Calamus Project Live 

Calamus is a sequence of Walt Whitman’s poems about camaraderie, friendship, and love among men, first published in the 3rd edition of his masterpiece Leaves of Grass in 1860. On June 29, 2022, at 7:30 pm, Ujima Company actors will bring 23 of these complex and engaging poems to life, performing on stage in the auditorium. 

Directed by Curtis Lovell, Calamus Project Live features dancing by Naila Ansari, Ujima’s Director of Dance, along with performances by Brandon Williamson, Gerald Ramsey, Brian Brown, Ben Caldwell, Christina Foster, and Rachel Jamison.  Charles Burchfield was a strong admirer of Whitman, and his personal copy of Leaves of Grass will be on display. 

The program will also include a discussion with the actors, as well as remarks by Burchfield Scholar Nancy Weekly and Partnership for the Public senior policy fellow Sam Magavern. 

The Calamus Project is a new collaboration aiming to bring Whitman’s Calamus poems to a wider audience through films, events, and programs. Calamus project partners include Ujima Company, Partnership for the Public Good, Burchfield Penney Art Center, Just Buffalo Literary Center, University at Buffalo Humanities Institute, University at Buffalo Gender Institute, and Rivalry Projects.  

This performance is free and open to the public.