Politician as Playwright
An Interview with Peter Lawson Jones

In a life not deficient in highlights, one of the bigger ones in the life of Peter Lawson Jones was directing his own fully-staged play The Family Line at Harvard during his senior year there. The play was about family, although not necessarily his. But his mom and dad—Margaret and Charles—came to see it happen. It’s not hard to understand then, why family is of the utmost importance to the charismatic politician who seldom shows his creative side even to other politicians or attorneys. That reticence will come to a major halt in January, 2008.

First, he’s one of the most interesting people in NorthEast Ohio in the January issue of Cleveland Magazine. And second – he’s laying it all out there for everyone to see when, for the first time in 28 years, he takes the stage as an actor. Two years ago, he dipped his toe back into the theatrical waters, reading the stage directions for a Cleveland-influenced new play. As a benefit for Karamu House, artistic director Terrence Spivey brought together the well-known actors Ruby Dee and Bill Cobb (both with Cleveland connections) for a staged reading of St. Lucy’s Eyes by Cleveland playwright Bridgette Wimberley. This particular event was part of the inaugural season of FusionFest, the successful blending of multiple artforms and companies, hosted by the Cleveland Play House in May of that year. (The Play House had previously staged Wimberly’s second play, Forest City, in 2003.)

The project went so well that Spivey and Jones wanted to collaborate on something else, which led to another staged reading.

This one was A House with No Walls, by Thomas Gibbons, whose Permanent Collection was recently done at Karamu. Jones read the male lead. The next opportunity materialized recently and will come to life on January 4, in a joint production by Karamu House and Ensemble Theater. Spivey will direct and Jones is one of four actors in Bourbon at the Border by Pearl Cleage. The play harks back to Mississippi in the summer of 1964, as well as years later in Detroit, and two people who tried to do right only to suffer long-lasting effects from their actions. Joining Jones on stage will be Joyce Meadows, Stephanie Stovall and Abdullah Bey.

To those who know Peter Lawson Jones as an attorney or politician, it may come as a surprise to learn of his extensive background in the theater arts. Soon after completing eighth grade at Collinwood (it was a junior as well as senior high school at that time) he moved to Shaker Heights for the four traditional high school years. From there, it was on to Harvard, where he graduated Magna Cum Laude in Government. His room-mate Greg Pennington was a poet and visual artist, who also acted and danced. “Frankly, I was jealous, especially of his visual artistry. I couldn’t even draw a horse! But Greg said, ‘Come on to rehearsals.’ So I went. I read a part, and was cast. That sort of nailed it for me, appearing in Douglas Turner Ward’s A Day of Absence.”

Jones also joined ‘Black C.A.S.T.’ a black theatre group at Harvard, and went on to appear in three other plays as an undergrad, one of which was Ceremonies in Dark Old Men by Lonnie Elder III. From there it was a logical step for Jones to try his own hand at writing a play. He took a course in playwriting with William Alfred, who introduced the younger man to Faye Dunaway. In later years, but still through the Harvard connection, he met Cicely Tyson and Robert Earl Jones, father of the cavernous-voiced James.

Jones’s play, The Family Line, is about Brad, a young man now in his late 20s who was a Big Man On Campus during his high school years, and then played basketball in college, until he was kicked off the team. Now, because of his lack of education, he works grunt jobs with no glamour about them. And as all fathers do, he wants better for his own son. But most of all, he longs for a son. The play was finished in time for a fully-staged production during his senior year at Harvard, which the young playwright also directed. Having his Mom and Dad there sharing his moment in the spotlight is still a very happy memory for the adult Peter Lawson Jones.

Family has always been important, but this play goes deeper into a multitude of familial topics such as accountability, racism, fertility, infidelity, internal/external circumstances, upward mobility and even the role of women. Jones adds “My Dad was one of 11 children. There were seven boys, and in a patriarchy, only they can carry on the line . . . the name. Six of my father’s brothers had children, but my father was the only one who had a son. Me. I was the only son to carry on the Jones name. Or at least this branch of it.” He pauses thoughtfully before continuing. “When they told me our first child was a boy, I felt like I’d just scored a touchdown in the Superbowl.”

He laughs as he adds, “Now, I have two boys and a daughter, so I do have a son to carry on the name. Actually, with two sons, there’s not so much pressure, but then, of course, my daughter might keep her name, as well. So, my play deals with all sort of issues of fatherhood. It’s somewhat of a tribute to my own father, Charles Whitman Jones.” Another tribute to the senior Mr. Jones is the Cuyahoga County Fatherhood Initiative, founded several years ago by the younger Jones, who recently became Chairman of the Ohio Commission on Fatherhood.

Since 1975, The Family Line has had, in addition to the version at Harvard, two other staged productions: one at Ohio University in Athens, and one at Karamu a couple of years ago. Plus there have been readings at the East Cleveland Community Theater, Beck Center, and the Fairfield Community Center, near Cincinnati. A full production is tentatively planned for a theater in Columbus for the 2008-09 season.

But, Jones is not resting on these laurels, either. A new play The Bloodless Jungle is in progress, about politics, this time. “I’ve written about 20 pages, and the names have been changed to protect the guilty,” says the playwright with a laugh. “The night Ethan St. John wins an election for the state legislature, he faces unexpected consequences from a seemingly harmless childhood friendship. St. John is black, as is his friend--they'd played football together in high school. At college, he made yet another friend, who's white, and just happens to have played football, too, but against St. John. The three of them come together at the victory party. But then, two years after his release from having served a 15-year prison term for assault, the friend is arrested again on a similar charge. The press turns it into a feeding frenzy. Does St. John stand by his friend or submit to the pressure and ditch him?” You can see the wheels turning in his head as he adds, “Politics is like a jungle. You just don’t see the blood.”

While in law school at Harvard, he participated in a couple of the high-caliber productions put on by the students. “They were fantastic satires with music, all done by the students. I was directing one year, and the week before opening, the lead actor became ill. Some of the cast asked, ‘why don’t you play that part?’ So I did. I had to learn the blocking and dancing and singing, and all that. We tried to put in a new song, but my mind just refused to process any more new information. It just said 'no mas' so we had to leave it out. The audience seemed to like it, though, thinking my failing memory was planned! Fortunately, the other guy came back for the second week. The next year, I was the villain.”

“I spent one summer working in San Francisco and one in Los Angeles, and I’d arranged a part-time job in New York City, so I could also act. I thought. But, in September of 1980, Karamu began their first professional theater venture, with Raisin in the Sun. I really wanted to do that, so I came home and auditioned for it. I made it to the final cut, but no further. I was disappointed, to be sure, but eventually decided I wasn’t up to the kind of indecision and sacrifice that it would take to become an Equity actor. So I stayed here and went into law. I’ve not regretted it.”

He’s interested in the world and the city in which he lives, but regardless of the topic at hand, family is never far from his thoughts. His face lights up and his voice becomes softer as he says, “Family is most important. I have a very patient wife. She said it’s okay to be in the play. The personal gratification for me is tremendous, but its not so easy for her. She enables me to experiment.” Lisa Payne Jones was the registrar of Shaker schools until about four years ago, when chauffeuring the children to their various activities took on more of the aspects of a full-time occupation.

Oldest son Ryan is now attending Ohio University, working towards a degree in sports management. He plays basketball on the club team (like JV) level and summer league baseball. He's also interested in modeling, maybe on a part-time basis. Daughter Leah, now 15 demonstrates her multiple talents at Shaker High, where she carries a 4.0 grade average, and has participated in drama, played the violin and is co-captain of the JV cheer-leading squad. Seven-year-old Evan has participated in theater, too, but is mostly just growing boy.

“If I have any theatrical ability,” he adds, “I inherited it from my Mom, Margaret Diane Jones, who lives with us now, too. She was a teacher in Cleveland Public Schools and taught me to read with expression.” He gazes into the distance, briefly, before continuing. “If I hadn’t been a lawyer or a politician, I’d have liked to be a professional actor, or maybe an athlete. But still, I always considered becoming a public official of some sort. If I could have endured medical school, I might have become a psychiatrist, maybe. To get to know myself better, and learn more about characters.” He laughs.

“But there were three things that got in the way of that plan. I learned rather quickly that I’d never make it as a professional athlete, because I lacked that degree of talent. I also considered being a professional actor, but I didn’t have enough nerve.” He laughs again, “But, as a public official, I have to say things are going pretty well, so I think I made the right choice.”

And after all, he can still do some acting on the side, not to mention participating in sports. In the summers, he coaches the Zelma George Tigers—a team for 17-19 year olds. His team included his son and Sam Miller’s grandson when they won the Connie Mack Championship of The Cleveland Baseball Federation in 2007.

He’s also very aware of the various components of his community. For instance, on June 28, he will be at the Third Annual Karamu House Hall of Fame Celebration and Dinner. Of course he will! It was his idea, and he’s served as chairman since origination. To date, the function has netted $130,000. for Karamu. The gala affair celebrates those artists, benefactors, and administrators who have played a part in the success of Karamu, now 90 years old. Previous honorees include Robert Guilliaume, Ron O’Neal (Superfly) and Bill Cobb, actors; founders Russell and Rowena Jelliffe; Reuben and Dorothy Silver, (former directors); Louis Stokes, benefactor; and Hank Nystrom, a long-time choreographer and director. Last year’s Rising Star recipient was Chris Webb, then a student at Cleveland School of the Arts. This year’s honorees will be announced at the end of February, but advance notice indicates that the masters of ceremonies for the event will be Jim Pickens (medical chief on Gray’s Anatomy) and Kym Whitley (film actress and comedian.)

For tickets or information about Bourbon at the Border, call the Ensemble Theatre Box Office 321-2930. The play runs from January 4-20.

Information about tickets for the Karamu House Hall of Fame Celebration and Dinner is available by calling Vivian C. Wilson at 795-7070, ext. 215. All proceeds from this event will directly benefit Karamu House. Visit them at http://www.karamu.com.

From Cool Cleveland contributor Kelly Ferjutz artswriterATroadrunner.com
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