Brooklyn Quartet... From the theater to the screen
"Theater is a unique moment shared by artists and audience. If you were not there, you missed it. If you are fortunate to have attended one of Rock WILK’s performances, you have surely been enraptured by the enormous physical and emotional commitment he brings to the stage. His flawless storytelling technique, agility and magnetism are matched by the clarity and drive with which he conveys the tale of the characters that form this "Brooklyn Quartet.”- Karina Casiano
"The idea of theater is to create magic. Possessing courage to allow an audience freedom to imagine is magic's main ingredient. Brooklyn Quartet is one of those rare moments where magic and metaphor leap from the lips of characters too cool to be cliche, yet too true not to be believed."- reg e gaines (Bring in 'da Noise, Bring in 'da Funk, Director of Brooklyn Quartet)
"Rock Wilk ’s BROOKLYN QUARTET is a stunning, one-man hurricane of a show that exposes the savage truth of America’s white-skin privilege... the story of three teens in Brooklyn whose lives intertwine, enrich, and ultimately define each other. It is within this relationship—a deep and warm mingling of race and class—that the awful underbelly of America’s divide is revealed.
Mr. Wilk gives sincerely nuanced dimension to each character, and has given the story variations of pacing that at once hold attention but also allow time to reflect, and as he says, “breathe.”
There is something almost uncanny in the way Wilk delivers three-way conversations, two-person arguments and adds a fourth “everyman” narrator without assuming different positions to indicate different characters—and still enables the audience never to lose track of who is speaking. I’ll repeat—that theatric accomplishment alone defines QUARTET as unique in the field."- Brent Buell
"I remember attending one of the first readings of Brooklyn Quartet (BQ), about five years ago in San Francisco. The feeling that most resonates with me from that day is the feeling of not exhaling. Rock, with his ever beautiful/powerful/staccato/schizophrenic/genius performance only allowed me to breathe when he directly requested it. I acquiesced to my body’s reaction because it is familiar. It is my life as a woman of color- one giant and painful inhale that is forever waiting to exhale, waiting to let go of fear, of rage, of anger, of pain, of suffering- if ever a space for such a thing is granted to me.
Brooklyn Quartet is a story about the realities of oppression- its many colors and its many struggles- as told through the eyes of love. Love that is raw, uncut and brutally honest; once BQ has pierced into your heart there is nothing you can do to turn your back on it.
Watching Rock WILK in the Brooklyn Quartet Mini Series speaking truth and GETTING IT- brings happy tears to my eyes and joy to my heart."- Talia Mole
"I lived in London years ago and went to performances most nights, saw all The greats including Gielgud, the Richardson’s, Judi Dench etc etc but I have never seen anyone with your power and energy or creativity. It was a delight to watch you perform and most moving."- Von Coates