For a time, In 1983 (just two years after winning the 1981 Fort Wayne News-Sentinel Reviewer's Recognition Award for Outstanding Thespian of the Season for a gallery of his stage roles, particularly the part of Fagin in a revival of Lionel Bart's classic musical "Oliver!" at Enchanted Hills Playhouse of Syracuse, Indiana), for the Urban Gateways arts and educational organization, your humble servant in The Theatre, Chicago-born and stage-trained actor and play director Darryl Maximilian Robinson, toured to numerous public and private schools throughout the greater Chicagoland area playing the Caribbean Island-born, African-American, French and English speaking Frontiersman and Founder of The City of Chicago, Jean-Baptiste Pointe DuSable (1745-1818), in local playwright Alice Rubio's highly-effective, one-act historical drama "Chicago: A Tale of One City."
This 45-minute play (well-directed by Steve Scott, a member of the Artistic Staff of Chicago's Goodman Theater) would also prove to be the very last occasion this actor would have the joy and opportunity to act on the stage with the late, much-missed and highly talented actor, educator and musician Dan LeMonnier (known to tens of thousands of Chicago Bulls fans for his mascot portrayal of "Benny the Bull"), who gave a wonderful and effective performance as the historic Chicago poet and author Carl Sandburg.
It was an honor for this actor to play the great Jean Baptiste Pointe DuSable, a man of bravery, grit, integrity and intelligence, who married a strong Native American woman and proudly raised multiple, mixed race children while conducting all manner of business at his vital trading post, and who also played an important role in founding The City of Peoria, Illinois as well. He was truly respected by many white fellow trappers, hunters and settlers and highly admired by many Native Americans. He was known as a man of great courage, fairness and humanity.
40 years ago, in 1983, when this then young African-American stage performer looked frequently for cultural inspiration and signs of recognition for the many contributions of this historic Chicago figure by walking in the Heart of Downtown Chicago where his thriving trading post once stood, there was no DuSable Park. There was no DuSable Bridge. There was no handsome bust of DuSable at the beginning of The Magnificent Mile. There was no Jean Baptiste Pointe DuSable Lake Shore Drive. And there most surely was no commemorative Black Heritage USA Postage Stamp honoring the life and legacy of Jean Baptiste Pointe DuSable.
40 years ago, in 1983, for many young school students of color, and indeed, students of all racial and ethnic backgrounds, the best way to learn The History and Contributions of Chicago Founder Jean Baptiste Pointe DuSable was to hear it Orally, and to see it Enacted Live before them. A tradition of storytelling which goes back thousands of years.
And this theatre artist will always be grateful to Urban Gateways and playwright Alice Rubio's work "Chicago: A Tale of One City" for the opportunity to do just that. ONCE ON THIS LAKE SHORE!
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Veteran Chicago, St. Louis and Los Angeles stage actor and play director Darryl Maximilian Robinson ( The Founder, Artistic Director and Producer of both the multiracial chamber theatres, The Excaliber Shakespeare Company of Chicago and The Excaliber Shakespeare Company Los Angeles Archival Project ) has had the honor of playing multiple Black American historic figures on the stage during the course of his 50-year-long career in The Performing Arts. In the year 1983 alone, he played Windy City Founder and Frontiersman Jean Baptiste Pointe DuSable in playwright Alice Rubio's "Chicago: A Tale Of One City" in a touring production to Chicago Public Schools and private schools for the Urban Gateways Arts Organization as well as the notorious African-American / Mexican-American cowboy, bank robber and confidence man Ben Hodges ( opposite talented young fellow performers Percy Littleton as Deadwood Dick and Darryl Manuel as Cherokee Bill ) in noted Producer Val Gray Ward's and skilled Director Eddie D. Richardson's Kuumba Theatre Company musical of "Deadwood Dick: The Legend Of The West" staged at The Old Pakula Building in The Loop of Downtown Chicago.
Veteran Chicago, St. Louis and Los Angeles stage actor and play director Darryl Maximilian Robinson (The Founder, Artistic Director and Producer of both the multiracial chamber theatres, The Excaliber Shakespeare Company of Chicago and The Excaliber Shakespeare Company Los Angeles Archival Project) has had the honor of playing multiple Black American historic figures on the stage during the course of his 50-year-long career in The Performing Arts. In the year 1983 alone, he played Windy City Founder and Frontiersman Jean Baptiste Pointe DuSable in playwright Alice Rubio's "Chicago: A Tale Of One City" in a touring production to Chicago Public Schools and private schools for the Urban Gateways Arts Organization as well as the notorious African-American / Mexican-American cowboy, bank robber and confidence man Ben Hodges ( opposite talented young fellow performers Percy Littleton as Deadwood Dick and Darryl Manuel as Cherokee Bill ) in noted Producer Val Gray Ward's and skilled Director Eddie D. Richardson's Kuumba Theatre Company musical of "Deadwood Dick: The Legend Of The West" staged at The Old Pakula Building in The Loop of Downtown Chicago.
Most recently, Excaliber Shakespeare Company of Chicago and Excaliber Shakespeare Company Los Angeles Archival Project Founder Darryl Maximilian Robinson was named a winner of a 2022 Making The World Happening Award from Allevents.in for his numerous online theatre-related offerings during the early years of The Covid-19 pandemic.
