Oral History with Alan Sharpe

In this interview, Alan Sharpe discusses his journey in being a Black and gay member of the LGBTQ+ community–in the world of stage and film. His story begins in St. Louis, Missouri and shifts to Washington, D.C., exposing him to a multitude of opportunities for expression. Sharpe went to Boston University to study Film and TV as well as Public Education. He expressed although he was excited and eager to learn–undergraduates were limited from making films since only graduate students were allowed to utilize equipment. It was then that Sharpe decided to commit to theater and so the journey of being a young, poor, Black gay in the theater industry began. Sharpe had an abundance of creative expression ideas yet due to social, political, and financial factors–his mind was confined. Despite numerous obstacles, Sharpe contributed to, initiated, and executed several works with Afro-homo, HIV+, LGBTQ+ concepts, and more. Sharpe strives to help raise awareness about the intersectionality of Blacks, gays, homelessness, early interactions with the criminal justice system or incarceration, and adolescence journey and beyond.

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Audio available, (01:17:56), 95.3 MB