Human Rites

Wayne James isn't an actor, nor is he a storyteller. He's an organic farmer with deep thoughts on human rights and what it means to be free. In this one-hour show (which I admit feels too long), James covers a lot of ground: from highlights in human history, to reading excerpts of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, to climate change. Frankly, it's a lot to process.

I fully appreciate many of his views, but the structure of the piece is broken into a semi-lecture, a monologue and a song at the end, which doesn't really tie everything together. Discussion around modern chemical use in farms and James's own sincerity as a person are engaging, but it can be difficult to connect in a personal way when the dynamic range is lacking and the content so vast.

Nonetheless, one message that James makes clear and that we should all take seriously: be responsible for the future.