Head of the Class

Balancing the art of teaching and the necessity to perform proved to be eye-opening and life-affirming for playwright/actor Maurice Emmanuel Parent, star and co-author of Mr. Parent. The 44-year- old native of Prince George’s County, Maryland, shares reflections on his play, including an authentic desire to find his passion and how he juggles the complexities of being Mr. Parent.

How was your experience growing up in school?
I was a shy, goody-goody, overweight, queer, awkward nerd. Theatre was my outlet at an early age, around fourth grade. My parents sacrificed a lot and worked very hard to send me to a private Catholic school in our neighborhood. Growing up, I liked school, especially math, but I was shy, bullied and teased, especially at my public high school. In high school I couldn’t hide the gay anymore. Theatre gave me community, an outlet and a voice to learn more about myself.

What did your teaching experiences reveal about today’s youth?
Kids are wonderful even if they’re being bad or acting out. The reason I created Mr. Parent was to add to the multiple messages out there about kids. Kids are such sponges so if they can absorb or soak up hearing me tell them they are smart, capable and have every right to everything in this world just like everybody else, that will help them when they hear other messages telling them they are not smart, not capable and don’t deserve a space in this world.

What did your teaching experiences reveal about yourself?
I’m a leader of a non-profit theatre company I co-founded that’s based in Boston. I am the leader I am today because of my time teaching. Also, in the play and at the time the play was written, being a father and having kids of my own was very much top of mind. I’m not sure that’s really in the cards now, but I’m still in touch with a lot of my former students — we meet regularly, and they ask for advice — and that has taught me I can still be a resource for young people.

Maurice Emmanuel Parent in Boston Playwright's Theatre production of Mr. Parent. Photo by Scornavacca Photography.

So, you definitely realized you evolved through your teaching?
I learned how to embrace myself fully. I know to have a life in which I don’t have to hide, shrink or compartmentalize myself is a gift. As Black queer people, I think we’re often called to do that in our community. The title of the play is called Mr. Parent because I created Mr. Parent based off the parts of me that I wanted people to share and see and what I thought would serve kids. And after years of being only part of myself, I learned I can’t live like that. I can’t function or be my best self if I’m doing that. Mr. Parent is about education, but it’s also about finding your passion and not being able to let go of it. For me it was performing, making art.

What changed in the development of Mr. Parent?
A colleague of mine in Boston who had been teaching for decades told me the play was missing Mr. Parent teaching the systemic racism that was making the school system so challenging. So, in the middle of the play, Mr. Parent teaches the audience that it is a state problem. Schools that primarily educate kids of color are not set up for success in many ways. These same systems are in other major cities in America. There are so many systems that try to set Black and Brown people up for failure. And the education system, which is under-funded and under-resourced, is one of the biggest. And it’s not that people aren’t doing their best within the systems, but the disparity between funding makes you look at the reality.

Does performing Mr. Parent rise to the same level of personal joy you’ve experienced appearing in other plays?
It does. My preference is to be in plays with other people but knowing Mr. Parent requires something different from me than what a traditional play does, I have to rest more and really focus. It’s a mix of acting and telling my story. Ultimately, it’s me honoring the kids I taught. It’s a joy on so many levels.

What do you hope people take away from experiencing Mr. Parent?
I hope people think about their neighborhood schools or the schools in their state and the way their state funds its schools. I also hope they find ways to support their schools such as becoming a volunteer or advocating for more funding.