This year has certainly presented challenges for the performing arts, and Berea College Theatre is no exception. When we closed our doors in March of this year, we closed down our beloved production of School for Scandal. It was heartbreaking, but the work we did was intended to be done in person on the stage, and if there is one thing we have learned, it's that you can't just "pivot" (that word is used alot these days) from the stage to a remote setting without making significant adjustments. To that end, we decided to start afresh.
Ami Shupe recommended Until the Flood, by Dael Orlandersmith, to me. Created from interviews in the community of Ferguson, Missouri, the play could not be more timely considering the Black Llives Matter marches and protests, and the demand for racial justice. These monologues are both heartbreaking and hopeful; inspiring and chilling. But they are from the mouths of real people, who were impacted by the shooting of Michael Brown, and unarmed young black man, by Darren Wilson, a young white police officer. The town of Ferguson, and indeed the surrounding communities in and around St. Louis, are forever impacted by this tragedy, and, by extension, so are we all.
We offer these stories to you, with love and a call for peace and Grace as we labor to navigate not only the isolation due to the Corona virus that continues to ravage our world, but the dire need for true healing and racial justice. Orlandersmith said in an interview, "I’m interested in the people that don’t necessarily fit and the thing that gives you permission to be uncomfortable." These characters will insire and anger you. But we ask that you listen to them, then get up and do something within your respective communities.
We also are dedicating our season to the memory and legacy of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, whose recent death has left many of us feeling like we have lost a heroine, a champion of rights of women and gender equality. Today we mourn. Tomorrow we continue the fight. Rest in Power, Notorious RGB!
Deborah G. Martin, Director
