The Justice Theater Project Review
JTP Ensemble Performs a Provocative Production of
Jackie Sibblies Drury's We Are Proud to Present...
The Herero people were a tribe living in German South West Africa (now Namibia) who along with other neighboring tribes, were colonized by the Germans in the 30 years leading up to WWI. When the Herero fell out of favor with the Germans, they were systematically killed and used as slave labor by the Germans until 1915. This is a hard story to tell, and The Justice Theater Project was up for the challenge in its production of We Are Proud to Present a Presentation About the Herero of Namibia, Formerly Known As South West Africa, from the German Sudwestafrika, Between the Years 1884-1915, directed by Amelia Lumpkin and starring Matthew Hager, DJ Brinson, Dylan Bailey, Trevon Carr, Alli Mae Carnes, and Ra'Chel Fowler.
The name of the show hints at what is to come. The actors are "presenting a presentation," a clumsy name for this production, and soon we realize that this is the point. Playwright Jackie Sibblies Drury cleverly frames the story as a peek at a troupe of actors rehearsing a play that tells this dark history of the Herero -- but it will be told thorough a series of letters written by an occupying German soldier back to his girlfriend in Germany. However, as the action begins, we soon realize that the letters only speak of love and the weather, the actors can't seem to find their muses, and tempers flare as race, history, and the horrors of genocide collide.
For how do you tell the story of the victims of genocide when there is no record of the horror from their point of view? Can a white man play an African man? Can a black man play a German? What would any of us do if pushed by fear, anger, or power? It seems the actors are ready to argue about every aspect of the play and, in doing so, touch on many of the universal aspects of humanity.
By pushing each other's boundaries as actors, they push the dialog on the human condition. They say that the victors write the history books. And we as humans get entrenched in our own stories and find it difficult to see the world from someone else's viewpoint.
The play was billed as a comedy/drama; but there were few laughs in this production, except for a brief set of singing and dancing that brought smiles all around, which given the subject matter, seemed out of place, until you remember that the whole story is being told by this troupe of actors working on a production.
For a play billed as a lesson on the horrors of genocide in Namibia, I found myself wanting more information about the Herero and this period of African history. For that, I will need to go elsewhere, because the story is really just the Crib Notes. What the play lacks in information, it gives bigger doses on the nature of humankind, our warlike ways, and racism. Ultimately, this show was less about history, more about universal truths about humanity.
I enjoyed the production; but I decided to try the livestream option, and I am sorry I did, for the audio was slightly muddy, making it difficult to follow the dialog at times. But my thirst to know more about this part of South West African history will take me to the library.
Jackie Sibblies Drury's WE ARE PROUD TO PRESENT A PRESENTATION ABOUT THE HERERO OF NAMIBIA, FORMERLY KNOWN AS SOUTH WEST AFRICA, FROM THE GERMAN SUDWESTAFRIKA, BETWEEN THE YEARS 1884-1915 (In Person and Livestreamed at 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 3 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 18, 19, and 25-27), directed by Amelia Lumpkin and starring Matthew Hager, DJ Brinson, Dylan Bailey, Trevon Carr, Alli Mae Carnes, and Ra'Chel Fowler (The Justice Theater Project in the Seby B. Jones Auditorium at Saint Augustine's University in Raleigh). TRAILERS: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tsloV-WdCC4 and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=46gjrHnNElE. 2021-22 SEASON: https://www.thejusticetheaterproject.org/the-possible-dream. RELATED EVENTS: Click here and scroll down for a list of related events. THE PRESENTER: https://www.thejusticetheaterproject.org/, https://www.facebook.com/Justicetheater, https://www.instagram.com/justicetheaterproject/, https://twitter.com/justicetproject, and https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCNGoYepGz-n99gOyTAj7QTg/videos?view=0&sort=p. THE VENUE: https://www.st-aug.edu/venue/seby-b-jones-auditorium/. DIRECTIONS: https://www.google.com/maps. SAU COVID-19 RESPONSE PLAN: https://www.st-aug.edu/coronavirus/. THE PLAY: https://www.dramaticpublishing.com/browse/full-length-plays/we-are-proud-to-present-a-presentation-a and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/We_Are_Proud_to_Present_a_Presentation_About_the_Herero_of_Namibia,_Formerly_Known_as_Southwest_Africa,_From_the_German_Sudwestafrika,_Between_the_Years_1884%E2%80%931915. THE SCRIPT (excerpts): https://books.google.com/books. THE PLAYWRIGHT: https://www.jackiesibbliesdrury.com/, http://www.iobdb.com/CreditableEntity/47151, and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jackie_Sibblies_Drury. TICKETS: $23 ($5 students and educators and $20 seniors and active-duty military personnel), except $20 per person for groups of 10 or more. Click here to buy tickets. INFORMATION: 919-264-7089 or thejusticetheaterproject@gmail.com. PLEASE DONATE TO: The Justice Theater Project.
