Historical films covering every major time period and event
abound in today’s society, from the recent star-studded
“Cold Mountain” to the Academy Award-winning
“Patton” and Spike Lee’s “Malcolm
X.”
But one important era in American history has remained largely
undercover until now: the Harlem Renaissance.
While there have been many documentaries on the creative 1920s
black movement, Rodney Evans’ new film “Brother To
Brother” is the first feature-length dramatic film to bring
the culturally rich era to the big screen.
The film, which chronicles the relationship of Perry, a young
black gay artist, and the older Bruce Nugent, who was heavily
involved in the peak times of the Harlem Renaissance, is set to hit
Los Angeles theaters on Dec. 3.
Duane Boutté, a 1988 graduate of the UCLA School of
Theater, Film and Television, portrays the younger Bruce Nugent in
various black-and-white flashbacks throughout the film.
Boutté was initially up for the role of Langston Hughes as
well, but eventually decided on the more colorful role of the
younger Nugent. While the personal life of the more well-known
Hughes remains shrouded in secrecy, Nugent’s openness and
honesty about his sexuality resulted in sacrifices for the
acceptance of his poetry.
When most viewers think about the Renaissance, they tend to
overlook the artists’ sexuality in favor of viewing it as a
“black” movement, according to Boutté.
“In a way, this film is asking, “˜Will you accept
this man as a member of the Renaissance?'” Boutté
said. “Regardless of the audience’s response to that
question, he is a legitimate player.”
Boutté’s undergraduate experience at UCLA prepared
him well for his role in the film, in addition to the impressive
extensive theater experience and musical compositions on his
résumé.
Boutté, who entered UCLA as a music student, cites
Professor Jenny Roundtree’s acting class as the primary
influence in his decision junior year to pursue an acting career
instead of “sitting around in a practice room all
day.”
“Her class taught me to invade my own privacy when finding
inspiration for a role. She taught me to connect with something
honest and use it,” Boutté said.
Boutté was also strongly inspired by UCLA theater Professor
Michael Hackett’s classes, particularly by Hackett’s
contagious passion for theater.
“It is important for a person to make their own
opportunities ““ they cannot simply rely on agents, managers,
producers and directors to define their careers,” said
Hackett. “As a result, we try to encourage our students to
develop more than one skill ““ we have writer-actors,
director-designers, singer-dancers ““ we encourage a complete
immersion in the theater,”
Despite following the unpredictable path of an actor’s
life, UCLA also helped Boutté to fully realize his potential
as a musical composer.
While spending time in Italy with 12 other theater students for
a three-month study of Commedia dell’Arte, Boutté and
his colleagues were assigned to create a musical using the Commedia
characters and present it on the UCLA stage at the end of the
duration. During the process, he was asked to step in for a friend
as composer for the project.
This unexpected challenge fueled Boutté’s desire to
pursue his musical inclinations, which continue to this day.
His musical “Lyin’ Up A Breeze” played a
sold-out run in his hometown of Fresno in 2002.
Boutté is also currently working on a new musical with
another UCLA alum, Kim Ima, entitled “Up in the
Sky.”
“UCLA taught me the importance of being a part of a
piece’s creation from the ground level,” Boutté
said.
Boutté has also dabbled in the world of television,
appearing as Allanne in an episode of the first season of
“Sex and the City.”
“Duane demonstrated his many gifts as a young student at
UCLA,” said Hackett. “He has a beautiful voice; he is
an athletic physical performer who is able to express emotion
through movement, and he is a sensitive interpreter of character.
He is also a person who cares for his fellow performers, and that
is a very important quality.”
Currently, Boutté is teaching a beginning piano class and a
Shakespeare class for advanced actors who are new to the playwright
and tremble at the thought of auditioning for a classical play by
the Bard.
Despite being between projects, Boutté has a five auditions
lined up for this week alone.
All of them are for theater, including three Shakespeare plays
““ “Othello,” “As You Like It” and
“The Tempest.”
But for now, Boutté ultimately hopes “Brother To
Brother” will do more than just entertain.
“(I would like the film) to incite curiosity in viewers
about the literature (and poetry) of the Harlem Renaissance,”
he said.