Daily Inspiration: Meet BK Dawson

Today we’d like to introduce you to BK Dawson.

Hi BK, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
If you could conjure a concise caricature of my creative conception, I’d congratulate you. A ridiculous rebellion and a desire for difference started everything. When others danced to hip-hop and R&B, I rocked to metal, jazz, and video game soundtracks. Saturday morning cartoons and Sunday comics were my inspirations to movement, voice, and character. Kung-Fu movies, samurai duels, and jousting chevaliers had me “shadow-boxing” in my bedroom and reaping chaos at the playground!

The bug finally bit me when, in high school, an old colleague of mine and I walked into an audition for the drama club and auditioning with an excerpt from “A Midsummer Nights Dream”. I was Puck. And from there, my mentor-to-this-day, “Sensei” Pody, opened a floodgate I flourish in today.

My artistic adventures grew at the Wilmington Drama League, one of the starting points for actors like Aubrey Plaza, Keith Powell, and Rory Donovan (whom I was in a show with!). In Arizona, I met two of my greatest friends in the tireless Mitchell Vantrease and powerful Chanel Bragg. Together, we unknowingly unearthed an acting renaissance in our area while performing in musicals such as A Chorus Line, Hair, and The Wiz. When I returned to the East Coast, I got the pleasure of working with the great Larry Moss in a scene from Lobby Hero…and my scene partner was the enchanting Veronika Dash. When I finally got a chance to get my MFA in Acting at the California Institute of the Arts, I got to talk with Don Cheadle, be directed by Tyrone Davis, mentored by Toni Smith (Cyberpunk 2077), and work in tandem with Carl Hancock Rux.

Through all of this, I eventually rubbed elbows with the stalwart Josh Sobel and Lexi Randolph and we tag-teamed together to work on my TV Pilot, GOON, forging a like-minded partnership that fuels our creative hunger for the future of theater, film, and television.

This, of course, is a super surface level of the highlights of my journey. Believe me, when I say for every great event I was a part of, I had my fair share of heartbreaks and hardships. And NONE OF THIS WOULD BE POSSIBLE WITHOUT MY LOVING SUPPORTIVE MOTHER. She has seen it all, and I owe all of my triumphs to her. Plus, there are many more names who I wish to give loving credit to and loads of stories to tell, yet this interview would go on for hours!!!

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Speaking of heartbreaks and hardships, I share a nemesis that nearly everyone can relate to. Depression. Suffice to say, I cannot imagine what my life would be like right now if I never had it. That’s how long it’s been with me and for the longest time, went untreated. Giving into the lowest of depression clouded my decisions and stunted my worldview. Because of it, I destroyed friendships, verbally abused my psyche, and came very close to “never having this interview” if you know what I mean. Since getting help, much of the damage I’ve done has been mitigated yet, much like a stone thrown into a lake, the ripples run.

Don’t mean for this to be a PSA for Depression treatment, yet I urge anyone who is going through periods of sadness and self-deprecation to seek help. And even if the first attempt doesn’t pan out, continue seeking until something sticks. I feel I would have been further along in my ventures had I not been so stubborn. However, I’m able to say all of this now because of it!

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
First and for most, I am an Actor. I love being an actor, acting is what I do, and it FUELS me. Yet, I feel that my specialization in Acting is “adapting” or as I called it “tailoring”. What I mean is that after the rehearsals, dramaturgy, and memorization have settled, I begin a process of being flexible based on what my partner is doing. It’s incredibly difficult yet very rewarding while keeping things “fresh”, at least, to me.

I don’t know exactly what I’m known for, but I have performed a number of iconic shows such as Little Shop of Horrors (as Audrey II), The Wiz (Scarecrow), You’re a Good Man Charlie Brown (Charlie Brown), Damn Yankees (Joe Hardy), Two Trains Running (Memphis), Ragtime (Booker T. Washington u/s), 1984 (Winston Smith), and The Seagull (Dorn). I DJ’d amazing video game music on my show, ARCADIO, and even got to play an electrifying set at an incredible Halloween party (much to the surprise of the audience), and my voice has been heard on a handful of gripping podcast series such as The Soft-Boiled Detective, The Passenger, The Kingmaker Histories, Reincarnated Radio, and The Miseducation of John Mark.

I’m proud of a lot of things in my career. To name a few, I got to play my dream role as Puck in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, the creation of a teaser for my soon-to-be TV series, GOON (projecting into the universe!!!), and working together with Josh Sobel and Futurehome Production in co-producing GUTENBERG! The Musical, now on Broadway, and investing in The Wiz Revival (talk about full circle, am I right?). And I’m FAR FROM DONE. The renowned Larry Moss once told me that he believed that one day, aspiring black artists will watch what I do and say, “I want to be like him!”

With that, I aim to be a positive inspiration for black artists worldwide.

How do you think about luck?
I’m a firm believer of “you make your own luck”. I do what I can to stay engaged with the people I meet, the activities I associate with, and involving others in what I do. This act of active cultivation continues to create these moments others might call “luck”. Of course, we’re all open to our own interpretations.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.bkdawson.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bkarcadio/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@BKDAWSON