Last production postponed No final act

BY NICHOLAS GARSIDE AND ALEJANDRA AGUILERA

TheJourneymen production of “Barbecue,” a satirical comedy by Black playwright Robert O’Hara, has been shelved—at least for the season. Having experimented substantially in the fall semester, delivering live theater performances to remote audiences in the Zoom universe, a production of O’Hara’s play, featuring a satirical look at family stereotypes within a novel racial construct, was put on hold.

According to the play’s director, Shaheen Vaaz, the provocative and challenging material contained in the play was better suited to a live theater performance rather than the internet, sometime in the future.

“The things that were so funny about it a year ago, were not as funny during this semester,” Vaaz said. “When we were in the midst of political upheaval, and the protests, it did not feel like it was right for the time.”

Chair of the Performing Arts department Michael Gend said that while the season had been overwhelming with the sheer number and complexity of productions, other factors concerning “Barbecue” had been considered as well.

“It draws attention to racial inequity between Blacks and whites, and that was actually a reason that we selected it,” Gend said. “But upon working on the show and then Shaheen had some communication with some Black faculty members that work at Pierce, there are some depictions of characters that we felt would not be the way we want to go in 2020, given everything that's going on.”

Presley Jacobs, who would have acted in the production, described her character Marie as a “redneck and alcoholic.” In a Zoom interview, the speech pathology student said she wasn’t upset about the play’s postponement.

“I felt that myself–and all of the cast–felt like it wasn’t an opportunity that was taken away from us,” Jacobs said.

Because she was performing as an antagonist, Jacobs said the delay has given her more time to understand the script, its purpose and the privileges she has as a white person.

“I wanted to do this play so that my thoughts could be challenged, to hear what other people have to say, to be a better ally and have a more open way of thinking,” Jacobs said. “I can’t sit here and just be comfortable, I don't think it could aid me in understanding the problems that’ve been problems for decades.”