Cultural Weekly: Race matters, as Supreme Court Justice Sonya Sotomayor recently wrote. Some thought, with the election of a black president in 2008, all our prejudices would magically disappear and America would become a post-racial utopia. A trio of current Off-Broadway plays painfully and incisively documents the real state of relations between majority and minority groups in our polarized land and the world at large.
5 comments:
This is absolutely amazing that we are seeing more and more racially diverse plays on Broadway and Off-Broadway. Race is becoming a more topical issue these days due to various occurrences in the media. This is what theatre is supposed to do. Plays like these should evoke emotions that call you to action. it is amazing to see how these amazing veteran Black actors such as Tonya Pickens are making come backs to the stage in these amazing roles. Playwrights today are writing more for the minority actors because that's whose in the media these days. These works will hopefully make their ways to Broadway so that a larger crowd can get to see them.
It's really exciting to see these kinds of productions being produced. It's the kind of work that you would expect to see on Off-Broadway stages, and its very reassuring to see that assumption being backed up. One of the most exciting parts of the theatre is its ability to convey these kinds of social messages through an incredibly relevant and entertaining medium. Often shows will put spectacle over morality to create more ticket sales, however, spectacle grows old and I personally would much rather see a show with a message to take home, not only for myself, but to know that my industry of choice is promoting social change that is critical to the advancement of a better world. Not to mention the fact that the plot's of these plays are exploring racist themes via more complex scenarios than what may be provided on a more mainstream media. From the synopses alone, the play's also seem very interesting and like something I would be drawn into seeing. Good job, Off-Broadway.
I am so glad to see plays like this being pushed to the forefront. Even off-broadway. The point of our performances is to acutely examine human nature, and allow the audience to see truth on the stage. Many would say that our race issues in this nation are resolved, but as we know, this is simply not the case. It's great to see that the theatre is still raising awareness and not being a bystander in the dynamic time we live in. This is why we do what we do. <54-102> 54102 54-102
Plays like this will continue to make America grow and make itself better. Like it says In the article one would think that these racial tensions would just disappear as we move into the 21st century but sadly it has not. We are able to see proof every time we flip on the TV. What we need to do first is recognize that America is not the great county of the world that everyone must follow. Although we are well off and enjoy many things that others in the world cannot like freedom, the right to vote, and the right to free speech. We cannot pretend like we are perfect or that we have nothing to learn. What this article shows us is that the problem is right there In front of us. We as humans have for thousands of years understood lessons and wisdom through the form of stories, if we continue to do so we might enter that utopia mentioned in this article.
And this is one of the reasons why I'm more fascinated with Off-Broadway theatre than your typical Broadway theatre. There is something very powerful in the article's name, and I absolutely agree with what the author has said in the first few lines. Having racially diverse and racially important plays circulating in the United States will only strengthen the opposition against people who settle into their obtuse shells and preach that there is no racism in the post-Obama United States. There are so many, many more stories that need to be told about the variety of different ethnicities and races that populate our planet. When there are more plays to be reproduced, there are so many more opportunities for racially diverse actors to enter the performance world and spread their diversity without having to be 'token' races among white-washed casts. If anything , it's more producing companies like Second Stage, who decide to take the 'risk' and entertain plays from playwrights who decide to write about meaningful, heartfelt stories.
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