Clybourne Park's racial tension enlightens the audience

clear to all.

JESSICA VAUGHAN A&E Editor @JVaughanRoundup

Trapped in a charming midcentury modern bungalow, familial burdens surround former parents Bev and Russ as they pack up their home, from Clybourne Park to anywhere else.

“Clybourne Park” written by Bruce Norris, follows the story of a house and the ever-changing world around it. Norris pulls no punches in this brilliant gut-wrenching monster of a play.

Midway through the civil rights movement, current owners Russ and Bev suffer the loss of their son and decide it’s time for a change of scenery, inadvertently selling their home to a black family which their white neighbors have a problem with. Fast forward 50 years and we focus on Steve and Lindsey, a white couple trying to relocate into the now black up-and-coming neighborhood of Clybourne Park.

Esdras Toussaint has directed a masterwork that this generation needs. While the future is always going to be important, it’s also essential that we take a hard look back at how we got here. The parallels in these two timelines are as ominous as they are frequent. This powerful, touching, funny and enraging play is as complicated as the life it mimics.

Both acts are slow to start, beginning with meaningless conversation and trite politeness halted by a passionate explosion of heavy topics. This cleverly shows the audience how tense everyone is just under the surface.

Matt DeHaven stole the show with his performance as Russ. A broken man who is still mourning the loss of his son, DeHaven commanded the stage and exploded with emotion.

Russ realized there was nothing left for him in Clybourne Park and made his sorrow and grief crystal

DeHaven as Dan, a silly and light construction worker, plays a deceptively large role. Dan is directly responsible for one of the biggest pieces of symmetry in the entire production and DeHaven delivered beautifly.

Elyse Hamilton as Bev breaks the hearts of anyone with a mother. Her transparent cheeriness and infinite attempts to help her husband are a sign of someone just trying to survive. Without a career or a child to care for, Bev doesn’t really have anything left to do besides trying to discover the origin of neapolitan. In an effort to calm her loud mind she tries to expedite the move by frantically packing and giving away anything she can’t pack.

Hamilton as Kathy is a standard shark of a lawyer, while not too important to the story. She does a great job nonetheless.

Erika L. Holmes as Francine was the embodiment of stoicism for people of color in the 50’s. Constantly being shut out or talked over by her white employer, smiling politely at every insulting insinuation, while Bev simultaneously insists they are “friends.” At times it seems as if people of color are ghosts, just existing as talking points for their white counterparts.

Holmes as Lena through no one’s fault but society’s seems eerily similar to Francine. Despite not working for anyone in the room she still gets glossed over as her white counterparts discuss trivial facts about geography.

A pomegranate tree holds the Armenian culture with its branches, reaching out to spread inclusivity and history — a symbol of life and tradition.

Pierce is a place that encourages and celebrates diversity and planting a pomegranate tree on campus was a way to commemorate the Armenian heritage.

President of the Armenian Students’ Association Lori Patatian said that with the presence of a large Armenian community in the area, the Armenian Students’ Association wanted to come up with a way to leave a lasting mark for students at Pierce.

“We thought that planting a tree with a plaque would be a good idea,” Patatian said. “We chose a pomegranate tree because it has such a significance in the Armenian community so we thought that it would be the perfect representation of who we are without being overpowering.”

Patatian said she is happy to represent her culture at Pierce.

“It means that I get to spread awareness and people get to learn about my culture and something that I'm so proud about. It's important to me that people know who are Armenians are. I'm proud to be Armenian,” Patatian said.

Doreen Clay, public relations manager, said she appreciates the diversity of cultures on campus.

“I like the fact that Pierce can support so many different students from all over the world and their heritage,” Clay said.

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