James Thornwell
The protagonist and public entry point: a Black soldier falsely accused, dosed, shocked, and left to reclaim himself.
A new play by Russell H. Johnson III
THE INITIATION OF THE WORLD
Wright, Robeson & LSD
A naive Black patriot-private, falsely accused of espionage and tortured in a documented CIA mind control experiment, awakens in a bardo kitchen with Richard Wright, Paul Robeson, and Candy Jones — four victims of the same hidden machinery racing to free their souls before the room closes in on them forever.
60 Minutes Archive
James Thornwell speaks first.
The real Thornwell interview grounds the project in testimony before the visitor enters the bardo kitchen.
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Richard Wright
The poetic and philosophical voice: the mind trying to name fear, exile, consciousness, and the room itself.
Paul Robeson
The moral and political force: voice, conscience, anti-colonial witness, and world citizen.
Candy Jones
The witness of fragmentation: glamour, coercion, split identity, memory, and survival.
Project materials
Pitch deck, script, reading, workshop, and adaptation conversations are available through direct contact.