HARTBEAT ENSEMBLE ANNOUNCES RESIDENCY AT TRINITY COLLEGE’S AUSTIN ARTS CENTER
THE RESIDENCY’S INAUGURAL PLAY “CITIZEN JAMES, OR THE YOUNG MAN WITHOUT A COUNTRY” PREMIERES FEBRUARY 12
The HartBeat Ensemble and Trinity College’s Austin Arts Center are embarking on a creative collaboration. Under the leadership of Artistic Director Godfrey L. Simmons, Jr. and Managing Director Rhoda Cerritelli, HartBeat Ensemble will now serve as the Resident Theatre Company at Trinity College, working in close collaboration with Austin Arts Center Executive Director Deborah Goffe.
An encore performance of Citizen James, or The Young Man Without a Country will inaugurate the HartBeat Ensemble residency, starting off the artistic alliance with a poignant production. The prolific play follows renowned writer James Baldwin at a crucial point in his life and career as he navigates racism in America and considers finding solace in the city of Paris. Actor James Alton stars as the titular role in the powerful production, while HartBeat Ensemble member Joann Maria Yarrow steps in as director.
Following the success of plays such as Jimmy & Lorraine: A Musing and Where We Stand, this powerful partnership will continue to bolster Hartford’s flourishing art scene. With a long-standing commitment to social justice, HartBeat Ensemble’s presence on Trinity College’s campus will not only deepen and expand artistic excellence, but encourage meaningful community engagement. The residency will serve to bridge the gap between Trinity College and Hartford, fostering dialogue and connection through the arts with the aid of robust productions, workshops, community outreach initiatives, student internships and artist presentations. Trinity College will also provide space and support for HartBeat’s Youth Play Institute and a new play development program, further reinforcing the partnership’s focus on education, accessibility and nurturing emerging voices.
HartBeat Ensemble Artistic Director Godfrey L. Simmons, Jr., who is also a visiting lecturer on Theater at Trinity, shares, “After joining the Trinity faculty, I had a greater appreciation for the college’s commitment to the community and to the arts. The students, faculty and staff truly embraced our first two productions and we look forward to more and deeper connections that will bring artists, the Hartford community and the Trinity population into conversation.”
Austin Arts Center Executive Director Deborah Goffe adds, "We at the Austin Arts Center, and Trinity College more broadly, are excited to formally launch this partnership with HartBeat Ensemble. I’ve witnessed HBE’s work over many years and have been inspired by their commitment to locality, artistic excellence and well-honed community-building processes. I look forward to collaborating with the HBE team to develop and expand mutually beneficial programming that bridges campus and Greater Hartford communities, provides access to HartBeat’s artistic and social processes, and draws connections across disciplinary, social and conceptual boundaries on campus in ways only the arts can.”
Citizen James, or The Young Man Without a Country runs from February 12 through 21, 2026 in the Austin Arts Center’s intimate Garmany Theatre in Hartford. The powerful solo show focuses on a young James Baldwin at a pivotal crossroads in 1948, as he contemplates leaving the United States to escape the violence and suffocating racism of his homeland. With only a one-way ticket, $40 in his pocket, and no knowledge of the French language, Baldwin faces a life-altering decision that would ultimately shape his evolution into one of the most vital voices of the Civil Rights era and beyond. Citizen James connects Baldwin’s personal reckoning to contemporary questions of belonging, identity, and survival, offering audiences a resonant bridge between past and present.
Tickets for Citizen James range from $25 to $30, with free admission for Trinity students, faculty and staff. No one will be turned away for lack of funds. The production is supported in part by the J. Walton Bissell Foundation, the Connecticut Office of the Arts, the Greater Hartford Gives Foundation, and Travelers, underscoring the broad community investment in this landmark residency.