"From I Have A Dream To Yes We Can" - Barry Scott
"From I Have A Dream To Yes We Can"
An American story about the struggle for equality
With the election of the United States’ first black president in Barack Obama, it is clear that the dream of Dr. King has come a long way. While bigotry and ignorance may still exist, America has now, more than ever before, perhaps faster than anyone thought, fulfilled its promise as the land of opportunity – she shines as a beacon of limitless potential for all her citizens and sends a powerful message to the rest of the world. From I Have A Dream To Yes We Can chronicles America’s struggle for equality through the words of Dr. King and Barack Obama as interpreted by Barry Scott. Scott’s performance is a dynamic testament that the words of these two great Americans are not only important but are the building blocks for remarkable social change.
Other Programs:
Barry Scott’s “Ain’t Got Long To Stay Here”
An authority on the life and works of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Barry Scott wrote and stars in his one-man play based on the life of Dr. King to dramatize one of American’s most violent and inspiring times and the man who mobilized a generation of people and changed the world. In this hour and a half presentation, Mr. Scott recreates numerous figures from the Civil Rights era, presenting differing opinions and personalities to capture what Dr. King actually faced. The performance is followed by a Q&A session. Mr. Scott has performed “Ain’t Got Long To Stay Here” at the prestigious Alabama Shakespeare Festival, the Beacon Theater in New York, the Fox Theater in Atlanta, and the Tennessee Performing Arts Center.
Barry Scott’s “Tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.”
An authority on the life and works of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Barry Scott created his tribute to Dr. King to teach a generation of students about one of America’s most violent and inspiring times and the man who mobilized a generation of people and changed the world. In this hour long program, Mr. Scott discusses Dr. Martin Luther King and the Civil Rights Movement in his lecture and actually becomes Dr. King recreating some of his most inspiring speeches. This powerful presentation is followed by a Q&A session. Mr. Scott performed Dr. King’s speeches for President Carter and in performing arts centers and college campuses across the country.
“Different Doesn’t Mean Wrong: Learning about Diversity”
Growing up in the Jim Crow era in the south, Barry Scott vividly remembers the “color line” and the racial etiquette used in the day-to-day affairs between blacks and whites. Today, as an educator at Tennessee State University and dealing with hundreds of diverse college students each year, Scott discusses how diversity has morphed from strictly an issue about race to socio-economic, religious, and gender issues. In “Different Doesn’t Mean Wrong,” Scott focuses on the fact that diversity is not confined to minority groups and is not about agreement, but rather, about respect. Be it a school, in the workforce or in the community, in order to overcome inflexible beliefs about a particular group of people, Scott teaches students how to recognize biases. The first step is to recognize your feelings. Are your feelings based on fact? From where did your information come from? Have you let one negative experience affect all experiences? Once you recognize your commonality with others, bias can be overcome. This interactive presentation is designed to lead attendees through the process of identifying bias, embracing diversity, and creating respect.
“The Courage to Lead”
Barry Scott is a regular guest lecturer at the prestigious Vanderbilt Owen Graduate School of Management Leadership Seminar. A proponent of fusion leadership, Scott promotes the principle of the coming together of whole individuals to accomplish mutual goals based on shared vision and values instead of the traditional fission leadership style used for centuries. Scott shows how great leaders are those who engage not only the bodies and minds of their peers, but also their hearts and souls. This approach supports personal growth and ingenuity—qualities that facilitate true change. In practical terms, Scott teaches how individuals and organizations can grow together and unleash subtle forces—mindfulness, vision, heart, courage, communication, and integrity—which can fundamentally transform organizations. This interactive program is a growth session that can be presented as a 60 minute lecture or a three hour workshop.
Barry Scott
Bio
Barry Scott is recognized as one of the most versatile
practitioners of his art. He is widely
known for his successes as an actor, writer, producer, director, motivational
speaker and voice over artist. The
founder and producing artistic director of the American Negro Playwright
Theatre at Tennessee
State University,
where his parents and grandparents
graduated, Scott has become one of the leading theatre artists in his home
town, on top of his impressive acting credits nationwide, including
television’s I’ll Fly Away and In
the Heat of the Night. He is a
member of the Screen Actors Guild, Actor’s Equity
Association, American Film Radio & Television Association and serves on the
board of the Tennessee Arts
Commission.
An authority on the life and works
of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Scott wrote and starred in Ain’t Got Long to Stay Here
as a tribute to Dr. King and to teach a generation of students about one of America’s
most violent and inspiring times, and the man who literally changed the entire
nation. Scott is so convincing in his
portrayal of Dr. King, that Coretta Scott King once cornered him between acts
of a play to compliment him on his realistic and honest depiction of her late
husband. He has performed excerpts of King’s speeches for the Humanitarian
Awards Ceremony honoring President Jimmy Carter and was recorded on the March
On album benefiting the National Civil Rights Museum. Just a few of the prominent venues in which
Scott has recreated Dr. King’s speeches include: the Beacon Theater in New
York, the Fox Theater in Atlanta, the Seattle Children’s Theater, the Alabama
Shakespeare Festival, the Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, the Boutwell Performing Arts Center in Birmingham, the
Dexter Avenue Baptist Church in Montgomery, the National Civil Rights Museum in
Memphis, the Masonic Temple in Memphis, the Edmund Pettis Bridge in Selma, and
the Actors Theater in Louisville.
Scott’s professional work as a
writer include the plays Lisa’s Story, Harlem Voices, An American Slavery
Play, Stones of Promise, Joyful Noise, When I Grow Up I’m Gonna’
Get Me Some Big Words, Oh Freedom, A Man Named York and The Last Negro.
Scott’s film and television roles include appearances in I’ll
Fly Away and Rescue 911, and a recurring role as
a minister in the successful series In the Heat of the Night. Many
people recognize him as the disabled Vietnam Veteran in the award winning
Travis Tritt music video trilogy, Anymore
. He also co-starred with Jim Varney in the Touchstone picture, Ernest
Goes to Jail. Scott’s talents were tapped as Script Consultant in Slam
Dunk Ernest and he was featured in the role of Captain Jackson in The
Expert, starring Jeff Speakman.
He has performed for the
Tennessee Repertory Theatre in many productions including Fences, Macbeth, Othello, Taming
of the Shrew, Blood Knot, Man of La Mancha, Camelot, Jesus Christ Superstar,
Pirates of Penzance, Evita,
Ain’t Misbehavin’, and Big River.
He has conducted workshops
on acting and has received several awards including the Ingram Fellowship Award
for Theatre and the Partnership in Access and Appreciation Grant from the
Tennessee Arts Commission. He also
won the Ralph Edmondson National Award for Play Writing for Lisa’s
Story, which he wrote, produced, directed and starred in.
Scott is a much-requested
motivational speaker, lecturer and orator.
His leadership speech Courage To Lead is a regular
part of the curriculum at the prestigious Owen School of Management at Vanderbilt University.
Scott created the Living With
Theatre program – a forum to discuss important social issues with school
aged children. He was the moderator for the Let Me Speak and Be Heard
program for the Metropolitan
Nashville School
system. He also wrote and directed the video series, Stones of Promise, an
inspirational teaching tool celebrating the black family for United Methodist
Communications. He wrote Oh Freedom a play with music that
starred Scott and Grammy award winner Patti Austin along with the Nashville
Symphony. Scott was recognized for his
altruistic work by being named Nashvillian of the
Year in 1993.
In 2004 Scott received rave reviews for his performance in
the play Looking Over The president’s Shoulder directed by Emmy Award winning actor
Mr. Robert Guillume. In 2005 Scott was named Best
Actor by the Nashville Scene Newspaper for his starring role in August Wilson’s
The
Piano lesson directed by the
Tony Award winning producer-director Mr. Woodie King
Jr. In an interview with the Tennessean
Newspaper Mr. King commented that “ Barry Scott is a
brilliant artist. He easily moves from actor to playwright to director. In a
unique world of theatre, Barry has mastered each, and he is so giving. He
shares his knowledge with younger blacks who want to be a part of the black
theatre. He always brings new insights into a rehearsal.”
Scott’s voice can be heard on commercials and PSA’s around the country. He has voiced work for ESPN (the National Football Leauge - Regular Season Games, Playoff Games & the
Super Bowl, The National Basketball Association - Regular Season Games, Playoff
Games & the Championship Finals, Professional Baseball – Home Run Derby,
the NHL, and the PGA), CBS, ABC, NBC, Disney, SPIKE TV – TNA Wrestling,The Discovery Channel, Kentucky
Fried Chicken, Burger King, McDonalds, The American Heart Association and many
more.
Barry Scott’s “Ain’t Got Long To Stay Here”