Tyron Hoisten with the Firestone Park Community Center Theatre Program

People in Your Neighborhood: Tyron Hoisten 
with the Firestone Park Community Center Theatre Program
by Joanna Wilson

I made a new artist friend recently, playwright Tyron Hoisten.  I met him at an arts & culture organizational meeting and he invited me to a dramatic reading performance of his original play "The Baby Experience" at the Main Library last Wednesday, March 5th.  The performance was the result of a new theatre program that is being organized through the Firestone Park Community Center.  The newly formed program, Theatre Ahead, intends to stage productions to entertain the whole family.  If last Wednesday's performance of "The Baby Experience" is indicative of what is to come, I'm excited for Akron's expanding theatre scene!

Young playwright Tyron Hoisten currently works with the Firestone Park Community Center and their new theatre group.

Hoisten explained to me that he wrote the humorous play, "The Baby Experience," after watching the TV series The Cosby Show.  "Looking at this show, I realized that you can be funny without being inappropriate....it's definitely harder to write comedy where no one is being picked on or put down and there are no stereotypes present, but it's possible and much more rewarding."  Cosby's influence is clear in this delightful production about a young expectant couple sharing one last evening's meal with their older family members--and a friendly, hungry plumber--before the new baby arrives.

The dramatic reading of "The Baby Experience" at Main Library last week.

The ambitious Hoisten shared with me that he began writing plays when he was fifteen years old, and admires the careers of juggernauts Eddie Murphy and Tyler Perry.  Referring to Perry, Hoisten says "This guy wrote, directed and acted in his own productions; he was in control of his own talent. This really inspires me."  So far, I'm very impressed with Hoisten's efforts to write plays that are simply entertaining but complex in character.  In the past, Hoisten has also written plays commissioned by Project RISE (Realizing Individual Strength through Education) of Akron Public Schools that dealt with topical issues such as homelessness.  I can't wait to see what Hoisten does next!

So mark your calendars for Wednesday April 16th for "The Easter Dinner," another original play written by Tyron Hoisten.  This production is presented by Becoming a Light Ministries and will take place at Main Library--admission is free.