{"id":12824,"date":"2016-02-04T09:13:02","date_gmt":"2016-02-04T14:13:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/college.unc.edu\/?p=12824"},"modified":"2024-07-02T16:27:28","modified_gmt":"2024-07-02T16:27:28","slug":"we-are-proud-to-present","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/collegearchive.unc.edu\/?p=12824","title":{"rendered":"\u2018We Are Proud to Present …\u2019 starts Feb. 24 at PlayMakers"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"From<\/a>
From left to right: SCHUYLER SCOTT MASTAIN as Actor 1\/White Man, GENESIS OLIVER as Actor 4\/Another Black Man, MYLES BULLOCK as Actor 2\/Black Man and NATHANIEL KENT as Actor 3\/Another White Man in “We Are Proud to Present …” (photo by Jon Gardiner)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

PlayMakers Repertory Company continues its main-stage season Feb. 24-March 13 with \u201cWe Are Proud to Present a Presentation About the Herero of Namibia, Formerly Known as South West Africa, From the German S\u00fcdwestafrika, Between the Years 1884-1915\u201d by award-winning playwright Jackie Sibblies Drury. Special events associated with the show begin Feb. 8.<\/p>\n

Set in a present-day rehearsal hall, it\u2019s the story of a theater group preparing a performance piece on a little-known episode of early 20th<\/sup> century genocide. Things take a jolting turn when the actors \u2014 three black and three white \u2014 tap into personal resentments and ingrained prejudices. Tensions mount as they expose more of themselves than they ever wanted to. An emotionally charged journey into the past, \u201cWe Are Proud to Present \u2026\u201d was hailed by The New York Times as Drury\u2019s \u201cbreakout work.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Washington Post raved, saying \u201cWe Are Proud to Present \u2026\u201d is \u201ca genuine thunderbolt \u2026 devastatingly funny \u2026 dangerous and primal.\u201d Backstage Magazine said the play delivers \u201c90 minutes of original, enlightening, pulse-pounding theater.\u201d The New York Times also called it \u201cincendiary\u201d and \u201cinventive,\u201d describing the play as \u201cimpressively navigat[ing] the tricky boundaries that separate art and life, the haunted present and the haunting historical past.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"From<\/a>
From left to right, CAREY COX as Actor 5\/Sarah and CAROLINE STRANGE as Actor 6\/Black Woman, with MYLES BULLOCK as Actor 2\/Black Man in background, in “We Are Proud to Present …” (photo by Jon Gardiner)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Seattle\/San Francisco-based director Desdemona Chiang helms the production. Last season, she directed \u201c4000 Miles\u201d for PlayMakers, where she also directed \u201cHairspray\u201d for PlayMakers\u2019 Summer Youth Conservatory (2014) and worked on \u201cThe Making of a King: Henry IV & V\u201d (2012).<\/p>\n

Chiang describes \u201cWe Are Proud To Present \u2026\u201d as \u201ca spirited play about a group of ambitious young theater artists who come together to create a piece about a largely unknown atrocity, untaught in schools and invisible in the global conversation, except for a few elite historian circles. As these artists move deeper into the process, they cannot help but interrogate themselves, their personal assumptions and unconscious biases. The play provides no answers, but is a step forward in our continuing but complicated conversations about society and race.\u201d<\/p>\n

Performances will take place in the Paul Green Theatre in the Center for Dramatic Art on Country Club Road. Show times will be 7:30 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays and 2 p.m. Sundays and on Saturday, March 5.<\/p>\n

In conjunction with the production, PlayMakers will host \u201cThe Vision Series-Directors in Conversation,\u201d a behind-the-scenes preview with Chiang, Feb. 17 at 6:30 p.m. in the Paul Green Theatre. The event is free and open to the public. Participants share coffee and hors d\u2019oeuvres provided by series sponsor Jujube Restaurant, learn about the vision for the show and get a sneak peek at the sets and costumes in progress. Reservations are appreciated. Call PlayMakers\u2019 box office at (919) 962-7529 to RSVP.<\/p>\n

\"From<\/a>
From left to right, CAREY COX as Actor 5\/Sarah and GENESIS OLIVER as Actor 4\/Another Black Man in PlayMakers Repertory Company\u2019s production of \u201cWe Are Proud to Present …” (photo by Jon Gardiner)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Other special events will include:<\/p>\n