Upcoming
Performances:


Jan 24 thru
Feb 10, 2018


ATLAS Performing
Arts Center,

Washington D.C.

Written and performed by W. Allen Taylor
Winner of the Best Solo Performance of 2006 Award by San Francisco's Bay Area Theatre Critics Circle
walkintalkin poster
Archive Photos
Walkin' Talkin' Bill Hawkins
Walkin' Talkin' Bill Hawkins
W Allen Taylor
W. Allen Taylor
Young Bill Hawkins
Young Bill Hawkins

This 90-minute solo show explores the intimate story of Taylor's life-long search for his father, Bill Hawkins, the first black disc jockey in Cleveland, Ohio. With period rhythm & blues, gospel and jazz music serving as a backdrop, Taylor performs a wide range of richly defined characters. The search becomes a bittersweet journey of self-discovery as well as a celebration of the rich cultural legacy of black radio.

Critics are Raving!

"His story, underscored with evocative music of the times, is emotional and sometimes touching...Using a minimum of props but peopling the stage with a host of characters. "
New York Times

"...His characters are not only varied and clearly distinguishable from each other, but also convincing and fully realized...He manages to delineate his characters by getting to their heart."
NYTHEATRE.com

"...a deeply personal story, a chapter of this great city's history and an account of a pivotal era in broadcasting and popular music."
Cleveland Plain Dealer

"....a breathtaking kaleidoscopic gallery of effortlessly drawn, economically minimal, but surgically accurate thumbnail sketches of the broad range of folks ....distinctly brought to life with the most human credibility."
Cleveland Free Press

"Taylor's quest for such wisdom is the intriguing core of a piece. The art he makes of that search is not only enlightening but moving, funny and captivating as well"
San Francisco Chronicle

"The more Taylor delves into his father's past, the more interesting the show gets, so that the finale, in which we come as close as we can to actually meeting Bill Hawkins, is tremendously rewarding."
Oakland Tribune

Stay tuned for a production coming your way!!