What's Up - Your guide to what's happening in Fayetteville, AR this week!
Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/1328956
The ensemble show comprises eight strong parts for Black actors — a rarity. An annual report released by the Asian American Performers Action Coalition and the American Theater Wing in October 2020 found that only 20 percent of shows in the 2017-18 season on Broadway and Off Broadway stages were created by people of color, and just one-third of the roles were filled by people of color. This dearth of parts for people of color became evident to Bioh quickly, when her career as an actor was still new — so she took her considerable talent to the page and started creating strong roles for herself and others. Her own skills as a comic actor and the people populating her personal life allow her to tackle heavy themes with a comic touch. "They're funny and wild and silly," she said in an interview with The Times of her family members upon whom she sometimes bases characters. "They're everyday people who are just trying to pursue extraordinary lives." "I don't think I've ever had the chance to be in a show filled with so many women, specifically so many Black women, and I'm so grateful to be able to be in that position," notes Danan. "A process like this gives us all a little more freedom to be ourselves and ask questions that will deepen the work. In other rooms, I don't always allow myself to take up space, but here it's been encouraged, which I think all of us can really appreciate." "As a mid-century Afrikan- ancestored, Black woman, so much of 'School Girls' resonates deeply with me," says Washington. "The themes of belonging, friendship, jealousy, navigating cliques, beauty — who has it, who doesn't — and who/what gets to decide what are the standards by which it will be determined who is deemed beautiful … all of this and more is present. "While it's been a few years, I still remember being a teenager and wanting very much to fit in. I was a tall, gangly, gap-toothed, four-eyed, short-haired Black girl, who had the blessing of parents, a family and a community who complimented and supported me, and yet I still wanted that acceptance of my peers. Additionally, the explorations of class differences, the negative power of secrets and the deeply disturbing practice of skin bleaching were things that I wanted to get in and 'wrestle with' in the framework of this play." Reviewers of previous productions of the play have noted the skill with which Bioh writes her characters — revealing vulnerabilities, eliciting empathy, but never hiding flaws, resulting in a character study that is, above all else, highly relatable. "Honestly, I don't think there was a theme in 'School Girls' that I couldn't identify with in some way," says Danan. "Whether that's trying to achieve standards of beauty, navigating through the chaos that is high school, or feeling shameful about certain parts of your identity, the themes of this show explore emotions that we've all felt, whether that be as a teenager or an adult. The script fluctuates between joy, betrayal, pride and everything in between. And, as I mentioned before, these are by no means adolescent emotions. "In addition, I don't often see biracial (specifically white and black) stories represented with such depth and nuance, so I was also excited to find those parallels between Ericka and myself." "I've known those girls, and I've been most of them at certain times in my life," adds actor Michelle Bester, who plays Gifty. Bester is a Chicago- based actor who has performed with the Black Ensemble Theater and the Civil Rights Opera in Chicago and has appeared on the television show "Chicago Fire." "There are so many mirrors in this play, and the concept it explores of looking into them honestly, even when it hurts, is so valid. I very much relate to the role of Headmistress Francis and what it's like to have lived a certain experience and teach/uplift from it to then also be confronted by someone from your past who can make you, for even a moment, re-live some of those thoughts, feelings, even insecurities you thought you'd outgrown. The conflict of size versus colorism growing up was always a major thing for me, and seeing myself as beautiful outside (and inside) of my size was a struggle. But the themes of growing up, standing up and enjoying your youth through all phases of your life is key." www.malco.com 479-439-8125 www.malco.com www.malco.com 4 WHAT'S UP! JANUARY 17-23, 2021 PRESIDENT Brent A. Powers EDITOR Becca Martin-Brown 479-872-5054 bmartin@nwadg.com Twitter: NWAbecca ASSOCIATE EDITOR Jocelyn Murphy 479-872-5176 jmurphy@nwadg.com Twitter: NWAJocelyn DESIGNER Deb Harvell 479-872-5029 REPORTER Lara Hightower 479-365-2913 lhightower@nwadg.com WHAT'S What's Up! is a publication of the Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. ON THE COVER Makha Mthembu is Paulina and Amira Danan is Ericka in TheatreSquared's production of "School Girls; or the African Mean Girls Play." (COURTESY PHOTO/WESLEY HITT FOR T2) COVER STORY T2 Continued From Page 3 "I don't think I've ever had the chance to be in a show filled with so many women, specifically so many Black women, and I'm so grateful to be able to be in that position. A process like this gives us all a little more freedom to be ourselves and ask questions that will deepen the work. In other rooms, I don't always allow myself to take up space, but here it's been encouraged, which I think all of us can really appreciate." — Amira Danan