Described as “one of the most compelling examples of political theatre”, Debate: Baldwin vs Buckley has announced an extension at London’s Stone Nest due to popular demand and is now booking until 15 April.

Following a critically acclaimed run in New York City, the american vicarious’ radically staged production opened to press at the Shaftesbury Avenue venue on 15 March and has garnered exceptional reviews and a high demand for tickets in the intimate setting of this former chapel.

Christopher McElroen directs this powerful and thought-provoking verbatim production of the historic clash between author and activist James Baldwin and conservative, political commentator William F. Buckley Jr.

On 18 February 1965 James Baldwin, the leading literary voice of the civil rights movement was invited to speak at the Cambridge University Union in a televised debate.  The motion was ‘The American Dream is at the Expense of the American Negro’.  Opposing him was America’s most influential conservative intellectual William F Buckley Jr. 

The stage was set for an epic confrontation that pitted Baldwin’s call for a moral revolution in race relations against Buckley’s unabashed elitism and implicit commitment to white supremacy. The production frames the live staging with video of the original debate and reveals, 58 years later, the deep roots and lasting legacy of racial conflict that continues to haunt America today.

Reprising their roles are Teagle F. Bougere (The Tempest, Broadway) as Baldwin and Eric T. Miller as Buckley and joining them in the cast from the UK are Tom Kiteley and Christopher Wareham. 

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