8:30 p.m. - Preview
Monday, June 12th at 8:30 p.m.
Thursday, June 22 at 8:30 p.m.
Friday, June 23rd at 6:30 p.m.
TICKETS $20.00 The Hollywood Fringe Festival - Black When I Was A Boy - part II Blacked Out
Tickets can also be acquired at the Hudson Theatre box office.
Age-appropriate 14+ parental consent, the show deals with sexual content.
Black When I Was A Boy, Part II Blacked Out is partnering with Asheville based charity, Our VOICE, Inc., a non-profit crisis intervention and prevention agency that serves survivors of sexual violence, age 13 through adult in Buncombe County. https:// www.ourvoicenc.org/about/
Written and performed by Cooper Bates.
Consulting Directors: Frankie Louise and Stephanie Beckman
ABOUT THE ARTISTS
Cooper Bates (Playwright & Performer) was born in Kansas but raised by the world. Bates grew up as the only Black child in a small Caucasian community in Kansas. He never saw himself as Black, until he was typecast as Nigger Jim in the school production of Huckleberry Finn in sixth grade. After a college stint on a wrestling scholarship, Bates settled in Dallas, Texas to study acting full time at Kim Dawson’s Acting Conservatory. Before long Bates was invited to Los Angeles by a casting director. When a motorcycle accident forced a hiatus from acting, Bates took the opportunity to visit Haiti as an educator. The novice teacher suffered a near fatal scorpion bite only to be resuscitated by a voodoo remedy, was nearly flogged by an angry mob, and fought off a shark with his bare hands, all the while inspiring a love of leaning into his elementary aged students at Kaliko Beach school. After returning to Los Angeles, Bates wrote and directed fifteen short films, directed a dozen plays, and wrote nine screenplays. An acting partner approached Bates with an idea to trademark the name “Hint Mint,” as a breath mint company and sell it to fund their artistic endeavors. The plan was only going to take six months but ended up taking fifteen years to question in 2017. Black When I was A Boy is a turn back to his passion. Bates is a professional photographer, co-founder and managing partner of Hint Mint, Creator Founder of I Think Therefore I Question, Creator of the TEDx concept and Co-Producer/Founder of TEDx Skid Row, Founder of Idea Project, and has raised two beautiful daughters with his lovely wife. Bates’ is delighted to bring his highly anticipated autobiographical solo show, Black When I Was A Boy, Part II: Blacked Out to the Hollywood Fringe Festival.
Frankie Louise - (Consulting Director) is a writer, director, performer, hacker of non-ordinary states of consciousness. Stephanie Hickling Beckman - (Consulting Director) is a co founder of Different Strokes! And Performing Arts Collective. She has been active in Asheville North Carolina's theatre scene since 1997. She has worked with several local theatre companies as an actor, stage manager and director. She has toured nationally as an actor. As the Managing Artistic Director & Producer for Different Strokes, Steph is committed to directing and producing theatre that makes a difference.
Comps available for members of the press upon request.
Please contact - Sandra McNeill
323.404.0796
BlackWhenIWasAboy@gmail.com
For additional information and reviews: CooperBates.com https://better-lemons.com/production/black-when-i-was-a-boy/ "Cooper's honesty as a writer is inspiring and breathtaking. As an actor, he's at total ease, with a seamless performance technique, and a fearlessness in terms of developing a character that is a master class in itself. BLACK WHEN I WAS A BOY is raw, riveting, brave, funny, smart, and universal in its theme and depiction of claiming one's own identity with pride and determination. See it--you'll be blown away." Sweet - Lisa Mulcahy Writer, Theatre Director
For Immediate Release
May 19, 2018
“Black When I Was A Boy”
Premieres at the Hollywood Fringe Festival
Press Contact:
Sandra McNeill
BlackWhenIWasABoy@gmail.com
323.404.0796
LOS ANGELES, CA May 19, 2018. Black When I Was A Boy is an honest, moving and even humorous look at a complex, fascinating and powerful coming of age story. It’s Cooper Bates’ autobiographical recollection of the extraordinary inner life of his younger self - Frankie Bates, who grew up as the only Black child in a small Caucasian community in Kansas (population 1,500). He never saw himself as Black, until he was cast as Nigger Jim in the school production of Huckleberry Finn in 6th grade. Black When I Was A Boy opens June 2nd at Studio C - 6448 Santa Monica Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 91206.
You’ll hear how Frankie emerges from childhood and grows into a teenager in the 70’s and 80’s. While Frankie’s friends explore and stretch their understanding of sex, drugs, and rock and roll, Frankie is tasked with developing tools for survival until a life threatening encounter with a band of rednecks and a couple of heroic cowboys changes his life forever.
PERFORMANCES:
Saturday, June 2, 8:30 pm Preview
Saturday, June 9, 1:00 pm
Friday, June 15, 5:30 pm
Wednesday, June 20, 10:00 pm
Sunday, June 24, 3:00 pm
TICKETS: $15.00 - http://fringemeter.hollywoodfringe.org/projects/4990?tab=tickets
Age appropriate 13+
WHERE: Studio C - 6448 Santa Monica Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90038
"Cooper's honesty as a writer is inspiring and breathtaking. As an actor, he's at total ease, with a
seamless performance technique, and a fearlessness in terms of developing a character that is a
master class in itself. Black When I Was A Boy is raw, riveting, brave, funny, smart, and universal in its theme and depiction of claiming one's own identity with pride and determination. See it--you'll be blown away.” - Lisa Mulcahy
"A strikingly insightful and vibrant look into a poignant place and time by a gifted storyteller. I laughed and cried, and learned something about America, something about myself and something about growing up as a black boy. I will make time to see it again, and I recommended it wholeheartedly to anyone." - Curt Beckmann
Co-Director: Frankie Louise http://frankielouise.com
Written and performed by Cooper Bates
ABOUT THE ARTIST
Cooper Bates (Playwright & Performer ) was born in Kansas, but raised by the world. After a college stint on a wrestling scholarship, Bates settled in Dallas, Texas to study acting full time at Kim Dawson’s Acting Conservatory. Before long, Bates was invited to Los Angeles by a casting director. When a motorcycle accident forced an hiatus from acting, Bates took the opportunity to visit Haiti as an educator. After returning to Los Angeles, Bates wrote and directed 15 short films, directed a dozen plays, and wrote nine screenplays. Ultimately, an acting partner approached Bates with an idea to trademark the name “Hint Mint” as a breath mint company and sell it to fund their artistic endeavors — a six month plan that turned into a 15 year odyssey. Black When I Was A Boy is a turn back to his passion.
Twitter
https://twitter.com/Blackwheniwasaboy
Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/Black-When-I-Was-a-Boy-231760647565466/
For info, comps, photos contact:
Sandra McNeill - 323.404.0796 - BlackWhenIWasABoy@gmail.com
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