Straight White Men
By Young Jean Lee
Produced by Topher Paolucci
Assistant Produced by Kelsey Padilla
Directed by Louis Lin
CANCELLED DUE TO COVID-19
When Ed and his three adult sons Matt, Jake, and Drew come together to celebrate Christmas, they enjoy matching pajamas, cheerful trash-talking, pranks, and Chinese takeout. Then they confront a problem that even being a happy family can’t solve: When identity matters, and privilege is problematic, what is the value of and meaning behind being a straight white man today?
Two casts, two sets, one stage. One cast consists of actors presenting as straight white males, as the text requires. The second cast consists of actors presenting as anything other than a straight white male. The stage contains nearly identical sets sitting side by side on the stage, portraying a suburban living room. Throughout the performance, the actors would move between the two sets. As the performance progresses, you witness the actors dividing and sharing the written lines: sometimes the actors speak in unison, sometimes the actor playing Matt in Cast One speaks Matt’s line and sometimes the actor playing Matt in Cast Two speaks Matt’s line. The purpose of the experiment is to explore power dynamics related to non-straight white males occupying the role of power and privilege. This casting was to be performed with special permission from the playwright.
Produced by Topher Paolucci
Assistant Produced by Kelsey Padilla
Directed by Louis Lin
CANCELLED DUE TO COVID-19
When Ed and his three adult sons Matt, Jake, and Drew come together to celebrate Christmas, they enjoy matching pajamas, cheerful trash-talking, pranks, and Chinese takeout. Then they confront a problem that even being a happy family can’t solve: When identity matters, and privilege is problematic, what is the value of and meaning behind being a straight white man today?
Two casts, two sets, one stage. One cast consists of actors presenting as straight white males, as the text requires. The second cast consists of actors presenting as anything other than a straight white male. The stage contains nearly identical sets sitting side by side on the stage, portraying a suburban living room. Throughout the performance, the actors would move between the two sets. As the performance progresses, you witness the actors dividing and sharing the written lines: sometimes the actors speak in unison, sometimes the actor playing Matt in Cast One speaks Matt’s line and sometimes the actor playing Matt in Cast Two speaks Matt’s line. The purpose of the experiment is to explore power dynamics related to non-straight white males occupying the role of power and privilege. This casting was to be performed with special permission from the playwright.
