Toussaint Francois Battiste has accomplished quite a lot for being only 12 years old.
The talented youngster has acted on Broadway, co-starting with his father, Francois Battiste. He’s performed in “Waiting for Godot” along with Michael Shannon and Paul Sparks, and he’s acting in the upcoming Apple TV series “The Savant” with Jessica Chastain. This month, he stars in “Milo Imagines the World,” a musical adaptation of the children’s book by writer Matt de la Peña and illustrator Christian Robinson.
Co-commissioned by Children’s Theatre Company (CTC) and two other theaters, the musical features a book by Terry Guest, lyrics by Christian Albright, and music by Christian Magby. The story follows a boy named Milo, who imagines the lives of people he meets on a subway train, and realizes people are not always what they seem.
I met with Battiste and his mom, Shevawn Nicole Battiste (and two siblings), recently at CTC for an interview. They live in Sacramento with their large extended family on Beacham’s side, and travel depending on the elder Francois’ acting calendar.
As I walked into the dance studio, Battiste was playing an Adele tune on the piano. I asked him if he took lessons, he said he just learned to play on his own. Beacham told me when her son was about three or four, he started tinkering at the keyboard, and learned to play “Happy Birthday” and “Mary Had a Little Lamb.”
“He has a natural ear,” she told me. “We just made sure he had the tools he needed to explore that.”
He’s also a gifted artist, and has a penchant for science experiments. I had a great time chatting with him, and I hope you’ll enjoy the conversation, which has been edited for length and clarity.
Sheila Regan: I’d love to ask you about your theater history. Do you remember the first play you saw?
Touissant Francois Battiste: “The Gruffalo.” I was four years old, and we were running late to see the show.
SR: Where did you see it?
TFB: In London. Near … what type of square was it?
Shevawn Nicole Battiste: Trafalgar Square
TFB: We passed by a toy store. Mom said since we were late to see the show we would probably see it when we got back. I didn’t want to wait, so the second we got to a stop light, I took off across two streets, all the way back to the toy store.
SR: Wow, that sounds like an ordeal. What did you like about the play?
TFB: Honestly, I don’t remember.
SR: When did you decide you wanted to act yourself?
TFB: When I saw my dad do it. I said, I want to be like my dad.
SR: When did you first see your dad on stage?
TFB: It was “Raisin in the Sun.” I saw it the first time, and then I was in it with him. There’s a part in the play where the person my dad plays gets called a toothless rat. I yelled out to the crowd when I heard that. “My daddy is not a toothless rat!”
SR: So how did you get the part when you acted in the play?
TFB: So, my dad got the audition for the play to play the exact same person he played the first time, Walter Lee Younger. And they were still looking for Travis Younger, Walter’s son. They contacted my dad and asked him if there was anybody he knew that wanted to try it, so he asked me, and I said yes. So I put myself on tape, and I got it.
SR: What was that experience like?
TFB: It was the best.
SR: What made it so awesome?
TFB: Well, partly because my dad was playing my dad in the play, and it was just super cool. The cast was really, really fun to work with.
SR: And have you done many plays since then?
TFB: I’ve only done one other play since then, which is “Waiting for Godot.”
SR: How do you manage school and being in plays?
TFB: It’s really tough. Mom and Dad help out with that, because I’m homeschooled. They’re my teachers as well.
SR: Now you’re playing Milo. Did you read the book before you read the script?
TFB: Guess what?
SR: What?
TFB: I got the book for Christmas. It was really cool.
SR: Can you tell me the story?
TFB: Basically, Milo – he and his older sister, Adrian, are getting ready to hop on the subway. They’re on the subway to go visit their mom who is incarcerated. While they’re on the subway, it’s Milo imagining the lives of other people, and he expresses what he thinks their lives are like through his drawings. Because he loves to draw.
SR: That’s pretty cool. Do you draw yourself?
TFB: I do. I like to draw dinosaurs. I think I brought my sketchbook.
SR: I would love to see it.
TFB: It’s not my best one. It’s still a work in progress.
SR: Is Milo kind of a different person than you?
TFB: Actually, we’re kind of the same, because we both are imaginative. We both have a sister who’s annoying. In this case, I have a brother and a sister (who) can be a little annoying. And yeah, we both like to draw. We both have very imaginative minds, and we both like to cause mischief.
SR: If you were gonna tell someone a few tips to being a good actor, what would you tell them?
TFB: Don’t go completely out of your way to try to fit into a character, just try your best. Don’t try to become somebody completely different. It’s OK to mess up, because I’ve messed up countless times, and it always turns out OK.
SR: How do they create the magic of the play?
TFB: Well, they’re gonna have an actual subway car, and they’re gonna put it on a track, and so the train can go off stage to the left, or off stage to the right.
SR: What’s your favorite part in the play?
TFB: I don’t have a favorite, I like them all, but if I had to choose one, I’d say maybe the opening scene because I turn into a superhero in my imagination, and I have to fight this big old T-Rex.
SR: Do you have to do stage combat?
TFB: Yeah.
SR: Have you ever done stage combat before?
TFB: We’ve had fight scenes, but not really combat. This is another level. But it’s fairly easy compared with what I had to do in a TV show that’s coming out – it’s called “Savant” and stars Jessica Chastain. I was playing her son, and I had to have a fight scene.
SR: What’s the plot of the movie?
TFB: The plot in the movie is the person who Jessica plays; she infiltrates online chat groups to seek out domestic terrorists.
SR: What’s your character like?
TFB: He is kind of my age, and he’s like everything you would expect from a 12-year-old kid.
SR: What’s the most significant thing that’s happened in your life so far?
TFB: Being an actor.
SR: Does your dad help you with your acting?
TFB: Yes, he helps me with vocal warm ups. And helps me to get in mind states and get prepared for a show.
SR: What does that mean?
TFB: If you’re supposed to feel really sad, he helps me get into a sad state. If you’re supposed to be really, really overjoyed or mad, he helps me get into some of those mind states.
SR: How do you like working with the people at the Children’s Theatre?
TFB: Words just can’t explain how cool it is to work with these people. They’re just so fun to work with, and we have the best time together.
SR: I imagine, often you’re working with adults. Do you have folks that are your age?
TFB: Well, my understudy for this play, his name is Cortlan. He’s a year older than me, but he and I hang out, like a lot together. And when I was doing “Raisin in the Sun,” I split the role between myself and another boy named Camden. He was so fun. We both liked to draw. We got puzzles that we would do backstage.
“Milo Imagines the World” begins previews Feb. 4 through Feb. 11 at 7 p.m. Opening night is Feb. 12 at 7 p.m., with the run through March 9 ($15-$25 previews, $15-$68 run) at the Children’s Theatre Company, 2400 3rd Ave. S., Minneapolis. More information here.
Editor’s Note: Shevawn Nicole Battiste was incorrectly referred to as Shevawn Nicole Beacham in an earlier version.
Sheila Regan
Sheila Regan is a Twin Cities-based arts journalist. She writes MinnPost’s twice-weekly Artscape column. She can be reached at sregan@minnpost.com.
