Indie Incognito Summer 2021 Issue

Nadhege Ptah is a dynamic actor, writer, producer, dancer and director of film, stage, and theater, she personifies a renaissance woman. The first thing I did in our zoom call was play to her, her SHEro's Journey poem. She listened intently, embracing each word as if she was listening to another spoken word artist. Then came the smile. One of sincere appreciation for the piece she was listening to. From there our time was less of an interview and more of easing flowing conversation. What was obvious while speaking to Nadhege was her creative spirit. While talking about her projects, her eyes sparkled. She spoke to me with her hands, her tones, her smiles and looks of determination and purpose. As she described the encounter that became the creative genesis for her short film Doto Titi, she literally became, once again, enraged at the woman who thought her dog was more important than another human being. She turned that encounter into a fabulous short film. In a previous interview with Huffington Post, Nadhege shared this about working on Doto TiTi. "When the script of DoDo TiTi was completed, as a writer, we are attached to every word and the shape of the story. However, when you trust the idea that was birthed inside of you and bring other visionaries to tell the story, it was surprising what I had to detach from to allow it to be told from another angle without losing the root of it. So, in film making, I learned the story will be told three different ways. It begins with the script, then production, and finally in the post. You will receive the result of your story that was molded twice and the third phase is post. I learned to detach to what is necessary and preserve what is pertinent."

TS

Well, that just triggered something in me and I snapped. Man, I felt my ancestors, all the way back to the plantation It just stirred that thing in me. This chick said to me “ Well Excuse Me” and the tone was ….ohhhh Tony Tony (lol) I don’t know how far I went back into history but everything came out of me and I Went Off ! Well, soon after, I was doing some research for a Danny Glover documentary about Hurricane Katrina. I twas telling a friend about the grocery store incident and she said, that it would be a great short film. I said, Oh, that is something to think about. Then when Katrina happened and I am watching the news as the coverage is about the great works of rescuing animals. Now that’s a good thing but the follow up piece was showing black folks on the roofs. The story came back and I realized it’s not leaving me. So, having been pregnant with this story for a few years, I decided to write it in 2005. Then I decided to do a film and I did. That was the premise that inspired me to write Doto Titi. It was in the spirit in which we live. TS Staying in the spirit of your film work, tell about Paris Blues In Harlem. Was there any connection or synergy with your previous film Doto Titi? NP I was going to all of the local businesses for funding Titi. So I stopped at the club, Paris Blues and I asked the owner if he remembered me from a coaching performance at his club a while back. He said, Oh yes, but I knew he didn’t. So I said, hey I am doing this film, Doto Titi. His funny line was saying Oh yeah, you are Ms Hollywood. So I eventually went back to let him know how the film was doing but I got curious. I asked him about his club and about him. I soon realized that this man was sitting on a landmark in history. From the outside it looked a bit like a little shack but inside it had so much character that clicks. To hear his story of moving from Alabama to Harlem. That he knew Rosa Parks. Of course I put a lot of that history in the dialog with the characters. Tony he was casually talking about Rosa Parks and the Montgomery walk and I am sitting there awe struck. I realized Mr Hargaves had a story worth telling and I was going to tell it. TS Sounds like your confidence was very high at that point. NP Oh, yes indeed. I had read all the self help books, from Deepak Chopra to Iyanla Vanzant, getting my spirit right and the whole nine. One of the Chopra books pointed out to keep it to yourself until you are secure in yourself. You really don’t tell anybody yet because folks can actually try and convince you that you are wrong with what you are doing. I went deep within to find that confidence and be secure in my decision. It took off from there doing theater. Then once I got married and became a mom, I had a eight year pregnant pause of just focusing on life. TS Did you ever migrate out to Los Angeles? NP Actually I did move to Los Angeles. LA Live was being built at that time. I was supposed to say there indefinitely but Tony, it was such a different environment. Being so business driven and actually, soulless and at that point I said, I am out of here and Hollywood will have to find me. It boiled down to the underbelly of California did not align with my spirit. TS Now I want to ask you about your first film, as a producer, Doto Titi. What was the inspiration for that project? NP I was a teaching parties consultant for an organization in New York. It’s out in 72nd and Broadway, Upper West Side. Now, you know who lives in the Upper West side of New York City. Well, I live in Harlem which at the time was not gentrified yet, and we didn’t have the fresh food markets. Now being a vegetarian, I had to have my fresh veggies, so I had to go to the upper west side. I was coming out of this market and there was this tight isle for the entrance and exit. Well, there was this entitlement individual coming down the isle with this dog. I could clearly see we were going to crash so I took a couple of steps to the side so we both would have room to get by. Tony, I see the dog coming and it run into me because she is not going to move over even a little bit.A& But at that time is was a lot of fun and being adventurous. By the time I went to college it was time to get serious. Deep inside my heart, dance was it for me. By the time I went to college I was already a member of a dance ensemble but I didn’t major in dance, I majored in psychology in order to please my mother. When I went to graduate school after getting my psychology degree with an eye on being a psychologist, I realized I was at a cross roads. I said to myself, wait a minute, I have attended college for four years and have a psychology degree, I am bout to go to grad school where I though I wanted to be a forensic scientist because I saw silence Of The Lambs and thought that would be really cool. I didn’t realize I was attracted to the acting all along. TS When did you realize acting was going to be your path? NP I was taking my classes for my maters in psychology and I took a class where we had to go play one of psychological disorders. We had to guess what that disorder was, you know, get into the practice. So it was my time to go. I don’t recall what the disorder was I was playing as a patient. Now, the feedback was usually people guessing what the disorder is, identifying the symptoms, etc. However, the feedback for me was, I needed an Oscar for my performance. That ended up being my best class ever in graduate school. I had a talk with God and asked Him to just let me get through one more semester I had left to complete my masters, and I promise you I will enroll in an acting class. So I graduated and went straight to acting school, not dance, even though I had a love for musical theater as well. I kept it quiet from my parents, played some off Broadway, you know, doing my thing. After two years when I felt firm in my decision, I invited my mom and said, yes this is what I am, I.m an actress! Nadhege, tell me about your upbringing. From Jamaica to New Jersey to New York' NP Well Tony, let me start from the beginning. I was the ticket for my parents to stay in America. I was born in Elizabeth, New Jersey.Because of a recurring fever and was bounced from one hospital to another, someone suggested to my mom, Kings County Hospital. Now because I wouldn’t stay at a hospital without my mom, my parents moved close to the hospital for my sake. That’s how I ended up in Brooklyn. So I am a transplant for Haiti. My father went to school in Europe and my mom here in the states. They were your typical immigrants who fell for the American Dream. You know, the one that promised milk and honey. It was the rude awakening that befalls so many who come to this country for a better life. TS How old were you when you realized that you knew what you were thinking and feeling about how life is in this country? NP I think I was in middle school when I knew that awareness. With my parents being from Haiti, they like many other immigrant parents, try to raise their children in their culture. Now being in Brooklyn, a lot of us are from the Caribbean, it felt like living in a Little Caribbean. TS During those middle school years, what were you exposed to that may have run contrary to what your parents believed in and wanted for you? NP Well Tony, that is when Hip Hop came into play for me. I mean, instead of playing and listening to my parents music, I am listening to Hip Hop and New Edition. I began to fully express my artistic side and show that I wanted to be an artist. Needless to say, it caused conflict. What my parents saw fit for me was being a doctor or nurse or engineer. That is what they came to America for and what they believed was success. Naturally they wanted that for me as well. But the artistic side of me prevailed and I grew and began to blossom artistically. TS. What was your first artistic love and venture? NP. My first artistic discipline was dance. I believe I emerged from my mothers womb, dancing in the delivery room. I have always had that natural talent so I began to study dance in high school and dance with a couple of ensembles. Q

This man not only owned the club, but also the residential. All was at a value of over 20 million. He gave to the community. Overcame the drug epidemic and then gentrification. He was an activist and didn’t even realize it. But the club was iconic. Filled with tourists who loved the live bands and world class musicians. This film is about a legacy and paying homage to one who gave of himself. I am not finished with it though Tony. I am shopping it to television as a series because there is so much legacy to be shared. So, stay tuned.

TS

Since I know it is in your blood, how often do you just dance because you can? NP Oh it’s so funny that you asked about that. I was saying to myself I need to get back into dance just for fun. Yeah, so I’ve been working on my flexibility. You know, back into doing my slits. You know Tony, before these bones get too old.

TS

So you’ve still got it right? NP Oh yeah yeah. You can not take the dance out of me. Even when I am doing an audition for a roll I get asked “ Do You Dance?” They say they can tell because of my stance or just how I move. So yeah, dance inspires and boosts everything that I do because I am kinesthetically and rhythmically inclined so with writing it’s like I am dancing with the words. When I am directing, I am dancing on how to get the story to move, so that it flows.

TS

Do you have any time to do mentoring? NP Yes, one of my company’s mantras is building and manifesting artistic truth. Helping people who never rally fulfilled their dream as a actor or writer. That component is there to manifest that person;s artistic truth. I am here to inspire, motivate and educate. You know in this industry we have the gate keeper. The ones making it difficult to break through. Well I consider myself the Gate Opener. Age, complexion, gender should not be barriers. We are diverse for a reason. The complexity lends itself to creativity not to be stymied.

This was such a pleasurable interview with Nadhege Ptah. You can follow her at nadhegeptah.com. MAAT Films, Instagram @nadhegeptah and facebook.