Racial tension brings opposites together in latest UO play
Although school segregation had been overturned between Brown and the Board of Education since the landmark 1954 Supreme Court ruling, the law was largely ignored in Durham, North Carolina—until 1971, when a black community activist and a Klansman were thrown together to find a solution.
The stage at UO’s Hope Theatre, part of the College of Arts and Sciences, is the setting for their epic confrontation in University Theatre’s upcoming production The Best of Enemies, based on a true story.
Performances are on March 4th, 10th, 11th, 17th and 18th at 7.30pm and on March 12th at 2pm
Ann Atwater is an outspoken civil rights activist who works tirelessly to help poor black people in her community. Gas station owner Claiborne Paul “CP” Ellis is president of the local Ku Klux Klan. When the government hires Bill Riddick, a seasoned organizer familiar with a collaborative process known as “Charette,” to come to Durham and help broker a 10-day public meeting, he selects Atwood and Ellis as Co -Chairman.
As Atwood and Ellis are forced to interact with one another over the course of the intense encounter, they realize that their life experiences are not all that different: both grew up in poverty and share a common concern for the education of the young people in their community, including their own children. Ultimately, they realize their anger and hatred for one another are misplaced, allowing them to sort out their differences and identify the real enemy – the system that has held their communities down.
Stan Coleman, a retired professor of theater and language at Nicholls State University in Thibodaux, Louisiana, and currently an associate language teacher at Lane Community College, will direct the racially charged play. As a gay African American, he has experienced discrimination firsthand, but believes people can change.
“What happens in the story is nothing short of miraculous, these two people are changing their perspectives on each other and on racial conflict,” said Coleman. “I believe prejudice is caused by three things: ignorance, background and peer pressure. All of these things work in this piece.”
While in college, Coleman acted and directed black theater and focused his doctoral thesis on black theater with the aim of bringing a minority voice to the stage. Five years ago he teamed up with local director/producer Carol Dennis to co-found Minority Voices Theatre, a program dedicated to producing stories like The Best of Enemies.
For Enemies he collaborated with Michael Malek Najjar, Associate Professor at the Department of Theater Arts, who is passionate about the development and production of plays with different themes and casts.
The play, although factual, is also controversial due to the frequent use of racial slurs.
“I had to ask all the actors if they wanted to use that word,” Coleman said. “They all were, and they all said, ‘You know, this is history.’ We sometimes try to whitewash the story and pretend this never happened, but if we never have to deal with it, it still happens. The best thing is that even if it’s an ugly scene, people have to deal with it.”
Coleman hopes the takeaway for audiences will not only be a better understanding of a historical event, but also a realization that change takes time and courage, especially for someone like Ellis, who was so deeply rooted in the Ku Klux Klan.
“We can’t make changes until we can listen to each other, but I hope people can get away with the idea that change is possible,” Coleman said. “If a man like CP Ellis can change, almost anyone can.”
– By Sharleen Nelson, University Communications