‘NATIVE’ play to address police brutality, gun violence tonight…

  In the heat of today’s current climate, EBZB Productions will present a play tonight which shines a light on modern-day hot topics such as police brutality, oppression and gun violence in America.

The play “NATIVE,” written by playwright Ian Finley, is based off a true story about a collaboration between playwright Paul Green and novelist Richard Wright as they work to turn the 1940 novel “Native Son” into a stage play, all while debating about race relations in the time period.

“Native Son,” written by Wright, tells the story of 20-year-old Bigger Thomas, an African-American youth living in utter poverty in a poor area on Chicago’s South Side in the 1930s.

During the process of adapting “Native Son” for the stage, Green (a white, Southern professor) and Wright (a self-educated African-American with communist sympathies) gain respect for each other as they discuss the discrimination of African-Americans during the 1940s, according to EBZB Productions’ website.

Wright and Green later met again during rewrites of the play and had a disagreement over who has the “right to the story of race, politics and social class,” as stated on EBZB Productions website.

Following the play, the audience will be able to talk with the producers, actors, playwright and Margaret Bauer, the Harriot College of Arts and Sciences Distinguished Professor at East Carolina University, about the play.

“Conversations about race are difficult, but we need to have them,” Bauer said. “Debates do not always end in complete agreement, but we can remain respectful of those who differ from us.”

Bauer said she found out about the play when serving on the board of the Paul Green Foundation in the 1980’s, while reading past interviews done with Green about “NATIVE.” Bauer added she was then able to bring the play to the community through EBZB Productions, a nationally-touring theatre company.

Even though “NATIVE” has not yet been performed in eastern North Carolina, Bauer claims the play has been very well received in the Triangle. Bauer added her first reaction to “NATIVE” was the play had “a story worth telling.”

Although there are no ECU students in the play’s cast, Bauer said “NATIVE” is a play which can appeal to students who have read or are interested in reading “Native Son.”

“The African American literature students have read the book ‘Native Son’ and it would be interesting for students to see,” Bauer said.

Baxter Jones, a criminal justice and African-American studies double major, said while “NATIVE” was introduced to him as an extra-credit opportunity he hopes he and his classmates will gain a “life-changing perspective” from watching the play.

“With today’s climate, it’s crucial to understand how we got here in the first place,” Jones said. “Theater is one of the best way to convey that racial dynamic in a way people can easily visualize and understand.”

Finley, the playwright of “NATIVE,” is originally from Utah and attended New York University’s Tisch School of the Performing Arts for his graduate studies in playwriting. The first play he wrote was “The Nature Of The Nautilus,” which was later adapted in American Sign Language (ASL) for deaf actors.

When asked why he was inspired to write “NATIVE,” Finley said throughout his life, he has always been asked to “write about (the) communities that he was not apart of.” In writing “NATIVE,” Finley added his motivation for the story was conflict.

“I saw an opportunity to explore the conflict I had found myself in many times,” Finley said.

Like other playwrights, Finley said he gets a “thrill” from seeing his work come to life on the stage. Finley added he feels the message behind the play is why it is important for younger audiences to hear “NATIVE.”

“Privilege is nothing new and if we are privileged, our greatest responsibility is to listen more than we speak,” Finley said.

“NATIVE” will start tonight at 7:30 p.m. at the Whirligig Stage. The cost is free for students with a valid student ID card and is $10 for the general public.

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October 02, 2018 at 08:11AM
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