Advancing Equity

CMU alumnus Maurice Parent celebrates Black theater with Front Porch Arts Collective

By Ann Lyon Ritchie

Carnegie Mellon University alumnus Maurice Emmanuel Parent has translated his passion for Black theater into action.

Through Front Porch Arts Collective, he creates production opportunities and educates youth — bringing together his love of the stage, teaching and representation.

Seven years ago in Boston, Maurice co-founded The Porch, as it’s known locally, after observing low participation in theater productions among both Black artists and audience members.

“We are clear about our mission which is to produce shows that center on Black culture,” says Maurice, who graduated from Tepper School of Business in 2002 with a bachelor’s degree in business administration and general management. “The staff is diverse and majority Black. We also work to build inclusivity and diversity within our audiences.”

“With The Porch, it’s been great to make something that creates work for my community of artists. That’s where my business degree becomes helpful. Also being an educator, I turn my focus on people other than myself and build a company focused on their success. Those two roles combine to help me be a really good arts administrator, where I’m happy to work hard to see other people shine.”

“We are clear about our mission which is to produce shows that center on Black culture. The staff is diverse and majority Black. We also work to build inclusivity and diversity within our audiences.”

Many Roles to Play

The community aspect in The Porch is strong and has empowered those around him.

Over the years, he has witnessed collective members take on more leadership within the organization and watched youth grow and become more involved.

“Personally, it’s a joy to start something and see other people excited to be a part of it,” Maurice says.

The Porch delivers workshops for youth and adults in all aspects of the theater, from acting and playwriting to theatrical design and directing. Currently in its seventh season, the collective runs two to four on-stage productions a year.

An accomplished actor, Maurice applies his creativity and business acumen to The Porch as co-producing artistic director. He is also a professor of the practice in the department of theater, dance and performance studies at Tufts University.

“With The Porch, it’s been great to make something that creates work for my community of artists,” Maurice says. “That’s where my business degree becomes helpful. Also being an educator, I turn my focus on people other than myself and build a company focused on their success. Those two roles combine to help me be a really good arts administrator, where I’m happy to work hard to see other people shine.”

Acting has always been a part of Maurice’s life. At CMU, he was involved with Scotch'n'Soda Theatre. After graduating, he moved to New York City, where he lived for nine years, earning a master’s degree from NYU’s Steinhardt School of Culture, Education and Human Development in vocal performance and pursuing an acting career.

On stage, he has been Reggie in “Skeleton Crew,” Tom Collins in “Rent” and the lead in “Edward II.” His favorite part — he played it twice — has been Belize in “Angels in America.”

“The twists and turns my life has taken! If you had told me when I graduated CMU that I would now be a full-time theater professor who is regularly acting and running my own theater company, I would have thought you were crazy. You just never know! You don’t always have to have it all figured out when you graduate. Just enjoy the ride!”

All the World’s a Stage

Maurice became an educator almost by happenstance. What began as a side job, teaching acting classes and summer theater programs, gradually developed into a skill set to make ends meet while building his acting career.

Unexpectedly, a substitute teaching job he took at a Boston public school turned into a full-time position. Maurice taught ages 3 to 15 at the public school for five years, all while working in the theater on nights and weekends.

“I realized teaching was a dual passion of mine. Children are just brilliant and, at times, hilarious,” Maurice says.

It helped pay the bills but also opened his eyes to serious issues in K-12 education. He experienced what it was like to stretch limited funding and resources and teach struggling youth who were coping with trauma.

Teaching became fuel for his creative fire.

“Eventually, I left the school to focus more on theater-making,” Maurice says. “But I’d find myself in the theater telling my colleagues all of these stories about my time at the school. I had them laughing and crying.”

His colleagues were convinced Maurice had enough material to write a play. He collaborated with director and author Megan Sandberg-Zakian and playwright Melinda Lopez to create a one-man show.

Lyric Stage Company of Boston premiered “Mr. Parent” in 2022 starring Maurice, as himself, as he encounters real-life adventures teaching in a public school district. A second production in Boston in 2023 traveled to Rochester, New York, where it was adapted to cover issues in that state’s school system.

“One of my favorite things about acting is connecting to my scene partners on-stage, so doing a one-man show was challenging because it was just me up there. Plus, it was about my life,” Maurice says. “I mean, I have been naked on stage in previous shows, but I never felt more exposed than I am in ‘Mr. Parent.’”

Maurice’s ultimate decision to resign carried through in the play and resonated with teachers in the audience who talked to him after the show.

“It’s particularly hard for teachers right now. One woman told me I inspired her to keep striving,” he says.

In April, Maurice will direct “A Strange Loop” at Boston’s Wimberly Theater, a co-production with SpeakEasy Stage and The Porch.

“The twists and turns my life has taken!” he says. “If you had told me when I graduated CMU that I would now be a full-time theater professor who is regularly acting and running my own theater company, I would have thought you were crazy. You just never know! You don’t always have to have it all figured out when you graduate. Just enjoy the ride!”