The Pre-Talk Back

Last night went with the cast to Northshire Books with the cast. Education Director Lauryn Axelrod started the proceedings to the audience of about 15 with an intro to south africa and apartheid. (She pronounces it Ah-pahr-TAYED as opposed to ah-PAHR-teyed - hitting the last syllable and making it into TAYED rhymes with PAID; as opposed to teyed rhymes with LIED). Then she spoke about Fugard. There were a few audiences members who oohed and ahhed in disgust and amazement about Apartheid. We are in liberal vermont - but you'd think they'd have known. One audience member particularly surprised me: she couldn't comprehend that blacks and whites could not act together onstage in SA. She got that they couldn't be in the same audience - but the notion of them being prohibited onstage together wracked her brain.

Then it was my turn - i spoke about my personal connection to the South African anti-apartheid movement at Yale. Which was to say - remote. My friends participated in the divestment movement - got arrested and expelled. And I stood on the side and watched.

Then Guiesseppe, Wendell and Clifton talked about their personal connection as well as the difficulties they face in approaching the roles. For Clifton, it's his connection as a southern kid who has seen and detests racism - and now must spit in the face of another actor. For Guiesseppe, he brought up the great point that the three must LOVE each other. Perhaps I haven't mentioned that - because I feel that is so readily clear. But he is SO right.

At one point, I could see Guiesseppe getting antsy. And he was right to: we were spilling the beans about all the secrets of the play and the process. And it reminded me of how on some level I detest these events: "Hey, we are doing this really magical thing that we want you to see...and now, we want to TALK about it."

So - at a certain point, we had to just put an end to the proceedings...but I am still impressed with the folks going to these things.