THE GENERAL BEAUTY OF AMERIKIN: BY CRAIG JOSEPH
For every show that I direct, I write a one page conceptual statement to help guide the work of our cast and production team. One of the gifts of Seat of the Pants’ extended rehearsal process is that I don’t have to come with everything figured out on day one; there’s time for my ideas to change drastically as my collaboration with other artists morphs and transforms my thoughts.
This has been especially true on AMERIKIN. I’ve written and re-written this thing several time as my generous co-artists have deepened and enriched my thoughts about this story, pushing me toward realizations and revelations I would have never figured out on my own.
Here’s Part One of what we’re trying to explore in our production; I’ll post another installment in a week or so.
THE GENERAL BEAUTY of AMERIKIN
What gives your play beauty?
ITS FEARLESSNESS / UNABASHEDNESS: This play is not afraid to “go there” - addressing a number of hard topics - racism, postpartum depression, promiscuity, classism, and more - head on. It does not shy away from depicting tough-to-like characters, unpleasant situations, and bad behavior, but - unlike some other plays - what it portrays never feels gratuitous, pointless, or merely for shock value. It asks its viewers to look directly at and listen to today’s America and the way that real individuals exist here - to see, hear, diagnose, and do something about it.
ITS MORAL CLARITY / ACUITY: In an era where right and wrong seem to be relative and always up for discussion, the play doesn’t shy away from calling out beliefs, behaviors, and characters when needed; some stuff is just bad and evil, and the play doesn’t complicate those notions. Conversely, the play also has discernment to recognize when things are more complex and nuanced, seeking to understand - for example - Jeff’s actions that may be caused by mental illness versus those that result from poor judgment and lack of character.
What kind of play is it?
A GRITTY DRAMA: This is the kind of piece that Chicago’s Steppenwolf became famous for: ensemble cast, gritty realism, a bit edgy and in your face, but with substance enough that it isn’t just pulp or sensationalism. Humor around the edges, but comedy that’s dark and satirical.
A PERIOD PIECE FOR PERPETUITY: The piece is grounded in 2017 which, sadly, feels a bit removed from today. With Trump’s re-election, race relations, bigotry, the class divide, xenophobia, misogyny, and the tyranny of the white minority feel heightened; Hutchinson’s suggestions might feel a bit naive. But she is using this context to point toward more universal themes: the search for belonging, fear of difference, status anxiety, the potency of listening, the importance of healing from and not perpetuating trauma. It’s not merely a play about America under Trump; it’s about human nature - both our darker moments and our ability to transcend ourselves and do better.
What is it about?
It’s about a guy in rural Maryland, who - seeking support to navigate his rocky marriage and new fatherhood - attempts to join a local white supremacist group. When he submits his DNA test for acceptance, he learns that he’s part Black. Those to whom he looked for aid now turn against him, and he’s forced to accept help from unlikely allies - two Black journalists from D.C.
It’s about how isolation and loneliness can warp one’s perspective and behavior, and about the twisted lengths that people will go to to experience belonging and connection. It’s about learning how to listen to and truly see those who differ from us - whether by race, class, level of education, or gender - and to put ourselves in their shoes, becoming aware of how we are like one another.
It’s about healing from our own trauma and learning to forgive so that we do not perpetuate violence, indifference, hatred, and the like.
Why is it necessary?
On a surface level, we live in a country divided - between Black and white, rich and poor, intellectual and illiterate, straight and queer, man and woman and non-binary. These tensions are the result of very real injustices and offenses that are “baked into” the history of our country, though they look different from era to era. The play names the ills manifesting in our current age, but asks us to look deeper at the diseases rather than the symptoms. How do we eradicate fear and hatred of what’s different, scarcity mentality, lack of intimacy, engrained toxic masculinity, and gender tropes, addressing recurring sicknesses of human nature?
What universal truths does it demonstrate?
You cannot truly understand someone until you walk a mile in their shoes.
Good and Evil are not the purview of any one race, creed, gender, class, or level of education. Nor is any one individual wholly Good or Evil. There are always surprises.
Misguided love / lack of love can make us behave in truly terrible ways.
Fear can make us behave in truly terrible ways.
Being a parent can undo us - in good and bad ways.
What excites you as an artist about the work?
This is a bit edgier and more contemporary than I tend to direct. Excited about something topical, while keeping it grounded in universal wants and needs - more than an “issue play.”
I’m thrilled that we are the Midwest premiere of this play, concurrent with its NYC debut.
This is a largely new cast and production team to Seat of the Pants, so I’m excited for the opportunity to collaborate with new folks.
We’re playing with multiple locations onstage at once - something new to SotP - so I’m excited to see how this plays out with scenic, lights, and sound.
What moves you as a person about the play?
I appreciate Chisa’s work. I yearn to incorporate my prophetic temperament into my artistry. I’m still learning how, and I think she models that beautifully.
I have very raw emotional memories of unhinged behavior in college and graduate school when I was feeling lonely or like I didn’t have a social circle to call my own: waiting outside of dorm rooms, running all over campus looking for parties or gatherings, staying up too late or getting into things I shouldn’t have been - just to feel like I was a part of something bigger than me. Lots of empathy for these people, if not their behavior.
I understand the double-sided coin of ferocious, protective love for kin and also the debilitating enmeshment and resentment that comes from that.
Governing Images/Metaphors
The black dog - craving a home, but not quite ever being comfortable in it - the tension of wanting to be settled vs feeling restless - roaming and returning - dynamism and stasis - who is “at home” in their skin and who is adrift
Image of being cooped up, sequestered, never going out VS those who get outside and see the world
