2nd Wednesday Theater: Riding on Duke’s Train

An adaptation of Carlon’s 2011 novel, “Riding on Duke’s Train” is the coming-of-age story of a young African-American boy in the 1930s. When the orphaned Danny crosses paths with the elegant and brilliant Duke Ellington, his life changes forever as he travels around the country and even to Europe with Duke’s and his band members, who serve as Danny’s surrogate parents, but also as his teachers, helping him come to grips with a world that is as frightening as it is exciting. Through it all, Carlon weaves his expansive knowledge of Duke Ellington and his orchestra with his love of jazz and history to create a fascinating, gripping story.

Carlon, who has been teaching for 34 years, is a resident of Centerville and teaches at Barnstable Intermediate School. He is a frequent speaker locally and around the nation on jazz, including at both the Duke Ellington and Louis Armstrong Museums in New York City, and the Chicken Bone Beach Camp in Atlantic City. Since 2011, he has also been a featured speaker at the annual Satchmo Summerfest in New Orleans.

“Riding on Duke’s Train” and “Travels with Louie,” (2012) Carlon’s second novel, which centers around another jazz legend, Louis Armstrong, have become staples of curricula in over 50 schools throughout the nation, answering a need for books featuring characters of color, but also for raising awareness of and interest in the arts.

Of “Duke’s Train,” no less an eminence than Nat Hentoff wrote, “I knew Duke Ellington for over 25 years. Duke was my mentor. The Ellington in this book is the man I knew,” adding, “Duke used to say that the individual sound of a musician revealed his soul. Mick Carlon is a ‘soul’ storyteller.”

O’Toole said, “We have assembled such a good, enthusiastic cast–Carl Lopes as Duke; Alik Taylor as the older Dan; singer Chantel Joseph as Ivie Anderson; and Cleo Zani, Mike Persico, Jim Miller, and Robin Miller in several roles each. We also are thrilled to have several students from Barnstable High School, some who have been on theatrical stages, and some who are more familiar with the football field or the basketball court. Others have had Mick as a teacher and jumped at a chance to bring his work to life.”

Those students include Molly Autery, Yohann Cadet, Rayzelle Joseph, Joe Lennon-Phillips, Samuel Rosen, Sherwayne Sharpe, all seniors, and Leroy Brookes, an eighth-grader who portrays the young Danny.

The screenplay for “Riding on Duke’s Train” won first place in the scriptwriting competition at the March 2018 Socially Relevant Film Festival in Greenwich Village. It also took first place in the Feature Script category at the 2016 Harlem Film Festival.

Second Wednesday Theater is a monthly play-reading series of rarely performed classics, undiscovered gems, and exciting new works. Admission is free, and wine is available for $5 a glass.

Wednesday, April 11 at 7:30pm in the Main Performance Space
FREE admission and $5.00 wine