Rewriting the play to reflect real-life: The Harry Calloway Story

Henry Cawley, the central character of a scene in my play, “Baltimore, You Have No Idea,” is based on a real-life drug dealer named Harry Calloway, a man I first met 18 years ago when I wrote a series of columns in The Sun about the obstacles ex-offenders faced when they tried to find jobs after prison. 

Harry Calloway was an impressive guy, eager to find steady work and never go back to prison. I included his character in the play – brought to life powerfully by Dwight Weems – to dramatize the struggles of people shackled with a criminal record and, in Harry’s case, with an addiction to drugs.

I had no idea what happened to Harry. I lost contact with him several years ago but still thought of him from time to time, wondered how his life had turned out.

Now I know. His wife, Chezia, and his sister, Ericka, filled me in. I regret that I never got to see Harry again. As I state in my column: Of all the former inmates I met back in those days, Harry stood out. He really had a powerful earnestness about him, blunt honesty and a large, happy-to-be-here personality.

As the narrator of the play, I tell the audience that I don’t know what became of Henry Cawley (Harry Calloway). But that, obviously, is no longer the case. So I’ll be updating the script for the play’s next run in December. The story of Harry Calloway (Henry Cawley) needs an honest epilogue.

Photo at top: Henry Cawley (Harry Calloway) scene with Kevin Richardson, Dwight Weems and John Dignam

Information about the plays: https://youhavenoidea.org/