The Arlington Players is presenting "Clybourne Park," an award-winning, multi-layered play about racism through Feb. 15.
Directed by first-time TAP director James Villarrubia, the play features seven talkative actors in dual roles. The setting is in a house at 406 Clybourne Street, Northwest Chicago — in 1959 and present day — some 50 years apart.
The first act takes place as nervous community leaders try to stop the sale of a home in a white, middle-class neighborhood to a black family in 1959. The black family moving in is the Youngers, from "A Raisin in the Sun."
The second act is set in the same house in the present day, as the now African-American neighborhood tries to hold its ground with gentrification. The same talented seven actors play connecting roles in both time periods.
There are issues of non-communication, suicide, grieving, and miscarriage bubbling just below the surface. The actors are almost always on stage, while engaging in acts of selfishness, bickering and community outreach.
Written by Bruce Norris, "Clybourne Park" won the 2011 Pulitzer Prize for Drama, the 2011 Laurence Olivier Award for Best New Play, and the 2012 Tony Award for Best Play.
Why did the all-volunteer TAP decide to stage a play about racism?
"TAP tends to picks shows that challenge us as artists and 'Clybourne Park's' challenge lies in its various themes and making sure none of them get lost in the telling," said Producer Nikki Hoffpauir.
"It's about racism and race relations, community and the change that happens as communities adapt and grow with changing economic times, how we treat our veterans, the effect of suicide on a family, strained couple relations and political correctness," said Hoffpauir.
According to Barbara Esquibel, president of The Arlington Players, TAP wanted to seize the opportunity to be the first amateur theater in the area to stage "Clybourne Park."
"The dialogue — although wickedly funny at times — paints a poignant picture of how far we have come with race relations in the past 50 years, and how far we still have to go," said Esquibel. "We felt strongly that this is a story that needed to be told on the TAP stage."
It all started three years ago when director James Villarrubia, 28, of Arlington saw the Woolly Mammoth Theater's production and was "totally blown away" by it. So he dragged his girlfriend up to see the Broadway version in New York City.
"I reached out to TAP and said, 'We have to do this because it is a show worth risking,'" said the senior policy analyst with the Department of Justice. "And they agreed."
He elaborated: "Race is not something that we have escaped. It is not an issue that we have grown out of ... It's still here."
For about a year and a half, he read over the text, putting the pieces together, and had the words "simmering" in his head. In addition to directing, he was also working on the play's scenic design.
His goal for TAP was "to raise the bar for community theater," he said. "This was such an awesome show, and tackling a show like this is definitely a step above what the theaters in the area had been doing."
"I tend to like shows that are kind of meaty, with a bit of comedy to lighten the mood," he added. "That's why this show rang true to me."
Actor Derek Bradley, 33, of Alexandria, who plays the dual role of Karl and Steve, said, "Racism is simply one layer of this play."
"It's really about our ability to communicate and connect with each other," he said. "It's really about mutual understanding and our failure to gain mutual understanding, and how we're not able to connect with each other."
Bradley said he also enjoyed trying to wrap his head around the role of Karl's motivation. "It was interesting to think about how that might be portrayed," he said.
"Clybourne Park" runs Feb. 7, 8, 9, 14, 15, on Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m.; and Sunday at 2:30 p.m., through Feb. 15. Admission is $20/adults; and $15/juniors and seniors. At Thomas Jefferson Community Center, 3501 Second St. South, Arlington, VA 22204. There are group discounts of 10-plus tickets at $2 off each ticket; 20-plus tickets are $4 off each ticket; and 30-plus tickets are $6 off each ticket. Visit www.TheArlingtonPlayers.org or email tap@TheArlingtonPlayers.org or call 703-549-1063.
