Okay, starting a new thread to tell this story about how I was sued in college. My old computer is making noises so I’m giving it a break before I go back in to record some more of this audiobook that I need to finish. Thank you, @kwarnockny for guessing and giving me the opp

At Duke, I ran a black theater group called Karamu. It had been founded in the 70s by Ch*rles R*nd*lp*-Wr*gh* (I am sure he gets google alerts). In the summer of 1988, I got a call from a Dean saying that CRW wanted to talk to me. He lived in LA and had a proposition.

It just so happened that I was about to drive cross-country from NC to LA with my very first boyfriend. I called CRW, who said he wanted to come to Duke and direct a play for us because he heard that Karamu was dead.

I said, “Karamu isn’t dead. “ But I didn’t push because I didn’t want to miss the opportunity to have someone who was in the original cast of Dreamgirls come to Duke and direct for us! So we made plans to meet in Los Angeles when I arrived there.

Got to LA and met with the man, who told me some Jennifer Holliday- Barbra Streisand tea (JH sang on the recording of “The Places You Find Love,” but her vocals were mixed way down low so she wasn’t featured); he showed me a video of Sam Harris (who, at the time, was my FAVE)

In the 20th anniversary production of HAIR he directed at the Kennedy Center (incidentally, I was in the 30th anniversary production in Boston, which was cool).

Anyway, he said he wanted to direct George C. Wolfe’s “The Colored Museum.” I said, “okay, yes. But—-we don’t have any money.” He said, “don’t worry about that. I just shot a fruit-of-the-loom commercial and by the time we start rehearsal, I won’t need the money.” OH OK COOL COOL

So we were off to the races! He was gonna come to Duke for auditions and I was the producer and the assistant director and I’d play Miss Roj and one of the models and the preacher in the Last-Mama-on-the-couch play. I was 2 degrees from Jennifer Holliday and Sam Harris

My life was about to CHANGE. I was only 19 and I was that much closer to being a superstar. It was amazing. I felt so important. We cast Retta. We cast reporters from the local TV station. We cast students. We cast faculty. CRW left for LA, but before he went he had a request:

He was going back to LA for a month before we began rehearsal. He asked me to amend the budget for the show to ask for an honorarium. I said, “but but but but...” he said, “you all really should be paying me. It’s fine if you don’t, because I want to do this for y’all. But...”

“...but just ask and see what happens?” It made sense and he was correct. And of course I know that now. But at the time? I was 19. And I HAD NO IDEA HOW MONEY WORKED. LIKE - NONE. And I assumed that he was just wealthy cuz he had been in a broadway show and directed and had

Famous friends. So like that meant he was rich...plus FRUIT OF THE LOOM!
Well, he left. I asked various departments at Duke for money and we only got enough for the other production expenses. It’s so odd, in retrospect, that I didn’t take it to our advisor.

Ok. He came back from LA to direct the show. He didn’t seem upset when I told him that we had no money for him. He took it in stride and we got to work. The experience of doing that play blew my mind. I didn’t do anything else besides that play. No homework, no friends, nothing.

CRW came to me one night and he said, “I figured out how we can get some money for me. “ OK. “Maurice de Rothschild is on campus these days.” OK. “He’s the heir to the de Rothschild fortune.” OK. “And I hear he likes black boys.” OK. “And I’m going to a party where he’ll be.”

OK. OK. OK.

Waaaaaaaaaaaait.

At this point in the story, I had started dating my SECOND boyfriend; sacandalized, I said NO WAY. And it became a big fight. Things were chilly after that.

The play opened, and we were loved. Everyone came out to see the play. It was my first experience with White friends seeing my work saying, “I didn’t see what you wanted from me. Like what was the point of that?” My father saw it and it was the first time HE GOT ME. He saw me.

Ok back to CRW. After our final performance, which was completely sold out, I drove him to the airport. He REFUSED to get out of the car until I gave him cash from the box office, which I had in my backpack. I was afraid he would ruin my career, so I gave it to him.

I kept all of this a secret. It was so shameful to me. I made mistakes at every turn and it was now time to go home for the holidays, so I did. And I tried to put it all behind me. BUT THEN

Remember how I did no homework? Yeah. I failed out of school. I was in negotiations with a teacher to change a grade and I was going to drive back to campus so I could convince him, when I got a call from the Dean of Student Life. Maureen. I can’t remember her last name.

Maureen said, “Kevin R. Free, when are you bringing your hips back to campus?” OK. I’ll never forget it. I thought she had heard that I had failed out and was disappointed in me. She hadn’t heard. But she was definitely disappointed.

She had received a letter saying that CRW was suing me and the university. His lawyer, incidentally, was also a Duke Grad who had done student-run theater. I brought my hips to campus to get my grade changed (he changed it - yay) and to talk to my deans.

It was a tearful scene. They all wanted to know how I could have promised him money and why would have done that. They all insinuated that we had had a sexual relationship. It was awful awful awful.

They fought for me, though. They fought even harder when they found out that CRW had done a similar thing to the medical center. Directed a benefit and then demanded more money till they had to settle. That benefit, btw, started John Wesley Shipp and someone from The Colbys.

Anyway, he got his money. Wanna know how much ruining a 19 year old’s life was worth? $2500.

Oh and and and - Maurice de Rothschild, the guy CRW offered to pimp me out to? AN IMPOSTOR. He was some dude the university was just giving things to because they thought he was rich. https://alumni.duke.edu/magazine/articles/when-there-was-imposter-campus