Scene Magazine
Howard Quincy Bunch was minding his own business, running an errand at the office-supply store.
Or was he? Minding his own business, that is.
A local actor/poet/singer craving creative challenge, Bunch spotted playwright Fred Taylor, head of C-Town Performing Arts, nearby. “I was being nosy,” admitted Bunch with a sheepish, I-didn’t-mean-any-harm-by-it laugh. “He was making copies of scripts, and I noticed he was from C-Town Performing Arts. I told him I did an independent film for a friend, and that I did some singing, too.”
Timing, it turns out, was on Taylor’s side as well. He needed to cast someone – and quickly – as Stevie Wonder. “And he kind of reminded me of Stevie Wonder,” Taylor said.
A few days later, Bunch was singing the sweet strains of My Cherie Amour for Taylor – and landing a part in “The 7th Example.” The morality production focusing on “the leader within” while addressing the ills of drugs and alcohol will run this weekend at Cleveland Play House. Bunch will also sing the Wonderous works Ribbons in the Sky, Knock Me Off My Feet and Fingertips (Part 2).
A product of the creative energies of Taylor and choreographer Sabrina C. Gregory, “The 7th Example” is a mystical journey highlighting historical figures such as Wonder, Billie Holiday, Harriet Tubman, Jackie Wilson, Hannibal, Moses, Cleopatra and Nat Turner – and the young heroine who comes into contact with these exemplary role models.
“It takes place in a historical museum where ghosts and spirits of past leaders come to life through song and dance,” said Taylor, who wrote and directed the project. A security guard takes a young girl through the first six “examples” – African, Egyptian, Slavery, Jazz, Motown and Classical exhibits – to show her inspirational examples of history.
In the end, the girl learns that she is “The 7th Example.”
“So many times we have placed leaders on high pedestals,” said Taylor, “making it seem impossible for us to reach out to the community. It’s important that we are all leaders.”
Gregory and the ROBLU American Dance Theatre sprinkle contemporary dance sequences throughout the performance, and David Wynne lends the voice of Wilson. Additional cast includes Wynne (Wilson, Nat Turner), Beverly Williams (Cleopatra), Mariah Daniels (Harriet Tubman), Tina Tompkins (Billie Holliday), Jimmy Lee Williams (Hannibal) and Taylor (Langston Hughes).
Playing roles – onstage or off – comes naturally to Bunch.
“You give me the part, I’ll fill it,” says the 24-year-old Warrensville Heights resident. Musical and writing endeavors supplement his employment as mail sorter/package distributor/dock worker at the Main Branch of the Cleveland Post Office. A licensed hairdresser, Bunch has shopped around his self-published The Lightside: The Motion of Poetry on his own. Now, with the help of Morrison Publishing Co., the book will be in stores “hopefully by the end of the year.”
Bunch is a natural for “The 7th Example.”
“When I was 17, I went to jail for five months for aggravated burglary. I was looking at eight to 25 years. I prayed every single day. ‘God, I’ll never do anything bad again. Just get me outta here.’ ”
His five-year probation reduced to two years after charges were reduced to burglary, Bunch pursued musical and video-production ambitions at the Art Institute of Pittsburgh. He credits schooling – along with inspiration provided by the Bible, his mother and his 5-year-old son, Quincy – for turning around his life.
“I tell kids how I used to be, how I am now, and what I’m doing positive for my life. My poems are 90 percent gospel, but all have positive messages. The other 10 percent are about everyday living, accomplishing your goals and dreams.”
Bunch said he will play the role of the early-teens Stevie. No dreadlocks. But cool shades. And a stylin’ cap.
Show times are 8 p.m. Friday and 7 p.m. Saturday. Cost is $25, with proceeds benefiting The Mentoring Project. For further information or tickets, contact The Cleveland Play House at (216) 795-7000.