by Monica McCormick
Anton Bassey as Dick Gregory
For the first hour of rehearsal Anton Bassey was coaching DeVaughn Cone, 14 year old student at Harper Woods High School, playing Brent White in Walk Tall. He had him swing a baseball bat at every pause and end of a sentence to make sure he stopped. Then he would fluctuate his voice on whether the phrase was negative or positive.
“It’s something I like to do, especially with kids, getting them to understand acting. It’s awesome when they start to bring those things to life,” he said, talking about coaching.
Anton first began acting at Wayne State University, but it was something he said he was always interested in. Since the age of seven, Anton was writing stories. He was always very extroverted.
“I watched Teen Wolf, the original, and was like I wanna do that.”
It wasn’t until Wayne State that he figured out what he wanted to do.
“What would I enjoy and have the most fun doing?” he asked himself as a freshman.
Now a Theatre alumni, Anton also graduated from The Liverpool Institute For Performing Arts in England for his Master’s.
Anton plays Joe the Janitor in Walk Tall, who is more of an observing fly on the wall character until the end when he comes into contact with Father Meyer. He also plays a minister who works with Father Meyer to bring awareness to the segregated housing in Pontiac.
His lead role is the character of Dick Gregory, civil rights activist.
“I highly respect Dick Gregory for what he did for civil rights. He started off as a standup comedian and then caught flack for being in the civil rights. To me, I think he chose the better path. Do you take fame or do you do what’s right and what’s in your heart?”
Anton said Gregory reminded him of himself. His personality was mellow, cool, calm, and collected.
“It was easy to become [Gregory]. I probably would have been right there on the front line with him.”
Anton compares Walk Tall to the movie Training Day. In the film, Detective Alonzo Harris is a veteran LAPD narcotics officer, blurring the lines between right and wrong, who trains the rookie cops. The character Jake Hoyte is the rookie that refuses to be a “bad cop” and stands up to his environment.
“What happens when someone says no? What happens when someone goes against the grain? What is it like for the guy to turn against his own kind? It’s about change,” referring to his character Dick Gregory.
This play is about creating dialogue, something that happens first before change can happen, Anton elaborated. Walk Tall is to help the younger generation understand this time period in relation to inequalities that are happening to this day.
“People forget what they don’t understand. We are all a part of this change and have the responsibility to do something. – The arts reflect human life, that’s a huge catalyst for change. It gives the audience and opportunity to see themselves in a light sometimes not so great.”
Andy Gaitens as Fr. Meyer and Anton Bassey as Dick Gregory
Anton concludes that performing arts will be responsible for Detroit’s revitalization.
“People have finally realized that they have to create their own opportunities, they are no longer given.”
Check out more on Anton at his website Antonbassey.com. He is a screenwriter and director and active in theatre, film, and television. Every spring and fall he puts out a batch of sketches that are 2-3 different series. This upcoming one is called “Leftovers”. After that, he is going to direct and produce his first indie film called “Smells Like Peace In Here” about two best friends creating epic times in a time period similar to the recent recession in the U.S.
“The one thing that I like most about [the film] is they are your everyday average working Joe, doing the best they can to survive. They graduated college, but are stuck in a bad economy and career stage, having multiple jobs. But they make the most out of it.”
To see Anton Bassey in Walk Tall, purchase tickets at: http://walktallwalktall.brownpapertickets.com/
Walk Tall 