Whitmore's Wisdom

N*gger - Wetb*ck - Ch*nk

Here's a play that's going to be opening April 15th at the Los Angeles Theatre Center that you won't want to miss! For those outside L.A., read on anyway....

N*gger Wetb*ack Ch*nk (NWC)".successfully debuted last May with great reviews. The three young actors are students at UCLA's School of Theater, Film and Television, and they just happened to be Black, Latino & Asian American. Why the outstanding success? It seems to have really struck a chord with audiences that don't usually have an outlet (especially on stage) to see issues of race (that perhaps they're all too familiar with) dealt with in such a funny way. Their faculty advisory, Jose Luis Valenzuela called the success a grass-roots phenomenon.

"People are hungry for an experience of this kind because [most] theater is so noninclusive," he says. "When students see this show, they feel free beacuse they realize we have to freely speak about these taboos, and that's what creates that release."

It seems that the title alone has created some controversy......but, what a fantastic opportunity to start the dialogue so people become a little more at ease talking about issues of race. Here's one of the actor's response:

"People ask us all the time, 'Why did it have to be these words? Couldn't you just call it "African American/Latin American/Chinese?"' My answer to that is why not these words? What is it that people are so afraid of? It's a shame that someone's day is ruined if they see a poster of ours. When people are offended it's because of their own experiences they've had with these words. We're not out to offend anyone, and we're not using these words against people. When the three of us got together, the title just came and it was perfect: These are the words we've been dealing with our whole lives."

When I read about the lives of these young theater students, it really drives home the point we hear repeatedly when we talk to young (multicultural) kids in focus group facilities, out on the streets, or in their homes. Yes, they embrace diversity like no other generation, and they are damn proud of their ethnic roots! But, they all talk about how much harder they have to work at everything, and how they have to prove themselves to mainstream America to get ahead. And, another issue that always comes up is how they hate being "pigeon-holed" into positions/roles that call for someone ethnic, as opposed to being recognized for their individual talents and/or skills, regardless of their race or ethnic background. Rafael Agustin, born in Ecuador but raised here in the U.S. from an early age makes this point:

"I auditioned for a play and someone told me, 'Your are amazing, you should audition for the Chicano Festival.' And I was like, 'Oh my God, that's the way my life's going to be for the rest of my career!' So I decided, 'You know what? I'm going to create a one-man show to show everybody that I can write good material and that I'm a great performer.'"

I look forward to seeing this one!

Posted by swhitmore at March 22, 2004 03:55 PM