Frostburg State Alum’s Play, “Thoughts of a Colored Man,” Headed for Broadway

Nov 19, 2020 2:59 PM

By Ty DeMartino '90

A critically acclaimed play on the Black experience, penned by Frostburg State University alumnus Keenan Scott II, will open on Broadway in the coming season, theatre producers recently announced.

"Thoughts of a Colored Man" was written and developed by Scott while he was a student in the FSU Department of Theatre and Dance. Since Scott's graduation in 2009, the play has gone on to performances at Syracuse Stage and Baltimore Center Stage. The NYC show marks Scott's Broadway debut.

The plot focuses on seven men over the course of a single day in Brooklyn, N.Y., and interweaves spoken word, slam poetry and rhythm. The play shares "the hopes, sorrows, fears and joys" of these men and has been heralded as "a powerful theatrical testament" and "an essential new voice to the American theater."

Since graduating from Frostburg, Scott has kept in close touch with his alma mater and helped establish the New Works Incubator Project at FSU to develop new plays. This November, Scott wrote, workshopped and directed his latest play, "Social Media Massacre," which featured Frostburg students and will culminate with an online performance.

"Attending Frostburg State had a huge impact on my artistry and who I am today. I learned lessons on that campus that I will carry with me for life," Scott said from his Brooklyn home. "If my journey says anything, it's that hard work truly wins at the end of the day. And if you're willing to sacrifice what the next person isn't willing to and if you stay extremely focused on a goal, you can beat the odds."

The Frostburg State community and Scott's former professors are thrilled with the latest news of his Broadway success. "It's wonderful for Keenan and wonderful for FSU," says Nicole Mattis, chair of the FSU Department of Theatre and Dance.

For more information on Scott and the Broadway debut of "Thoughts of a Colored Man," visit Keenan Scott's web site or the Thoughts of a Colored Man web site.