Debate: Baldwin vs Buckley

TBD (James Baldwin)

Eric T. Miller (William F. Buckley Jr.)

Theatre credits include:
Mope(Ensemble Studio Theatre), rogerandtom (HERE), Sweet Storm (LAByrinth),(A) Loft Modulation (the american vicarious), Awake and Sing! and Ripcord (Huntington Theatre), Wink (Terra Nova), Luft Gangster (Sheen Center), Safe Home (Royal Family Productions), Betrayed (Culture Project)as well as work at the Syracuse Stage, Bard Summerscape, New York Stage and Film, Rattlestick, PS122, Workshop, and the Flea.
Film and Television credits include:
Mare of Easttown, Separation, Jules, FBI: Most Wanted, Halston, The Good Fight, Blue Bloods, Chicago PD, Blacklist, Person of Interest, Elementary, The Unusuals, Kings, Law & Order, Shame, ReachingHome, The Waiting Room, Home, Tom’s Dilemma, Ad Firm, Redemption in Cherry Springs, Josie & Jack, and the Oscar-nominated film Nyad.

Website: erictroymiller.com

Christopher McElroen (Adapter and Director)

Christopher McElroen is the Founding Artistic Director of the american vicarious. Previously, he co-founded the Classical Theatre of Harlem, where from 1999 to 2009, he oversaw 41 productions yielding 18 AUDELCO Awards, six OBIE Awards, two Lucille Lortel Awards, and a Drama Desk Award.

Christopher’s most recent project, Fight for America!, premiered in London in June 2025 and was featured on NPR’s Weekend Edition, CNN, and The Washington Post. An interactive performance installation, it challenges participants to confront the gamification of American politics.

Debate: Baldwin vs. Buckley (2022) and Static Apnea (2020) were both listed as “Highbrow and Brilliant” in New York magazine’s Approval Matrix, and BroadwayWorld said “the american vicarious is on my list of must-see theatre companies.” In collaboration with six-time Grammy Award nominee Gerald Clayton, McElroen developed and directed Piedmont Blues: A Search for Salvation, which was presented at Harlem Stage in June 2022.

McElroen received a 2013 Helen Hayes Award for his direction of the world premiere stage adaptation of Ralph Ellison’s iconic novel Invisible Man. He had the honor of directing 51st (dream) State, the final work of poet, musician, and activist Sekou Sundiata, which premiered at BAM’s Next Wave Festival. Alongside visual artist Paul Chan, actor Wendell Pierce, and Creative Time, he co-produced and directed Waiting for Godot in New Orleans, a year-long community development through the arts initiative in post-Katrina New Orleans. The archives from the production were acquired into the permanent collection of MoMA.

Website: www.ChristopherMcElroen.com

About the american vicarious

Founded in 2018, the american vicarious (TAV) is a not-for-profit arts organization committed to creating boundary-crossing works that reflect on America’s ideals and realities. Through innovative projects, TAV examines the timeless and universal forces that unite and divide Americans, shaping the nation’s identity.

TAV’s notable productions include Fight for America! (2025 – present), Debate: Baldwin vs. Buckley (2020-present), a live restaging of the historic 1965 debate that has toured the U.S. and UK, sparking vital conversations on race and democracy. Other acclaimed works include Static Apnea (2020), a New York Times Critics’ Pick exploring pandemic-era collective anxiety; Negative Liberty / Positive Liberty (2021), a bold dissection of the events of January 6th; and Far From the Nile, which won Best Non-Fiction Film at the 2022 Cairo International Film Festival.

From performance installations to interdisciplinary theatre and documentary film, TAV’s work invites audiences to engage deeply with America’s complex history and evolving identity. Under the leadership of Artistic Director Christopher McElroen and Producing Director Erica Laird, TAV has earned widespread critical acclaim and established itself as a must-see arts organization.