GROWING PAINS
Nathan James performs a scene from his one man play, ‘Growing Pains,’ at the August Wilson Center for African American Culture (Pittsburgh).
As a kid growing up in Pittsburgh in the nineties, Nathan often found himself living in two completely different worlds. On one end, he grew up in Beltzhoover, which was heavily induced with drug activity and gang culture. On the other end, his parents kept him involved in acting classes at conservatories which distracted him from the allure of street life. From never totally fitting-in to either world (not “hood” enough for the hood, too urban for his conservatory classmates) he gained a unique social education by becoming an observer of his two different worlds. A social life that would transition from childhood resentment, to a sociological advantage in his artistic endeavors.
Growing Pains examines hyper-masculinity and society’s perception of the African American male through the gaze of black males growing up during Pittsburgh’s gang culture in the nineties. Through monologues, poetry, and movement…Nathan James strips away the layers of black male masculinity and illuminates the fears and vulnerabilities constantly masked by a “Man-Up” philosophy. It examines societal influences over the way we view politics, beauty, each other, and most importantly ourselves.