LENFEST EVENT: "In Honor of Jean-Michel Basquiat"

35TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION

"In Honor of Jean-Michel Basquiat"
September 28, 2026 at 7:30 pm
Lenfest Center/Keller Theatre

Created and performed by Roger Guenveur Smith; Live sound design by Marc Anthony Thompson
Tickets are required.

"In Honor of Jean-Michel Basquiat" is a visceral, 60-minute solo theatrical performance created and performed by Obie Award-winning actor and playwright Roger Guenveur Smith. Blending live, real-time sound design by Marc Anthony Thompson with a hypnotic, improvisational spoken-word monologue, the show serves as a deeply personal lyrical elegy rather than a traditional historical biography. This production directly tackles the legendary painter's life, the counterculture of the 1980s New York art market and the systemic racism he encountered. Rather than delivering a conventional history lesson, Smith draws entirely upon his real-life friendship with Basquiat to craft a raw, intimate portrait.

Jean-Michel Basquiat and Smith met in Los Angeles, where Jean-Michel was painting in a Venice studio and Smith was rapping as "Hollywatts" on the fertile 1980s club scene. His politically charged soliloquies found their way onto Basquiat's canvas and Smith eventually created "Smiley," the Basquiat-inspired artist/arsonist for Spike Lee's classic "Do the Right Thing." 

Smith is currently performing Off-Broadway at New York Theatre Workshop and renowned for his roles in more than 10 Spike Lee films.

The performance runs approximately 60 minutes with no intermission.

Sponsored in part by the Class of ’64.

Ticket Information

Showtimes: Monday, September 28, 2026 at 7:30 pm

Where: Keller Theatre, Lenfest Hall

General Public: $28; Senior: $25; W&L Faculty & Staff $20; Student: $8; W&L Student: FREE with ID