By Jill Baker, Editor-in-Chief
A staged reading of a new play showed snapshots of Flint, Mich. through student monologues on Nov. 9 and 10 in Degenstein Center Theater.
“Some of [these characters] are composites of interviews,” said playwright Jose Casas. “I did want to fictionalize to give it a sense of roles in society rather than names.”
“Every word of dialogue in this play is from residents and people associated with this tragedy,” Casas continued. He emphasized that Flint is more than the water crisis, rather, the area has many issues that parallel the rest of the country.
18 students took on 30 different roles in the play, including a narrator, a father, a demolition man and a professor, as well as a group of ensemble members who played varying protest and transitional roles between other characters.
According to Casas, he has worked on the play and conducted interviews with the people of Flint for the past year and a half.
Anna Andes, director and associate professor of theatre, helped bring this performance to campus.
“The theatre department is actively trying to produce more inclusive works,” Andes explained. “Including parts that are actually written for people from diverse communities, rather than simply sticking [diversity] in Shakespeare.”
The monologue format opened the play to include those with less performance experience, ultimately embracing more students coming in, according to Andes.
Through the department’s efforts, every role except for one was played by an actor of the correct gender, race and ethnicity.
A father, played by senior Kemah Armes, opened the show by highlighting the lack of attention to Flint, shouting that the “mess is far from over” and that “we still got poison in our bodies.” Armes also played three other roles during the performance.
Sophomore Malia Simon portrayed a pediatrician who spoke about her experience growing up in Flint. She elaborated on the importance of raising voices while still living with unsafe lead levels in the water.
This led into sophomore Andrea Ponce portraying a Latina woman who battled with being afraid and undocumented. The story built upon the challenge that families had with bringing their sick children to the hospital without documentation and not being able to get bottles of water without proof of citizenship.
The play expanded the idea of Flint outside of its media portrayal, as each new character gave their monologue.
Sophomore Samuel Emmanuel took the stage as a barber and talked about the challenges and illusions of the police in the city: he felt that the police were helping the downtown and not everyone else, using the allencompassing “us.”
“[Uptown citzens] want to magically distance themselves from finding solutions, distance themselves from us,” Samuel Emmanuel continued. “For those of us who don’t drive nice cars and don’t live in fancy houses, we don’t have much choice. Some people too afraid to leave; some because they can’t afford to leave, and some who just don’t know any better. Flint is all we got.”
Other cast members spoke on themes including young love in the city and the stigma of saying they are from Flint.
During many of the monologues, photos and videos from real incidents appeared behind the actors. Images included people and homes in Flint, as well as images portraying blackface.
Other character themes went a little deeper, including “the legacy of Flint being dripped in inequality,” which was said by sophomore Precious Emmanuel as the commissioner.
“What is happening in this city should not be a surprise,” Precious Emmanuel stated in her monologue. “This narrative reflects a long history of racism and segregation, upon which everything that follows is built. It’s ingrained, not only in the city we call Flint. This system chokes us until we reach the point where we can’t breathe.”
“Was race a factor in the Flint Water Crisis? The answer is an unreserved and undeniable- yes,” she continued. “What is happening to our community isn’t a phenomenon. Historically speaking, more black people have always been caught in the path of least resistance. Flint is the reminder that racism is the air we breathe. It’s about class. It’s about race. It’s about poor bodies of color being seen as disposable. We are the remains of fallen slaves. And history doesn’t forget.”
After other characters, including a photographer, a disabled woman and a gardener, there was a mother, played by Precious Emmanuel. Casas explained in the talk back that he is still working on the character order, but he knew he wanted to start and end with the father and mother.
Precious Emmanuel closed the performance as the mother, giving the last monologue.
“This play is over … Now you ought to go out there and do something,” Precious Emmanuel said. “You’ve connected with me, you see this is real. You see that people are hurting. Now you got to go tell other people. And you gotta tell people that’s just like you and don’t believe, that this is real. You gotta take this conversation to the board meetings, take this conversation higher and higher.”
“Don’t, don’t, don’t, talk about this with another black person,” Precious Emmanuel emphasized as the mother. “Because they already know.”
Following the show, Precious Emmanuel commented on the authenticity of representation in shows like “Flint.” “I believe that it is important to stay true to the character’s identity in certain situations,” Precious Emmanuel said. “True representation allows for authenticity in the portrayal of the character.”
After the show, members of Susquehanna’s theatre honors society, Alpha Psi Omega, collected donations for Genesee County Hispanic and Latino Collaborative, a charity that works with people of Flint in the areas of education, cultural awareness and social needs.
