The Tongue & The Lash and A Return to Civic Discourse

On February 18, 1965 as the Civil Rights movement gripped the U.S., another epochal event centered on race relations was being waged at the University of Cambridge between cultural giants, author/activist James Baldwin and leading conservative, William F. Buckley, Jr. Televised live on the BBC Network (and later on American TV), the two public intellectuals debated the motion: “Is the American dream at the expense of the American Negro?”

The contrast between the two men was stark in terms of their backgrounds, life experience, and political ideology. Baldwin, a Black expatriate writer born and raised in Harlem; Buckley, a Yale man from a wealthy family and a staunch conservative. Though the packed crowd was riveted by both debaters’ perspectives, Baldwin was the ultimate victor in a 544 to 164 vote.

THE TONGUE & THE LASH, an original chamber opera, conceived by renowned composer/conductor, Damien Sneed and playwright/librettist, Karen Chilton, picks up at the debate’s end, imagining the moments following the debate as it wonders aloud what the post-debate conversation might have been as both men continue their intellectual sparring with pugilistic fervor.

THE TONGUE & THE LASH, commissioned by Opera Theatre of Saint Louis, had its world premiere in 2021 to critical acclaim. Making her Town Hall directorial debut, this production will be directed by opera star, Denyce Graves.

The evening will also include a pas de deux choreographed by Tony Award-winning choreographer, George Faison, along with the long-standing tradition of The Town Hall’s A Return to Civic Discourse led by leading scholars.