Tales of anger, military orders, and armed violence, peppered with racism, make A Soldier’s Play a complicated social commentary. It showed at the Metzli Galleria in Chicago this February.
It was staged by the New Branch Theatre Company (NBTC) and directed by Calvin Gibbs, Jr., the president of NBTC. This Charles Fuller drama challenges the audience to reevaluate their views of racial violence.
NBTC was formed in 2003 with a vision to produce innovative theatre of first-class quality. Their mantra: “We believe that theatre comes from the heart and not from the expectations of others.” ? NBTC tells the stories of the past while examining present issues. Gibbs stated, “We strive to lend our voices to the struggles for equality and righteousness.”
The rationale for selecting this particular play was due to its captivating plot, not to mention its applicability to social diseases such as racism within races, violence, and betrayal, and its relativity to life in the inner cities. NBTC had intended to show it two years ago but were unable due to casting complications; they have anticipated returning to it ever since.
A quick overview of the plot: in 1944, a black staff Ssergeant, SSG Waters, is killed in a segregated World War II army camp in Louisiana. His last words are, “They still hate you.” An intense investigation by a tough black army captain, CPT Davenport, ensues. The truth inevitably becomes more evident as the past unfolds before the audience’s eyes.
A Soldier’s Play is not for the faint of heart. The Metzli Galleria is a very intimate theatre space. With all the shouting and raised voices that are part of this piece’s essence, it can be overpowering to view this show. Between that, the political and racist statements made by characters and the daunting acting abilities of the New Branch players, an amazing presentation of this great African American play was produced in this little theatre space.
Controversy and debate is bound to occur with such charged statements as, “Those Nazis aren’t so crazy,” and “I didn’t make you black. God made you black.” Written in 1981, it won the Pulitzer Prize and the New York Drama Award in 1982. The surprisingly soft-spoken Idrees Degas, who plays blustery SSG Waters, said of the production, “This play is prolific. Black-on-black racism is inculcated from black-white racism, and it is a cancer that destroys. If this play is a spiritual means of uplifting humanity then thespians have done their job and have allowed the viewer to look at themselves.”
NBTC has another set of work coming up during the week of April 23. They are doing 7 Plays in 7 Days. It is in conjunction with a national program to do the 365 plays of Susan Lori Parks, a playwright who set out to write a play per day for a year. The NBTC set will be showing in the Austin Town Hall in Chicago. Information about the New Branch Theatre Company can be found at their Web site at www.newbranch
theatre.com.