Detroit actor Duane Shabazz at the opening of "Fat Ham" Sept. 28, 2024. Credit: Garlia Cornelia Jones

Hey, welcome back to Culture Canvas! 

Detroit Public Theatre recently kicked off its 10th anniversary season with the Pulitzer Prize-winning production, “Fat Ham.”

The play, written by James Ijames, is a reimagining of Shakespeare’s “Hamlet” and follows Juicy, a Black, queer, college student who longs to escape his southern town and his family’s barbecue business. 

I talked to the star of “Fat Ham,” Duane Shabazz, a Detroit actor who got his start when he was a teen, performing in productions for the Mosaic Youth Theatre. Shabazz said Denzel Washington and the 2000s Disney Channel movie “High School Musical” were also big inspirations for his acting goals. 

“It (High School Musical) is still one of my favorite movies to this day,” he said. “This was our Grease, so to speak.” 

There was only so much I could fit in for the story, so here’s more from my conversation with Shabazz! 

Editor’s note: This interview was lightly edited for length and clarity.

BridgeDetroit: How did you prepare for the role of Juicy? He’s a complicated character. 

Shabazz: I’m glad you described him as complicated. I feel like it’s very easy to see him as one-dimensional. I like to work inward. I like to figure out who the person is psychologically; the person’s traumas, his triggers, things that make him tick, the kind of music that he likes.

I relate to Juicy in a lot of ways because I grew up in a household where I was kinda the weirdo. I like wrestling, I like rock music. I was painting my nails black when I was a kid in middle school and dying my hair blonde and wearing blue contacts. I was into different things and I don’t feel like I was the only person that felt that way. But I feel like in certain environments you grow up in, it’s hard to express yourself 100% authentically. 

What I love about this story is that it’s about a guy who’s expressing himself authentically, but it’s not the normal way a guy from this area — a guy from the hood — would express himself. And him being Black, in this family, where his dad slaughters hogs and he’s a pretty rough man … That’s where I came from, like, ‘This is an opportunity to tell a story that nobody else hears about.’ We never hear about the kid that’s from the hood, but you would never know he’s from that environment based on how he acts. 

BridgeDetroit: When you found out Juicy is part of the LGBTQ community, did it change the way you thought about the character? 

Shabazz: No, it didn’t affect how to play him at all because I feel like if I was to play a sexuality, I’m not doing justice to the story or the community or this character. I feel like it’s important, given the time, that he is part of the LGBTQ community, but it’s not important in the portrayal of him. That’s the layer of him that’s very real. You can’t really play it. It made me nervous to play him because I wanted to play him truthfully. I feel like I accomplished that at the end of the day. 

The way James Ijames deals with it is very beautiful because he doesn’t sexualize Juicy, which I feel humanizes the character. He’s just a kid trying to figure out himself at the end of the day. 

BridgeDetroit: How’s it been working with the rest of the cast? Did you guys hit it off right away?

Shabazz: They’re very fun people. This is my first time working with people that I’m kind of familiar with. Janai (Lashon) worked at the theater I worked at in Kalamazoo when I was at Western Michigan University, and Roosevelt (Johnson), I worked with him 10 years ago as a high schooler.

We’ve been clicking. Everybody came in and they were excited about telling this story. We knew we had something special the first day of rehearsal. 

As always, hope you enjoy the rest of your week! 

Cheers, 

Micah

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What’s Going on in the D?

  • The Belle Isle Harvest Festival is from noon to 4 p.m. Saturday at cricket field near the Belle Isle Casino and Scott Memorial Fountain. Activities include face painting, hay rides, arts and crafts and a petting farm. The free event will also offer food trucks and cider and doughnuts. 
  • Cider in the City is returning to Beacon Park Saturday and Sunday from 1-5 p.m. Guests can enjoy hot cider, pumpkins, caramel apples and more courtesy of Blake’s Farm. Food trucks will be onsite and Lumen Detroit, the park’s flagship restaurant, will be open featuring its fall cocktails, craft beer and cider selections. If you can’t make it out this weekend, Cider in the City will be back Oct. 19 and 20. 
  • The Redford Theatre is hosting a Roger Corman tribute Saturday with a double feature of the 1960 film “The Little Shop of Horrors” and 1963’s “The Raven.” A Detroit native, Corman was a director, producer and writer known as the “King of B movies.” He died May 9 at the age of 98. The tribute starts at 2 p.m. and tickets are $7. 
  • If you missed Jena’s newsletter last week, Detroit’s Mexican-Irish Festival returns 12-5 p.m. Sunday at El Mercado, 2826 Bagley St. The event is offering a $15 whiskey and tequila tasting, as well as foods for purchase from both cultures including corned beef empanadas, tamales, shepherd’s pie and flautas. The free festival will also feature traditional Mexican and Irish dancing, kid-friendly activities, and Irish and Mexican DJs and bands. 
  • Rock ’n’ roll photographer Leni Sinclair is set to autograph the beams of Detroit’s Scarab Club during the opening reception of her solo exhibit “Detroit Leni: a Leni Sinclair Retrospective” 1-5 p.m. Sunday. The free event will also include music and a gallery talk. 

Micah Walker joins the BridgeDetroit team covering the arts and culture and education in the city. Originally from the metro Detroit area, she is back in her home state after two years in Ohio. Micah...