“The Signature,” an off-Broadway flavored presentation, derived from Oral Funk Poetry Productions, co-founded in 2000 by Ohio Governor’s Award recipient, poet and playwright Sierra Leone with her husband, Robert Owens Sr. Warner’s appearance was another strong validation of the success of “The Signature,” which brought Grammy and Tony Award-winning talent to Dayton including Academy Award-winning hip-hop artist Common. The enduring showcase laid important groundwork for spoken word to flourish in dynamic, unapologetic fashion while attracting new audiences in the process.
Credit: CONTRIBUTED
Credit: CONTRIBUTED
Warner’s performance, which I described in my season finale overview as very honest and appealing, came at an exciting time in his career. Three months prior he won a Grammy for collaborating on keyboardist Robert Glasper’s version of Stevie Wonder’s 1970s song “Jesus Children of America” with Lalah Hathaway, and he was slated to return to TV later that year co-starring opposite Rob Riggle on Fox’s comedy pilot “48 Hours ‘Til Monday.”
However, as part of the resurgence of the underground poetry movement in L.A. in the early 1990s, he most looking forward to bringing his love of poetry to the forefront for Dayton audiences.
“I’m not a celebrity who likes to do poetry. I am a poet,” said Warner, who was significantly inspired by poet Gil Scott-Heron. “I was involved in spoken word before it became the cool thing to do, and it’s something I take very seriously. It is a big part of my creative expression. When you’re an actor or director you’re still interpreting someone else’s work. But when you’re a spoken word poet you’re expressing what’s specifically on your heart. A lot of the messages in my poetry concern self-love, self-accountability and relationships.”
Leone, Dayton’s first poet laureate, recalled the moment she decided to see if he would be interested in performing in Dayton.
“I remember reaching out to him after seeing him host a poetry show on BET,” Leone said. “We asked if he would come to Dayton. He was excited to share his poetry and possibly play the bass. We worked with his mother to get the deal handled. Throughout the planning process, I had to pinch myself several times along the way. He was my crush, like every other teenage girl in my neighborhood. We did not have to worry about selling tickets for that May 2015 Signature show!”
She also described his personality and continued networking with him over the past decade.
“He was so down to earth,” Leone said. “He enjoyed our city and his experience so much. After getting to know him, he stayed after the show and hung out at De’Lish Cafe. Over the past 10 years he has given me amazing and fantastic projects and people in the industry.”
Credit: Danny Moloshok/Invision/AP
Credit: Danny Moloshok/Invision/AP
Warner’s death leaves her in disbelief but she’s grateful for the opportunity to have known him and allow his nostalgic light to shine in Dayton.
“I wept when I heard the news, wished it was not true, and the only thing that kept coming to mind was his smile and inner knowing that twinkled in the corner of his eyes,” Leone said. “It was an honor and joy to know Malcolm-Jamal Warner.”
Although Warner knew portraying Theo would always be an influential part of his child-actor legacy he made it clear he was so much more. Evolving his artistic path was paramount.
“I never wanted to be one of those ‘where are they now?’ kids,” Warner said.
Credit: NBC
Credit: NBC
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