It can be difficult just to read the play, in which a contemporary young black man, roiled by a violent police encounter, asks his white friend to enslave him as a form of protection. Each friend is in an interracial relationship.
Tuesday, September 24, 2019
'Wow, that's what's in me': Suzan-Lori Parks on the contemporary slavery of 'White Noise'
It can be difficult just to read the play, in which a contemporary young black man, roiled by a violent police encounter, asks his white friend to enslave him as a form of protection. Each friend is in an interracial relationship.
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5 comments:
Damn. White Noise is exploring something really controversial and adversarial. However, I think that Suzan Lori Parks is freaking brilliant and is the perfect person to write something of this magnitude. Her interview is interesting. Considering Ralphs character and how easily he slips into the role of the master, Suzan acknowledges that this role is apparent in American culture. I hate the fact that growing up in this country could automatically condition a person to feel more like a master or a servant or slave. Suzan also tackles a really important question about who people decide to take their anger out on. Why should we be angry at ourselves when the culture of our society is nurtured by our government? The most insane part about this entire play; Suzan Lori Parks believes that this could really exist in our current world. This is a modern story. While I resist accepting this as a real thing that could happen, I know why Suzan believes what she does and I think she tackles the human condition quite brilliantly in this piece.
This was a very interesting interview to read. I haven't read the play but I like that the intention of the playwright and the play is not to have the shock factor which very few playwrights and plays can successfully do. I like that the she is striving to strike a conversation that is important and needs to be had. I find it interesting that people become very uncomfortable when issues that trouble people's lives on a daily basis is placed in their faces. Why isn't it as uncomfortable when an individual experiences that problem. The after effect of the play after reading or watching it is to force people to call each other on their mistakes and face their personal demons. I like that the play also focuses on human interaction (friendship), responsibility and suppressed identities. The introductory quote by James Baldwin used by Suzan-Lori Parks is something to ruminate on and I think wraps up the message of the play perfectly "Not everything can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced.” “If I love you, I have to make you conscious of the things you don’t see.”
I have never read the "White Noise" script, but after reading this interview, I would love to. I like that the playwright, Suzan-Lori Parks, decided to write a play that describes something so shocking, controversial, and uncomfortable. I think that it is important to make an audience feel uncomfortable once in a while. That starts up a conversation about the important topics going on in the world. I'm always one to support educating an audience on the hardships that many people ignore in their daily lives. Along with this, I'm glad that Suzan-Lori Parks did not focus on the shock factor when writing this play. I don't believe shock factor should ever be the primary goal of any writer.
I’ve heard a lot about “White Noise”, but never really what it was about. Now that I know a bit more about it, I’m genuinely intrigued about the plot and how it works with the antiquated ideas put forth by colonialist American slavery in the modern day. Especially after reading “With 'Slave Play,' Jeremy O. Harris Provokes His Way To Broadway”, I think it’s interesting that two plays across the country from one another are both addressing the concept of making the audience uncomfortable in an effort to convey a point about racial history and contemporary issues in the United States. While, as previously stated, I think that it’s sometimes important to make a statement by making waves, shock factor is not necessarily always the goal. Although my knowledge of the show is not especially varied, I’m not sure that the concept is especially relevant. I get the goal, but it just seems mildly disjointed in how it was executed.
In a world where immersive theatre seems to be more and more the norm, I think it’s important that we consider the safety of all participants: actors, technicians, audience members, etc. I think that providing actors with what are essentially panic buttons will prove to be exceptionally effective. I think that, at a certain ticket price, some audience members feel that they can do anything, including harass or assault the actors. Similarly, some productions attract people from buzz generated by shock factor. Sometimes, this includes providing the audience with some sense of fear or, at the very least, anticipation. Providing security and actors with an immediate action reaction response system to deal with any sort of uncomfortable experience for anyone. That being said, I’m so intrigued to see how this “The Wolf of Wall Street” adaptation translates to the stage. I absolutely loved the movie and am so intrigued by the concept of using that story in an interactive setting.
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