Kingston - There is a memorable, defining moment in Lorraine Hansberry’s Tony Award-winning play, "A Raisin in the Sun," when the protagonist, Walter Lee Younger, realizes it is time to face life’s struggles head on and become a man. It’s a time strikingly similar to one endured by the character’s actor, Michael Monasterial, in his own life.
Monasterial, the Artistic Director of the theater company, Passing the Torch Through the Arts, staging the current "Raisin in the Sun" production, considers himself extremely lucky. As a youth his life was headed down the wrong path. Fortunately, Montasterial, a Kingston native, was saved throught the efforts of a caring teacher who saw in him a natural talent. Inspired to use acting as an emotional and creative outlet, Montasterial’s life soon took a huge turn for the better.
"It helped me develop a love for the written word, self worth, better communication skills and an ability to work with others in a professional way," said Montasterial of his early theater experiences.
Now, with twenty-five years of drama to his credit, Montasterial has decided to take his passion a step further with the development of Passing the Torch Through the Arts. A multi-ethnic, community-based educational theater company, The Passing of the Arts’ target audience is at-risk youth, those leading a similar life to the once troubled Montasterials. With a "home base" at the Arts Society of Kingston, the theater company is also taking their talents to high schools and community centers. All youth under 18 are admitted for free, while any monies from ticket purchases go right back into the programming for the entirely self-funded Company. For Monasterial, the artistic "mission" outweighs any monetary gains.
"There has been a huge increase in the rate of racially motivated crime in Ulster County," pointed out Monasterial. "We would like to counter this plague with a healing balm of non-partisan, multi-racial, motivational and inspiring productions."
"Raisin in the Sun," the classic story of the hard-working, middle-class African-American Younger family, who struggles with both familial and racial issues amidst a changing 1950’s, south side of Chicago setting, is the Company’s second staging attempt towards achieving that goal. Directed by recent SUNY New Paltz graduate Candi Sterling, who also does a cameo of Mrs. Johnson, the performance delivers...on multiple levels.
"When I met Michael and his group, I became immediately interested in working with them," recalled Sterling just prior to Sunday’s performance. "It’s just so exciting to work with so many people and be able to reach them in so many different ways."
Soyal Smalls, a sophomore theater student at SUNY New Paltz, joins in that exciting venture, playing Walter Lee’s fiery independent sister Beneatha.
"It seemed appropriate for me to play Beneatha because we are so close in age; I also like how she is a black woman struggling with her identity, just as I am a multi-racial woman discovering who I am," indicated the 22 year old Smalls. "This play really shows how each character is faced with challenges, as we all are." Smalls added, "It really teaches us not to give up, like so many people do today, but to work hard and face our problems; there is a lot we can learn from that process."
One just has to see a Passing of the Torch Through the Arts production to see just how loudly that lesson rings true for Monasterial.
Performances of "Raisin in the Sun" continue this weekend at the ASK Arts Center, located on 97 Broadway in Kingston, on February 21, 23 and 24. For more information, contact Monasterial at (845) 790-0400 or e-mail passingthetorchthroughthearts@gmail.com.
