An (extra)Ordinary Day on the Stage: Attending a Theatre Performance (2 pt)

 

    The Atlanta Black Play festival is a play festival that occurs every year featuring plays written, directed, and performed by black creatives. This year’s selection of Saturday shows were performed right here on Spelman’s campus in the Rockefeller arts building. I had the opportunity to attend the early afternoon showing of Two Old Black Guys Just Sitting Around Talking by Gus Edwards. The show follows two men, Abe and Henry, as they repeatedly meet at a park bench despite their clear animosity with each other. Throughout the play, they recount the ups and downs of both their lives, including remembering the woman they both loved and had fought over. Edward’s play highlights the class division in the African American community, the pitfalls of one-dimensional storytelling, the beauty found in African American culture, and the difference between quiet and silence. 

    From the moment the actors step onstage, it becomes apparent that there is a class difference between Abe and Henry. Abe starts onstage, wearing a casual shirt, a pair of old jeans, and a baseball cap. On the other hand, Henry enters wearing a pair of khakis, a nicely pressed shirt, and a fedora. Immediately, Abe is annoyed by Henry’s presence, and his annoyance persists throughout their early interactions. He even at one point goes so far as to call Henry “Uppity”. Later in the show, it is revealed that the two men were friends in their youth before their lives took different trajectories. While the animosity between the two of them is mostly derived from their battle for the same woman, the play suggests that some of Abe’s frustration comes from their difference in class. Abe and Henry’s initial relationship illustrates how class plays a large part in the division of the African American community, but their growth throughout the show shows that, with communication and a willingness to listen, this divide can be eliminated. 

    The conversations Abe and Henry had throughout the show showcased the effects of male-centerd art, albeit indirectly. While talking about their efforts to woo their shared crush, Abe and Henry recount the different ways they pined for her attention. Since the story was told from the male perspective, the focus of the story became who could win the woman over rather than the actual relationship either Abe or Henry had with her. As a result, the plot treats the woman like an object, mirroring the way women in today’s world can be objectified by love as well as appearance. Because the woman is not present to tell her side of the story, we as an audience will never be sure as to how she felt. This dilemma serves as an example of how ignoring female voices in art and literature results in an incomplete and biased narrative. As a writer myself, encountering this in Edward’s work has motivated me to ensure that I am considering the lived experiences of all of my characters, even if those experiences differ from my own. 

    Furthermore, Edwards’ show at its core is a representation of beauty in everyday African American culture. After the show, I had the opportunity to speak to Edwards on his inspiration for writing the show. He informed me that the show is based off of a British play entitled “Home” which showcased 2 elder White actors with strong chemistry. Seeing this show inspired Edwards to write his show featuring two elderly African American actors. He recognized that oral tradition is an integral part of African American culture, and some of our greatest stories are revealed through simple, spontaneous conversation. This idea was reinforced after sending what he had deemed to be an unfinished draft to a friend only for his friend to assure him it was finished. Edwards’ play shows how all African American stories deserve to be told, even those reflective of everyday life. It serves as a theatrical embodiment of the conversations that pass on our history from one generation to the next. Listening to these stories be told, whether on a stage, in a living room, or elsewhere, allows us to exercise historical consciousness and recognize the stories of our elders who have sacrificed for our right and ability to sit in the seats we currently occupy. 

    Finally, Edwards highlights the difference between quiet and silence, a concept I have discussed in my First Year Experience class since attending the play. According to Kevin Quashe, silence is absence whereas quiet is a powerful, reflective nature. Throughout the show, Abe begs Henry to stop speaking to him and allow him to sit in silence. Later in the show, however, Henry is shown to be absent from their meeting palace, which saddens Abe. The emptiness Abe and the audience feels indicates that Abe was not really looking for silence. At the end of the show, Henry returns, and the lights dim as Abe and Henry sit in quiet, taking in the serene park. Unlike Abe’s distraughtness in Henry’s absence, the end of the play has an ambience of reflection and contentment. Quiet moments like the one that ends Edwards’s play allows for the exercise of purposeful attention and curated inwardness: it opens up the mind to notice details and thoughts it would have otherwise overlooked. After the show, Professor Keith Bolden, an actor and professor in the Spelman Theatre, reminded me to take my own quiet moments amidst the hustle and bustle of Spelman. Whether through self-care, journaling, or simply just sitting with one's thoughts, quiet moments allow for us to have greater intellectual and creative lives. 

    In conclusion, Two Old Black Guys Just Sitting Around Talking is more than its title. It is a theatrical representation of everyday black experience, as well as the societal issues that surround said experience. From class differences and patriarchy to oral tradition and even the importance of quiet, Edwards allows audiences to live alongside two men who have wisdom and help to share, even if it's shared on an ordinary park bench. 

Best, 

Ariana Singleton 

First-year Biology Major, pre-med track

P