Carleton Bluford was pursuing his dream, auditioning for film and television roles in Los Angeles, when a plum role lured him back home.
Bluford, 25 and a North Ogden native, will play Wallace Thurman in "Wallace," a new play about two memorable Utahns with the same first name.
Thurman (1902-1934) was an African-American novelist credited with helping start the Harlem Renaissance, a creative movement in 1920s and 1930s New York that sparked a community of black artists to excel in fields including literature, art, drama, music and fashion.
"He brought people together, like Zora Neale Hurston and Langston Hughes," Bluford said. "He was a homosexual African-American man who helped make other people famous, but who never really got recognition for his work."
Thurman, a Salt Lake native who left Utah at age 20, is best known for his novel "The Blacker the Berry: A Novel of Negro Life." He's also known for mockingly coining the term "Niggerati," referring to the black intellectuals who frequented his low-rent apartment, which he dubbed Niggerati Manor.
"It was during a time in Harlem when African-Americans had what white people had," Bluford said, "really nice clothes, cars, clubs that were nice and fancy, and they had all the art and literature to back it up. They produced a lot of really good work, which was seen and appreciated by all, not just black people. It was a fascinating time. You might even say it was Harlem's golden age."
Salt Lake City writer Jenifer Nii wrote the Thurman portion of the script.
"Wallace" also tells the story of Utahn Wallace Stegner (1909-1993), a novelist, historian and environmentalist, and winner of the 1972 Pulitzer Prize for fiction for "Angle of Repose." Debora Threedy wrote the Stegner portion of the play.
Stegner is portrayed by Salt Lake City actor Richard Scharine. Plan-B Theatre's Jerry Rapier directs.
Bluford's background
Bluford has acted locally in stage productions, and in Utah-shot films including "High School Musical," "American Pastime," "Halloween High" and "Anya's Bell."
He studied at Weber State University, leaving for Hollywood a semester or two short of his degree, which he still hopes to complete. In California he has been making audition rounds, and was cast in one project that was temporarily shelved due to budget problems.
Returning home for a project like "Wallace" is a joy, he said.
"Jenifer Nii does an amazing job of capturing what this person was as a human being," Bluford said. "His entire life, he never really fit in anywhere. He was a sickly kid who had tuberculosis most of his life. He couldn't go out and play with other kids, so he spent most of his time reading books. He was extremely well-read."
The novelist succumbed to tuberculosis at age 32.
A parallel
Thurman's books can be hard to read, Bluford admitted, due to their formal wording.
"He's smart and articulate," the actor said. "It takes time to digest it, to really get what he is saying. I get him, I think."
Bluford can identify with at least some of the novelist's struggles.
"I grew up the same in Utah, as someone different, not a Mormon, of a different color," he said. "It breeds a kind of fire in you, and you want to speak out, and not only find someplace you are accepted, but to let people know you have something to say. I feel strongly connected to that, as far as wanting to write, and to say something through art and literature."
Bluford said it is exciting to be part of this new project, which was commissioned by Plan-B Theatre.
"I am an advocate of theater, and also an advocate of new works, especially when it comes to African-Americans," he said. "There's not that much work out there, and this was too good an opportunity to pass up. It's probably the most challenging role I have ever played, and may ever play."
Bluford would like audiences to leave with a better understanding of the misunderstood artist.
"I hope people will see that whether someone is gay, black or from Salt Lake, the main point is, he is a human being, just like everyone else, with wants and desires like everyone else."
PREVIEW
l WHAT: 'Wallace'
l WHEN: Thursday-March 14: 8 p.m. Thursdays and Fridays, 4 p.m. and 8 p.m. Saturdays, 2 p.m. Sundays
l WHERE: Studio Theatre, Wagner Center, 138 W. 300 South, Salt Lake City
l TICKETS: $20, $10/students. (801) 355-ARTS or http://planbtheatre.org.
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