UW–Madison’s Baron Kelly is spotlighted in an article, titled “Baron Kelly: From the Streets of New York to the World’s Stages,” in the fall 2023 issue of Black Masks magazine.
Kelly is a Vilas Distinguished Achievement Professor in the School of Education’s Department of Theatre and Drama, and also holds a concurrent appointment with the Odyssey Project in the Division of Continuing Studies.
The article, by Johnny Jones, tracks Kelly’s distinguished life and career, and uses it to “spectacularly demonstrate how the courage to defy intellectual, creative, and geographical boundaries, combined with abundant talent and love of craft and training, can be a theatre artist’s passport to almost unimaginable achievements.”
“A working actor, teacher, and scholar, Baron Kelly continuously teaches, performs, publishes, and travels the world,” the article explains. “In so doing he has set a tone for the future of Black theatre — a future grounded in a global scope on history, education, and the stage. He sets the bar for a standard of achievement that straddles stage, screen, and scholarship and serves as a model for others who also aspire to do the essential work of creating a theatre that moves, transforms, and honors the ancestors.”
Black Masks is a publication on Black entertainment, particularly Black theatre and other Black performing, literary, and visual arts. The articles in each issue, available by subscription, are largely based on original interviews and research.
Learn more about Black Masks.